Next to nourishing your body, engaging in physical activity is one of the healthiest things you can do to benefit your body and mind. During physical activity, exercise and movement, a complex connection is activated and provides stimuli between the body and mind. This stimuli affects the neuromuscular junction. Complex neurochemicals or brain chemistry at this junction send signals to the muscles and receive feedback. These signals and feedback give us our ability to think, act and move freely. Our brain chemistry is changed and improved when we move and exercise.
Neurochemicals
Brain chemistry is a group of neurotransmitters, neurochemicals and modulators that coordinate and regulate all functions in the body. Neurochemicals affect or change the impulse transmission between nerves and muscles. These complex chemical reactions are taking place every second in your body and brain. When we engage in physical activity, these reactions stimulate or release signals for the muscles to contract or relax and speed up or slow down depending on the intensity of movement.
Activities of Daily Living
The most routine movements like brushing your hair, folding clothes and sweeping stimulate neurochemicals to be released. These neurochemicals are responsible for the connections between exercise, thinking and linking the task with the movement. With each movement, the blood flow increases, brain cells become stimulated and your focus is shifted to the task at hand. The neurochemicals like acetylcholine are released and can provide a relaxing and calming affect that reduces anxiety and depression without any side effects.
Exercise Routines
Aerobic exercise routines increase the heart rate, increase blood flow and stimulate the release of neurochemicals at a faster rate than the activities of daily living. As the pace or intensity of the exercise increases, the signaling of neurotransmitters and modulators increases. The increase in signaling leads to the release of endorphins, which are often associated with the runner's high. But endorphins are far more complex and provide many more positive benefits like reducing anger which in turn improve conflict resolution skills and relieve stress.
Mental Activity and Exercise
Exercise and activity is not just for the body. Mental exercise has been shown to improve cognitive thinking decline in the elderly. Cognitive thinking involves problem solving, organization and reasoning. Mental activity and exercises, such as reading, bingo, playing a musical instrument, chess and crossword puzzles, provide stimuli to release neurochemicals that keep the mind active. These neurochemicals assert positive influence and slow memory decline associated with aging.
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