Balance is Key to Cognition

Okay, let's dive into the "why" behind that statement! It gets pretty fascinating when we look at how our brains map our bodies and the world around us.

Here's the gist:

• Our brains build an internal map:  To navigate the world effectively, our brains constantly create a mental representation of our surroundings and where we are within that space. This involves integrating information from our senses (sight, touch, balance, etc.) and creating a dynamic map that updates as we move.

• This map is crucial for more than just walking: It's not just about avoiding obstacles. This spatial awareness is deeply tied to memory, decision-making, and even our sense of self. Imagine trying to remember where you left your keys if your brain couldn't reconstruct the spatial context of your actions.

• Balance plays a key role in this mapping: Our sense of balance provides critical information for this internal map. It tells our brain where our body is in relation to gravity, how we're moving, and whether we're stable or about to fall.

• When balance falters, the map gets fuzzy: If our balance system is impaired, the information feeding into that internal map becomes unreliable. This can lead to disorientation, confusion, and difficulty navigating our environment.

• The brain struggles to compensate:  As this disorientation persists, the brain has to work harder to make sense of conflicting sensory information. This can strain cognitive resources and potentially contribute to a decline in overall brain function.

• The hippocampus is particularly vulnerable:  The hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory and spatial navigation, is particularly sensitive to this kind of disruption.  Damage or dysfunction in the hippocampus is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

In simpler terms: Imagine your brain as a GPS system. Balance is like the GPS signal. A weak signal leads to inaccurate positioning, wrong turns, and eventually, you get lost. Similarly, when our balance falters, our brain's internal GPS can go haywire, leading to cognitive "wrong turns" and potentially, a decline in overall brain health.

It's a complex topic, but the core idea is that our sense of balance is deeply intertwined with our cognitive abilities, and maintaining good balance is crucial for supporting long-term brain health.

Here's the Tip:

The #1 tip for improving your balance? Believe in your ability to improve, and weave balance training into the fabric of your everyday life. Many factors contribute to our balance naturally degrading as we age, but we can actively address them and train ourselves to have better balance at any age. Strengthening our fast-twitch muscles, for example, will make it possible for us to balance on uneven surfaces and stay upright should we trip. Other major factors include our vision, toes, proprioception, nutrition, and flexibility.

You can learn focused exercises for each of these factors from the tips on this site. But even without learning new exercises, you can find countless opportunities to safely challenge and train your balance throughout your day. Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth, waiting in line, or doing dishes. Walk heel-to-toe down the hallway. Turn everyday moments into opportunities to enhance your balance and strengthen your mind.

I stand on one foot while filling water glasses or the pasta pot from our fridge's incredibly slow-flowing filtered water. It not only transforms a tedious task into a challenging balancing exercise, but it shifts my mindset from impatience to agency and accomplishment.

Don't spend your time worrying about falling; spend your time on focused exercises to ensure you don't.