Exercising the Brain

 The brain/head responds to physical exercise in the same way that all the other regions of the body do — and even more so because it is the highest priority of the body because it regulates all the other functions of the body. As such, any thinking person would ensure that all the physical exercise strategies would be directed there — above everything else.

One will note that people with lack of brain function also lack head movement — and it is movement that largely determines blood flow — particularly full range head movement that articulates the fullest contraction with the fullest relaxation of that muscle producing that movement. That is why exercise works to increase muscle functioning and development. By creating that alternation of muscular states — just as the heart works unfailingly — it works as a pump, which produces a flow — by alternating the volume of that muscle, which in turn, increases and decreases the pressure — which is the basic principle of fluid dynamics.

All the oxygen and other nutrients don’t matter if they never flow to the places desired for that health and functioning. And while the heart always does its job, that is its job, and should not be expected to do everything else — like powering a 500 lb deadlift, squat or bench press. For that to happen, one would recruit the greater mass of muscles in the body, often comprising one-third of the bodyweight. The heart is only a one pound muscular organ — and to make it work harder and faster is not what produces better outcomes — but engaging the much greater muscular mass — which in many contemporary people these days, does nothing or very little — and thus the atrophying of those organs for lack of that enhanced circulation caused by those regular (rhythmic) muscular contractions.

Thus one notices that the particular vulnerabilities of the body are at its extremities — which are the feet, hands and head — in which the lack of optimal circulation produces the accumulations we note as inflammation (edema, lymphedema, lipedema, arthritis, neuropathy, etc.) The obvious and simple remedy is simply to effect those rhythmic contractions in some kind of conventional and familiar exercise — but even more effectively, just intentionally effect those alternating muscular states expressly for the purpose of the circulatory effect. That would be a 21st century understanding of the effectiveness of exercise — rather than the muddled understanding most have of it, no matter how fancy the jargon and explanations get — or how costly the wonder supplements are.

It is as simple as understanding the basics of flow — just as in the basics of understanding the functioning of life. Without the proper circulation, there is no health and optimal development, and at its most rudimentary level, there is no life at all, or decreasing functionality. The full range movement of the head, from left to right, and up and down, is the first indication of how well the brain is actually functioning — because of that effectiveness of movement and circulation. Yet that obviousness is almost never tested — and so the lack of proper functioning of the brain and head is not detected until too late. It is also the same with feet and hands that need to be amputated — because that functioning is already cut off as dead tissues threatening remaining tissue.

We know the compromised hand as weakened grip strength, and the weakened foot as the swollen feet, but think there is nothing amiss when the neck muscles obviously atrophy — and beyond that lies the brain. How much effective circulation must it be getting — if the development is caused by the enhanced, optimal flow? And the thing to understand about effective blood flow, is that it is caused by the contraction back towards the heart — rather than the heart forcing blood into already filled volumes — as is the present misunderstanding and why exercise does not work for many people. The understanding (paradigm) is entirely wrong about the heart being the prime mover in human action.

The heart’s role by being reliable, is to provide a constant ambient pressure — just as externally, the atmospheric pressure is a constant, ambient pressure — so that once the breathing compression (contraction) is relaxed, air merely flows into a lower pressure volume. That is also key to understanding the flow (circulation) throughout the body — and why some areas of the body develop and function well — while others languish for that lack of optimal conditions. One sees that immediately when the eyes light up — in response to that difference. Obviously, there is something going on in the brain and head that wasn’t happening in lieu of such movements. That is the brain operating on oxygen — and the other nutrients brought by effective, enhanced, optimal blood flow — which affects all the functioning of the body.

That is the critical path and role of the brain in every body — that is usually taken for granted as being “optimal.” And instead, the focus is misplaced to the functioning and measurement of the heart — with the presumption that it too is operating “optimally.” But wishing it were so, doesn’t make it so. The poor condition of the neck is not the inevitable fate of growing old, but of the atrophying of the neck circulation that affects the circulation to that area and organs. To some extent, it is automatic — but it can be made much more effective and optimal — especially when there is a deficiency or decline in functioning. That is the role and function of proper use and exercise — enhanced by the better understanding of this process. It works on every body part of the body — because that is how life evolved, and continues to improve.