My Mum is learning to play the guitar; she is doing really well, and whatever age you are, learning an instrument or a language or to paint or anything new is challenging. For some people some things are more challenging than others, but basically she's not found it easy, but she's plugged away for six months and can play some pretty pleasing tunes. She also sings along, which is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy!
Well done Mum!
But what has that got to do with a fitness blog? Well, as we age it gets harder and harder to create new neural connections in the brain, playing a guitar requires some pretty snappy synapsis firing away quickly enough to produce a tune. When you're young, your brain is optimised for creating connections … ie learning. When we get older, it seems that evolution doesn't think we need to be able to learn new things and it gets harder.
The same principal is true of starting any new fitness regime, whether its weight, running, yoga or dancing - your brain has to connect the right neurones to the right parts of the body in sufficient quantity to enable your muscles to generate the forces necessary to lift a heavy object, move quickly or perform a complex operation.
I think that my Mum's achievement is really encouraging for any older adult: if she can learn to play the guitar, you can learn to swim or cycle or balance on your head!
No comments:
Post a Comment