Easy exercise to train your brain and lose weight

Training, or, re-training the brain to respond to food differently is not as hard as we've been making it, and this simple step will get you started and well on your way to reaching and maintaining your ideal weight.

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Science seems to be making leaps and bounds in confirming 'new' evidence that indicates we can train the brain. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about; I thought this was called 'learning.' Apparently, it's called neuroplasticity.

Wikipedia explains:

Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.

What this means is that we can reorganize and change our attitude, approach, mindset and response - behavior - about a specific set of circumstances, such as chronic pain or weight loss.

We used to think that we are at 80 who we are at 8; studies and research now say differently. We can train our brain to respond differently to experiences.

Certified Holistic Health Coach and author Nina Manolson explains:

"The idea being that we are what we are, our brains are hooked up in a certain way, and that's all there is to it. That's just not so. We now know that our brains can change…which means that you can create new wiring that's more supportive to your wellbeing."

For example, in one weight loss study, participants were instructed to practice daily meditation and mindfulness exercises.

The meditation instruction was to sit quietly for 10 minutes and simply observe non-directively and focus on breathing.

Then, the mindfulness practice involved real life scenarios and creating new responses to old reflexes.

For instance, let's say someone in the office brings donuts and you really want one; immediately go get a drink of water and experience the drinking of the water in a more thoughtful, meaningful, mindful way.

Here's what's happening in the brain: comfort food stimulates the production of the feel-good hormone dopamine. Just visualizing, smelling and preparing for a bite of the comfort food causes dopamine to produce; that's part of the addictive element of overeating or substance abuse - the chemical element.

Dopamine is a drunken master that demands pleasure. Lab rats have been known to forego food and starve to death waiting for a dopamine hit; the same thing happens with heroine.

So, we see a donut and think that's what we are craving; but, the brain sees a donut and sees dopamine.

When we immediately turn our focus away from the donut and engage fully in the pleasurable experience of a drink of water, we are training the brain to respond to a drink of water with a rush of dopamine.

So, over time, it takes about thirty repititions to integrate a new habit, ie., retrain the brain, we learn to look forward to a drink of water with the same 'craving rush' that happens with donuts. And, we learn to redirect dopamine away from comfort foods and toward healthier choices.

We train our brain all the time, we just don't call it that. And, while the term neuroplasticity is relatively new, it still seems to me it's just another word for learning. It is exciting that we can take part in our own improvement.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment and share. Come see me at Finely Fit. Remember, fit is fun!