How much of your brain are you using? You might have heard that humans use only 10% of their brain. According to two psychology professors (Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons), they contend that the statement “we use only 10% of our brain is simply a myth. These psychologists suggest that our entire brain is put to use.
Let’s see what happens when I am trail running. Simply put, the area in my pre-frontal cortex (PFC) comes to life. The PFC of the brain regulates complex cognitive functions and is often called the executive center of the brain since it is involved in the expression of personality, decision-making, problem-solving and using appropriate social behavior. In other words this is where planning and goal setting take place. On the left side (of the brain in general) is associated with language while the right hemisphere is associated with recognizing forms, navigation, Kinesthetic, visual, motor etc.
Okay now I’m on the trail and I’m thinking about my goals and the trail run that I’m going to perform. Once on the trail, I pay attention to my breathing and scan my body for tightness. Often, I notice that I may be gripping my water bottles too tightly, and my shoulders or my jaw may be tight or tense. I also pay attention to the trail and scan for rocks, tree roots, snakes (in the summer), and other impediments. At times, I may even look behind me wondering if there’s a nearby Mountain lion or other critter. Yesterday for example, there were pools of water on the trail so I made sure to avoid them by changing my gait or stride. Further, I began to organize my thoughts and start an outline in my mind regarding today’s post.
Of course, today’s run was not part of a neurological study that measured brain function. But, I would gather that I was using more than 10% of my brain during today’s run. And if my hypothesis is correct, that’s a good thing. My guess is that I’m using more of my brain while exercising as opposed to sitting in a chair. And if that is true, I would push for more physical activity as it allows us to use our brain in a good way. It is clear that aerobic fitness training improves both cognitive and cerebral functioning of the brain.
On Saturday, Secretariat, Randall and I did a trail run. The trail was wet because of all the rain and it was also on the cold side. Fortunately for us, that heavy rain or downpour started when we were close to being finished otherwise we would have been soaked more.We were smart.
Use your brain and remember to keep moving because it is" good" for you.
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