By: Ellen Glickman, Ph.D.

I started jogging and realizing the importance of exercising sometime around my senior year of high school, when my best friend pushed me to “jog around our junior high school track”.  From that point on I was “hooked”, and I have not stopped “moving”.   Exercise and walking jogging, and running became a part of my sanity, listening to music is my way of relaxing.  I soon discovered that I could think better.

Very coincidentally today we know that regular walking, and exercise increases blood flow to the brain, leading to the release of hormones that promote the growth of neurons, and that may then improve overall brain function and memory.  Some may find the value in walking and thinking, and others may not.

The value of moving (energy expenditure), physical activity, exercise and eating a balanced diet (which is very important) became increasingly more important as life evolved as I decided to pursue more education in the area and not only “listen to my body” but seek a degree to learn more.  Getting a degree in this field of exercise and figuring out how it affected my body became a motivation.  As a baby boomer, I am realizing the value that maybe the years of exercise has had and can reflect that having grown up with Jack LaLanne and Jane Fonda as role models, I believe that for the apparently healthy individual to make a habit out of eating less and doing more sounds so simple and is really the answer. That is why we all need to keep moving and not stop but listen to our body.

See you on the road!