Did you know that exercise is not only good for your body, but for your brain, too? In Tara Parker-Pope’s Well blog, she outlines the research on both animals and people that shows that aerobic exercise improves cognitive function.
It makes intuitive sense: the brain is an organ, and increased blood flow to it will help it work. But how many of us “knowledge workers” spend our days on our tushies, getting the bulk of our exercise walking from the parking garage to the office elevator.
Kids intuitively know that they need to move their bodies, and get squirmy when asked to sit for too long. My kids (twins in 1st grade) get THREE recesses in school.
As we get older, we lose sight of our real physical need to move our bodies, thinking of it as a nice-to-have or something we do when we have time (which is never) as we sit and sit and sit in front of our computers (yes, I’m talking to you!).
Yes, my job is important, and I’ll do it even better if I take a few 10 minute walking breaks. My exercise classes aren’t only an investment in my appearance (which frankly I gave up on so long ago it’s hard to consider it again) but in my ability to be smart and work smart.
So how about you? Have you taken a recess today?
