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.


 By Tim Connor


Article Source:  Use It Or Lose It
Previous Post Next Post
  • Time-Twister Time-Twister

    Mavis leaned on her broom and looked at her Marla cleaning cart. "Do you know what time it is?" »Marla looked at him and said, "A quarter to two.""I've hated cleaning Dr. Hammer's lab," Mavis said, "ever since that fire."- What fire? Marla asked. "That's right. He wasn't there when it happened.... Readmore

  • Fairy tales can come true

    A well-dressed man with chiseled features, carrying a leather briefcase, walks into the lobby of the Collinwood Building. Flashing a business card, he smiles friendly at Lon Lynch, the burly security guard sipping a Big Mac at the front desk. "Hmm. Falstaff Advertising. I've heard of being a good ... Readmore

  • Thirteenth step

    My grandmother attends the church basement on Tuesday evenings. I saw him there among the metal folding chairs and antique coffee pots, his figure trembling under the fluorescent lights that buzzed like dying insects. She wears the same powder blue pullover she was buried in, the one with pearl but... Readmore

  • Walk The Talk

    Looking out the window from the little rented bungalow and seeing the tail lights disappear from view was a great way to end the day. Jack breathed a much needed sigh of relief. It was time to think about the moment he had been putting off for so long. I hope he wakes up and smells like coffee or ba... Readmore

  • Harold is the last frontier

    Opening his eyes, Hiccup is surprised that he is still alive. It is November 11, a good day for his generation. He did his duty, for his country, but also for the promise of adventure and glory. And for all his fame and post-traumatic stress disorder, he's now rotting away in this Midwest nursing ho... Readmore

  • The gift of the time traveler

    Dr. Ethan Carter was a scientist by day, a dreamer by night. Under the fluorescent lights of a laboratory, surrounded by glasses and plates, he designed devices that most would call impossible. He worked for a secret government agency, funded to discover, exploit and sometimes hide what the world wa... Readmore

  • malignancy

     This story contains themes or references to physical violence, blood, or abuse. "The horses are ready. We can leave at any time," Todd Rebus told his wife as he entered a rustic cabin. The hinges creaked as he closed the door. "The lake is calm. It was incredible: a single red hawk dove o... Readmore

  • Follow the light

    I still remember that terrifying night...that stuttering hum under my feet, the waves quite as calm as the ocean itself afraid to disturb this monstrosity. I remember the noise of the stars whose light went out before thousands of shining eyes, and the moon that fled for fear of the little sun that ... Readmore

  • The enchanted journey

     Here we are, the three of us, friends since the first year of high school, sitting on the porch of a house, drinking early  morning  coffee and tea. This house is listed as a haunted house, located in a famous haunted town in the southwest. "I can't believe we're here. And we ha... Readmore

  • Makhluk Malam di Kapal Mimpi Takdir

    Dua juta tahun yang lalu, seekor kura-kura mengunyah potongan hijau yang lembut saat dia mengapung di atas massa vegetasi raksasa di samudra Pasifik. Dia tidak tahu bahwa suatu hari, pada tahun 1800-an, kisahnya akan menjadi bagian dari lagu dan mitos yang dinyanyikan oleh orang-orang Pegunungan An... Readmore