Exercise with Your Brain as You Age (part 1)

It’s important to exercise your brain during your workouts especially as you age. By “brain”, I mean challenging your central nervous system. This can be done in two ways: by doing exercises that are either technically demanding or that push your neurological limits. Some of these workouts can be done at any level while others require preparation and a base level of fitness.

Why should we train our CNS?
Doing workouts that challenge our central nervous system (CNS) is important because it degrades with age, just like anything else, but at a faster rate. We quickly lose physical attributes that heavily rely on the CNS like agility, balance, high output strength, and speed more than lower-level strength and endurance. This is why it is so important to train these forms of fitness as we age. It’s easy to improve basic strength by lifting light to moderate weights and increase endurance by doing some cardio. Most people however don’t include exercises to challenge their CNS which results in a less agile and athletic body. The absence of these qualities makes us more prone to injury.

How do we challenge our CNS? 
We can do this by learning new exercises that are technically challenging and involve the entire body. This includes exercises that require balance and coordination like complex agility drills or exercises on unstable equipment. All levels of fitness can successfully perform exercises in this category as long as it is adjusted to their level.

The other option is to perform exercise at a high intensity. This can be achieved by performing complex lifts with heavy weight or exercises with high force production. Examples include heavy squats or deadlifts, Olympic lifts (or variations of them), plyometrics, medicine ball throws, and sprinting. These types of exercises all require an adequate preparation phase as well as a proper warmup. 

​Balance, Agility, and Coordination
As we age, our balance naturally decreases, and the difference is noticeable from someone in their 20s, 30s, 40s, etc. There is a stark contrast in balance capabilities when comparing someone in their 30s to someone in their 60s. This decrease can occur due to factors such as inner ear efficiency, muscular strength, and the nervous system's inability to adapt to the small changes involved in balancing. Engaging in exercises that involve standing on one leg, either for the entire exercise or intermittently, can significantly improve your balance in daily life.

Agility can be performed in various ways, from simple side-to-side movements to the complex agility drills commonly seen in sports training sessions. The sudden changes in direction require efficient communication between your CNS and your muscles to execute the desired motions with precision. This type of training is crucial not only for athletic activities but also for being able to adapt to unexpected changes during daily activities. ​

There are numerous ways to approach coordination, but ultimately, I help my clients enhance their coordination by introducing new functional exercises. Engaging in a new exercise that involves the entire body can improve overall movement quality and enhance athleticism. When we learn something new, our CNS has to work hard. People often feel tired or sore because their bodies are unaccustomed to a new motion or exercise.

By adding exercises to improve balance, agility, and coordination, we can challenge and improve our CNS function. This makes us more athletic and prevents injuries that tend to occur more often as we age. Book a session with us so we can show you how to include these exercises into your workouts.
 
Learn how to exercise your brain through high-intensity exercise in part 2.