Part 4 – Exercise and the Nervous System
As we age, it is even more important to exercise consistently and include balance and flexibility challenges into our exercise routines more frequently. Various forms of exercise are vital to the body’s ability to function efficiently and repair itself. The benefits of consistent exercise to one’s health are almost countless. The 12 main systems of the body depend on movement as a major component of homeostasis (The state of maintaining healthy biochemical and physiological processes within the body). For instance, yoga based exercises are extremely beneficial for the proper function of the nervous system.
The nervous system is a complex communication network between the brain and the sensory receptors of the rest of the body and the outside environment as well. The nervous system is comprised of two parts, the central nervous system which consists of all the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system which consists of the nerves located in all other parts of the body. Both these systems are responsible for voluntary and involuntary movements. By challenging the body with standing strength, balance, flexibility, deep conscious breathing and body awareness exercises,sensory receptors (the part of the nervous system that senses the outside environment), and motor neurons (the part of the nervous system that elicits movement) perform better. Keeping the nervous system functioning well as the body ages is essential in maintaining and/or improving our proprioception.
Proprioception is the body’s ability to know where it is in time and place which increases the body’s ability to achieve higher levels of fitness and decreases the risk of physical injury. The body uses its proprioceptive abilities to get information about its surroundings. For example, when walking, the sensory receptors in the feet give proprioceptive feedback about the terrain (walking in sand, walking on a tile floor). A well-functioning nervous system, using heightened proprioception, enables the body to adapt to its surroundings without consciously thinking about what their body is doing. Proprioception tends to decrease with age as not only general activity decreases, but specifically the mind body connection or body awareness declines. This decrease in proprioceptive abilities can lead to biomechanical dysfunction, improper posture, poor balance and an increase in the likelihood of slips, trips and falls.
Commitment to the appropriate exercise programs as one ages will keep the systems of the body working efficiently, which is essential in order to keep minimizing the risk of chronic disease and injury, maintain energy levels and optimal biomechanical function. These are key elements in achieving and preserving a healthy quality of life throughout the aging process.
Avril Coakley, NASM CPT, CES, has been a successful entrepreneur for the past 12 years as an owner of the Ruidoso Athletic Club located in a mountain resort community at 7,000 feet nestled in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The Ruidoso Athletic Club is an 18,000 square foot full service facility, open 24 hours 7 days a week, complete with the latest in cardio, circuit and free weight equipment, indoor swimming pool, racquetball, world class group fitness classes, high altitude endurance event training, as well as personal and post physical therapy/rehab training. Avril has a very diverse business background with experience as a corporate employee working for very large international companies, as an educator and as a small business owner and operator. She is currently teaching health, wellness and physical fitness classes for Eastern New Mexico University as well as for her members at the Ruidoso Athletic Club.
Sources:
“How does the nervous system work?” Informed Health Online [Internet]. Web; August 19, 2016
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072574/
“Exercise and The Nervous System” Fitness Republic Team; November 8, 2010
https://wwws.fitnessrepublic.com/fitness/exercises/exercise-and-nervous-system.html
