One, Two, Three and Neuroplasticity!

Physical fitness, neuroplasticity? Important words for our overall well-being.

There’s no getting around it. We all need a fitness regime, especially as we get older. But for most of us, we stop at the physical. That little trifle we call the mind gets left behind. Think of it, we exercise the body, but not the mind? Related to this theme is a little thing I’ve been thinking about over the past year, and it’s called neuroplasticity.

What’s that? Basically, it’s the brain’s ability to rewire itself, create new pathways for behavior and action. OK, I’m not a neurologist. But I think the concept is clear. Unlike previous theories that the brain was plastic only in our developmental years, youth, newer research indicates that some degree of plasticity remains, and can be encouraged and developed.

As our body ages, so too does our brain. You experience a form of neuroplasticity every time you learn a new skill or habit, such as a guitarist who may be learning new chord progressions, scales, or songs. Learning to do origami, ceramics, another language, and other skills requires the brain to adapt and learn. It’s been shown that neuroplasticity can be important in recovering from stroke and other brain injuries – one portion of our brain may be able to learn or assume part of the ability of another.

My plan

The implication is that a physical fitness regime is only a portion of what we need for good health. We also need a neurological one. Do I have one? Sure do! And you are reading part of the Lou Carreras Neurological Fitness Regime ( the LCNFR for those who like acronyms). Every day, I write at least one post based upon a prompt presented by WordPress, and I additionally work to incorporate additional prompt words posed by my fellow bloggers. Did you think I was blogging only for my ego? This is Therapeutic!

Another part of my regimen is guitar practice. Over the past two years, I’ve gradually been building up my practice time on the guitar, and I now feel guilty if I fail to practice daily. It’s been an interesting exercise. I’m “coming back” as a different guitarist than I was. For the most part, I’ve avoided picking up where I left off years ago. No resorting to old song lists. Instead, it’s new material. And I’m playing it in a new style.

Let’s not tip toe around the issue. If you have a regular physical fitness routine, you probably should have one for your brain. After all, without one, the other isn’t very good.