All of us knew that we could increase our muscle power and strength through exercise. But the latest research shows that regular exercise like walking or cycling for 6 months improves memory and learning abilities in children and the elderly between 15-20%. It actually increases the size of crucial parts of the brain. There is a new evidence that exercise can help increase the neural stem cells in the hippocampus, thus reducing age related memory loss and slow down in learning process. Carl Sagan says that every human mind has the capacity to store the equivalent of 7550 volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica. But brain development can help increase our brain’s band width.
So what happens when you have no time to exercise? Why not change your daily actions into exercise. Walk frequently around your office. Take the stairs instead of the lift.
Walk the dog a little longer. Play in the park with your toddler. Invent ways by which you can say hello to every muscle. Do stretches at your desk. Schedule meetings at the golf course. Incorporate swimming into your lunch appointment in a hotel. Keep an extra pair of walking shoes at the office and take a walk break at sunset. Let the kids meet you after work at a park or the beach.
Incorporate yoga into your daily life. The art of living is yoga which in India’s contribution to the world. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj which means ‘yoke’ attach or join. It means the disciplining of the intellect to the Cosmos. The science of yoga is systematized by Maharishi Patanjali in 285 yogasutras.
Yogasana is the science of beauty of form which combines effortless postures and definite stances in the projection of a healthy and striking personality. Yogasana covers the harmony of bodily stances and breathing techniques that mould, every part of the body to its ideal contour. This is possible through various postures incorporated into daily actions like standing and sitting. These asanas also subtly aid in the development of a new and striking personality. Asanas are thus not merely yogic postures but they embody the proper physical and mental disposition through the harmony of body and mind. Some of them you can do in bed as soon as you are awake. So exercise your mental options.