~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~
How many stairs did you climb today?
If your answer is “zero,” that’s bad news, and not just for your physical health. Turns out that climbing stairs—and performing other exercises that work those large muscle groups in your legs—is critical for brain health.
In other words, if you want to be at your sharpest—both intellectually and creatively—when tackling your writing today, climb a few stairs first!
Researchers restricted movement in mice for 28 days by immobilizing their hind legs. They also had a control group that was allowed to move normally. At the end of the study period, they examined the rodents’ brains, particularly an area known as the “subventricular zone.” They found that the neural stem cell activity in that area had dropped by an astonishing 70 percent. The mice also had underdeveloped neurons and oligodendrocytes—glial cells whose main role is to protect nerve cells.
The scientists concluded that weight-bearing leg exercise stimulates the production of healthy neurons in the brain. These neurons are crucial in helping us deal with stress and life changes.
Stair-climbing is one exercise that fits the bill, but there are others:
- Running
- Walking
- Dancing
- Hiking
- Tennis
- Weight-lifting
If you have stairs in your house, you’ve got it easy—simply go up and down those a few times a day. You can also tackle the stairs on your way to work, or while out and about running errands. Go hiking this weekend, hit the gym, or take a nice morning run. You’ll be doing double duty in each case—exercising your body, which helps you reduce risk of disease, and providing your brain what it means to renew itself and produce your best writing results.
Source
Raffaella Adami, et al., “Reduction of Movement in Neurological Diseases: Effects on Neural Stem Cells Characteristics,” Front. Neurosci., May 23, 2018, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00336/full.