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Brain Rules - Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power

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Brain wants us to move our bodies

The thing is that when we move, tiny proteins called BDNF-s are created when you exercise and act like miracle growth for your brain.

This means that if we look at our classrooms where students have to sit all the time (45 min and maybe up to 90 min in a row). This does not activate our thinking nearly as good as.. for example playing (and moving while doing that).

If we look at our working conditions, often we see the same picture - cubicles. If you need creative thinking for your job, then this is a big no-no. Take a look at the video below, where Tim Brown talks about playing on the workplace.

Robert Hutchins says: "Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes."

Take a look at other Brain Rules also.

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Brain Rules

A book about how our brain works.

This lens ideas mostly come from this book.
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Evolutionary roots

Is there a relationship between exercise and mental alertness? The answer, it turns out, is yes.

Maybe we don't know so much about our evolutionary history, one fact every paleoanthropologist agrees with can be summarized in two words:
We moved.

We moved a lot. Famous anthropologist Richard Wrangham says: "About 10 to 20 kilometers for men and about half of that for women." If our ancestors would lay around... well, lets just say that evolution didn't favor this kind of types.

Walking habits

How many walked kilometers is enough for you?

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Less than 2km

Name the number

Tipi says:

Okay, an American here and I don't know what the miles conversion is. It would take me 20 minutes to walk a brisk mile. Yup, looking at CoCreatr answer to gain info. I'll go with that for now.

CoCreatr says:

2 km brisk walk in about 20 minutes to and from work is enough for me.

Usually I bicycle and on a fair weekend day, 50 km is enough. My personal best was 100km in under 4 hours, mostly flatland on a recumbent bicycle.

 

Two types of aging

One way is as a person gets his lived years close to 70 (if he is lucky), he starts to prepare her funeral or maybe will be waiting his death in a nursing home. John calls this kind of guys a "Jim"

The other way is quite opposite, where the person can't get enough of coming up with new ideas. Well.. get to know to "Frank".

It turns out that exercise can actually boost your brain power and you don't need so much for that. You don't have to walk every day 12 miles or so. If you walk several times a week, your brain will benefit.

And if fact, you can turn Jim into Frank. No, it doesn't take effect after taking a single walk, but positive result has shown even already after 4 months. That's something.

Ideas

Tim talked previously in the video about working environment in Adio, Pixar, Google.. If you don't like your workplace, make a suggestion to your boss to change it. If you are a boss - go, and do it right now!

It doesn't take so much to rearrange the place you spend a wast time of your day. Make it cool, make it different - the place you would like to come every single day.

And on walking topic.. Do you go to work or school on foot? Is it possible to do so? Try it out.

Working environment

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My input

I have to walk to work for about 20 minutes.. I know, this is not so much and I would even say - it is just enough. It means the distance is maybe more than 2km. There and back makes it 4-5 km a day. And you know what? I enjoy it a lot!

It is my thinking time. I even have my dictaphone with me in case some very good ideas pop in my head. I know I can forget them and it would be a shame.

Once I had a thought.. maybe start going to work by bus? I was thinking on that.. thinking and thinking.. and after 10 seconds I just thought it was not so much of a good idea :)

PS. Between us.. There are more great ideas in this book. As I love this book so much, I recommend you to have it also ;)

PPS. Take also look at other Brain Rules

Clickme-s

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Brain Rules

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Express your mind

  • karmicchristian Apr 19, 2011 @ 11:22 am | delete
    Interesting lens. G'day and thanks.
  • Tipi Nov 23, 2010 @ 1:48 pm | delete
    Walking is getting the heads up for all kinds of benefits, well done!
  • Janusz Apr 16, 2009 @ 12:47 pm | delete
    BlessedbyaSquidAngel:)
  • rydigga Jan 20, 2009 @ 11:17 pm | delete
    Hi German, Very nice lens, thanks for sharing. I've written a lens on health/fitness, if you'd like to check it out it's on my Bio page.

    Ryan
  • a-ha-design Dec 6, 2008 @ 10:54 am | delete
    Great lens. Interesting! Five stars.
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Gera

In the end I would like to just talk a bit about me.

I am actually doing lots of projects and other doings at the same time (and I like most of them). I study, I teach (for one year at first), I do some voluntary work in non-profit (student-run international organization AIESEC), I have a little business (just to put myself on a tryout, local service), I like to attend conferences, seminars, real-life forums etc as much as I can and as you can guess also from this lens, I like to read - the older I get, the more I want it. Is that too much? Maybe a bit.. But as soon as I finish some of these activities, new ones will come up.

My life philosophy is BTHI (Beyond the Heck It). Of course you can find a lens about what does it mean by clickme.

PS. Yep, that's me on the picture.

Thanks!

I appreciate that you made it to the end!

by

Gera

Whatever you do, just don't read my lenses till the end!

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

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