Why you should keep learning

We at Revity3 talk a lot about physical health, as we should. We are a premier fitness studio focused on longevity, so it makes sense.

Longevity and the ability to live well for an extended period of time is not just about the physical body, though. Yes, we need to move, nourish, and recover, but there is more to it.

If you have ever spent time with someone that was slowly losing the battle to dementia, you know what I’m talking about.

We must invest as much time in protecting our minds as we do protecting our bodies.

While some mental decline is natural, dementia is not inevitable, nor is it predetermined by our genetic makeup.

One thing we can do, and we can start from an early age, is build up a cognitive reserve.

Allow me to take a brief sidebar: When we learn a new skill or create a new habit, a new neural pathway is created. It takes time to build, but eventually it happens. The “stronger” that pathway is, the easier the skill or habit becomes.

For example, when you first sit down with a musical instrument, attempt to speak another language, or during your first day at a new job, it isn’t easy. It’s a challenge, in fact. But you do it again, and again, and again, and it becomes second nature.

Let’s take one skill: playing piano. Invest the time, learn the keys and how to read music, and you’ve built a new skill and a new neural pathway.

Take another skill: speaking Spanish. Invest the time, learn the vocabulary and the grammar, and you’ve built a new skill and a new neural pathway.

Every time you repeat this process, you’re building yet another neural pathway.

The more times you’ve done this, the greater your cognitive reserve.

Some brain damage is inevitable, but the chances of falling victim to the effects of that damage can be minimized by a life dedicated to learning and building that reserve.

This is not the only thing we can do, but it is the message we want to send today.

In fact, it is the challenge we want to send today: Pick one thing that you’ve always wanted to learn. Take five minutes (set a timer if you like) and start to learn. Even listening to a podcast while driving to work or picking up your kids at practice is a start!

Challenge accepted?

Coach Dylan