Your body and the surprise factor

The human body adapts incredibly well to surprise. I wanted to incorporate the surprise factor in my exercise program. This element of surprise will be fundamental to build new neural pathways among other benefits. My intention is through continuously surprising and teasing the body with new balance and coordination exercises we will stimulate the brain, the muscles and your nervous system altogether.(see the brain-muscles connection) That surprising effect will lead to a more efficient workout and you will consider your body as a whole unity. This new routine of exercises are structured in four levelsthat gradually advance.

Balance and Coordination play a very important part of your brain functioning more than you think. Take a look of the brain activity when you perform a simple balanced and coordinated movement like in the picture below.

Speaking with Neurobiologist Professor Dr Martin I was told that not every single movement requires the same brain activity. The more complicated the movement, the more brain activity you will have. “Your system challenges limbs between limbs so that’s why you are influencing brain functioning. I consider Dr Martin my mentor and the person responsible for this obsession I have called The Brain and its connection to Fitness.

As Dr Martin said, not every single movement requires the same brain activity. In traditional training, think that in performing just one bicep curl, there is one part of the brain activated which is responsible for voluntary movement.In my brain muscle workout system the movement is very precise and requires proper balance,coordination and muscle timing .

Effects on the brain? This movement will activate not only the area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement but also the area responsible for balance and coordination denominated the cerebellum. In addition there is another part of the brain, the basal ganglia that is involved in motor coordinated movements. And remember that the constant changes in the program will trigger the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning of new movements. This constant learning will promote the creation of new neural pathways

Brain Studies The cerebellum, the area associated with movement, has been found to be a "virtual switchboard of cognitive activity" (Jensen 1998, 83). Interesting data:although the cerebellum accounts for only 10% of the brain's volume, it contains more than 50% of its neurons

In addition, the cerebellum is the area of the brain responsible for voluntary physical movement and is connected by neurons to all parts of the cortex. It is also the area of the brain responsible for higher order thinking. Nearly 80 studies have suggested a strong link between the movement and memory, spatial perception, language, attention, emotion, non-verbal cues, and decision-making (Jensen, 1998).

Further reading:
Books:
“The Executive Brain”
“The Singularity is near”
Magazines:
“Discovery magazine, The Brain”, June 2007
Websites:
Happy Neuron
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/