The Memory of Exercise
Can mental rehearsal of past exercise benefit our memory?
Exercise is good for us, mentally and physically. This is a given. When it comes to memory, more blood flow to the brain improves cognition and serves to increase the density of the hippocampal wall, making the memory center in the brain more robust. Our brain health is also served through a reduction in stress and inflammation, alongside increased feelings of well-being that exercise-induced serotonin promotes.
But can simply visualizing ourselves exercising… without moving a muscle… create similar effects? Joe Dispenza reminds us that our brain can’t tell the difference!
“Your brain and body don’t know the difference between having an actual experience in your life and just thinking about the experience—neurochemically, it’s the same.”
Take the example of Major James Nesmeth, a Vietnam prisoner of war who was held for seven years without any physical activity in a cage that was 4.5 feet long and 5 feet tall. He visualized a golf game start to finish for nearly every day of his imprisonment. His visualization exercise was in incredible detail, and would take as long as as an actual game would take to play.
After his release, and despite severe physical deterioration, he played a round of golf at his favorite course. Not only was he able to swing a golf club despite his poor health, he shaved 20 strokes off of his average!
While this is an extreme example that included 7 years of daily rehearsal, there are many more research studies that demonstrate similar powerful effects of mental visualization. Our body responds to what our brain experiences, whether it is happening in real-time or we are recalling a memory.
Why not try out the benefits of visualizing exercise in your own life? Use this guided meditation, or simply take some quiet-time to yourself to mentally rehearse a bit of your favorite activity or workout. At the least, you have exercised your ability to be mindful and apply attention… and at best, you will be taking in physical benefits of exercise thought your self-guided adventure!