B.A.S.S. – Balance. agility. strength. stretching

BRAIN B.A.S.S for Week 4 - Boost Your Brain

By maria king

Start with a quick check

Can you balance on one leg while counting backwards?

Or name animals while stepping side to side?

If that feels surprisingly difficult, you've just discovered dual tasking.

Why this matters

Your brain is constantly processing information while you move.

It controls your balance, reacts to changes around you, remembers what you're doing and helps you make quick decisions. Asking your brain to think while you move challenges these skills at the same time.

Research suggests dual tasking can improve working memory, attention, processing speed and cognitive flexibility. These are the skills we use every day when walking through a busy shopping centre, following a conversation, avoiding a trip hazard or changing direction quickly.

Keeping your brain healthy becomes even more important as we get older. While we can't change our age or genetics, healthy habits that challenge both your mind, heart and body may help reduce or delay the risk of dementia.

It's also reassuring to know that forgetting a name or occasionally misplacing your keys is often a normal part of life. However, if changes in memory begin to regularly affect everyday activities, it's important to speak with your GP or health professional.

What to do this week

As you complete your Brain B.A.S.S., add a thinking challenge to each exercise.

Try:

  • counting backwards by threes or sevens

  • naming foods or colours

  • spelling simple words backwards

  • reciting your favourite song

  • thinking of names beginning with one letter.

It doesn't matter if you make mistakes.

The challenge is simply to get your brain and body working together.

This week's reminder: Move & Think Together.

Join Anna-Louise as she challenges your brain and your body to help keep your brain active for years to come.

Physiocise TRAVELS

We love seeing the adventures our clients get up to outside of class.

Each term, we feature photos of our clients doing physiocise exercises in the real world. Some are taking a table stretch in Peru, others are doing lunges in their backyard. It can be anywhere, anytime!

Make sure you send us any of your own ‘Physiocise Travels’ photos. We will feature them in our quarterly newsletter.

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