Use It Or Lose It

It's common knowledge that if you don't keep developing muscles, over time, they will atrophy. Well folks the same is true of your brain. Here is just one of thousands of illustrations I could give you to make my point.

There are approximately 400 billion brain cells in the average human and each one of these has on average - 10,000 neural connections - do the math - that's a lot of intricate stuff going on between your ears. Estimates are that there are over three trillion chemical reactions in the human brain every second. OK, enough of my biology lesson and to my point. In summary, there is a lot going on, thousands of activities in your body every second, that are driven by or monitored by your brain. When it stops - your life as you know it is over.

The brain is no different in many ways than your muscles - if you don't keep exercising them, over time they will atrophy and how do we know this - dementia and Alzheimer's are typical outcomes of years of brain inactivity (a lack of stretching/growing) as current medical research is finally coming to realize. Yes, there are other factors but in this brief article I just want to focus on how or whether you are exercising your brain to keep it healthy, vibrant and working effectively on your overall benefit - moment by moment for all the years you are given.

For a moment think of yourself on the treadmill walking at a vigorous pace. And the benefits are - improved cardiac function, stronger more resilient muscles, improved stamina etc. So, you continue to do this routinely to maintain these abilities. Yes, at twenty the benefits might be better than doing this at eighty but in the end doing it is better than not doing it.

The same is true of your brain. It needs challenges to maintain a healthy, creative and useful ability. And how do you accomplish this? Duh - read more, study more, play word games, artistic creations, contemplate more, evaluate more, question more - got it - use it or over time or you will lose it.

And the cost of losing it? Well for starters the ability to remember, focus, feel, share, love and create. Need I go on? OK, the ability to be of service to others, the skill of using talents and abilities in a positive and proactive way and the over ability to be a valuable human being to and for the people in your life. Don't think this is enough - think again.

I watched my mother in her seventies lose her mental function as I'm sure many of you have had the unfortunate experience as well watching a loved one become less valuable and I can't tell you how observing this downward spiral saddened me. And, to some degree it could have been avoided if she would have just spent a little more time during her life challenging herself mentally with any variety of mental activities.

Let me repeat - use it or lose it.

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