EXERCISE FOR INTELLIGENCE
My favorite Emcee is a guy named Rakim. I was fortunate enough to meet him and speak to him on several occasions. When you get to
meet your idols you don’t take it for granted.
I have always listened intensely to things Rakim had to say. He's very wise, very poetic and a huge fan of the combat sports. We got along instantly and I always look forward to our chats. He told me he rarely gets writers block. In an old interview, he said if he can’t
think of anything he just goes out into the world and starts living.
As some of you know, I am working on getting back to stand up comedy. Last week I had writers block and I thought of RAKIM. I figured, okay- nothing gets my brain going more than exercise. So I had to go back out into the world and train. It really got me thinking though, so many people have to perform and be creative
at work. My question is: how creative can
you be often starring at a computer screen and 4 walls?
Many people sit sedentary for 40 hours a week or more.
Endurance and resistance training are proving to be the
dynamic duo that build and rejuvenate the body from head to toe. Studies have shown that improving your physical fitness can
help to improve your mental fitness.
Aerobic exercise has been shown
many times to improve cognitive function,
but a recent study shows that strength training can improve executive functions. Executive functions
are important because they are a mental ability that helps us make decisions
and do several things at once (like driving). They’re associated with how quickly
you perform mental tasks such as multi takings, decision- making, and problem
solving. It explains the old expression “go take a walk!”.
Think about! When you are boxing the very mitts you hit are called FOCUS Mitts! You are working on hand-eye coordination and cognitive function. How much better have your reflexes become after training to fight or for any sporting activity. New Yorkers who go to the gym are less likely to get thrown by the inconsistent walking pattern of a tourist. I said thrown off…notice I didn't say annoyed. LOL
Regular exercise
has been proven to be more effective than brain games, super foods, supplements
or any other method used to keep the brain sparking on all cylinders.
Consistently exercising doesn’t just reshape your muscles but it helps
reshape your mind. One of the most exciting changes that exercise causes is a
process called Neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is the growth of new brains
cells, something that until recently wasn’t thought possible. Scientists
believe that through physical exertion new brains cells are produced, possibly
by increasing the capacity of capillaries serving the brain so there is
increased blow flow. With increase blood
flow the brain receives more oxygen, which accelerates cell growth and repair. Now getting kicked and punched in the head
The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire
itself. It’s NEVER too late. Even in old
age, it can grow new neurons. Severe mental decline is usually caused by
disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply
result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation.
Inactive individuals were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's,
compared to those with the highest levels of activity (exercised vigorously at
least three times a week). In other words, use it or lose it. No matter
what your fitness goals, your brain is the 3 lbs you never want to lose. So the
next time you're stuck with a thought, an idea or a problem you wanna “work out” go work it out at the gym.
I start
to think and then I sink into the paper like I was ink
. When I'm writing, I'm
trapped in between the lines
, I escape when I finish the rhyme, I got soul _ RAKIM
