- improves and increases blood flow to the brain,
- increases the production of new brain cells (neurons),
- increases the connections (synapses) between neurons where memory is
stored,
- slows the development of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing plaque and
beta-amyloid peptides.
A recent study of 600 people, age 70 and over, was carried out by a
team at the University of Edinboro. The individuals kept detailed information
about their daily physical, mental, and social habits for three years. The data
revealed that those who had engaged in the most physical exercise showed less
brain shrinkage and damage to the white matter, which is considered the
“wiring” of the brain’s communication system. Similarly a study by Dr. Kirk
Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh reported that adults aged 60-80 who
walked moderately (30-45 minutes, 3 days a week for one year) increased the
volume of their hippocampus, the part of the brain that is so critical for
memory. The good news, from my own personal experience and many studies now, is
that you don’t have to be an Ironman triathlete to gain the benefits of
enhanced brain function from exercise!
Now, after two weeks, my body has almost fully recovered and is back to
homeostasis or balance, and I feel calmness
and a continued sense of satisfaction as I return to the similarly challenging,
totally engaging and exciting field of neurosurgery. And as I return more focus
on my work, I will continue a program of interval and aerobic strength training,
teamed with core exercises and stretching, including yoga, at least an hour a
day.
Each time after finishing what has been described as the most punishing
of all endurance races, my first words are “this is the last time!” Then two or three years later, I find myself training again with the same self-punishing rituals
of swimming, biking and running. When I ask myself “Why?” the answer is the
same: as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi so scientifically and accurately described in
his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, “The
greatest moments of our lives are when our mind or our body is stretched to its
limits in the voluntary pursuit of something both difficult and worthwhile.” This
kind of perseverance—in any endeavor—provides incredibly fulfilling and sensual
moments. In many ways triathlons are a metaphor for life, as well as for
neurosurgery: commitment, passion, the need to practice and repeat often-boring
activities, and the overcoming of physical and mental pain are all universal
requisites for success. I am triply blessed to experience the same “flow”
experience with my family and children, in my profession, and through triathlons.
Joseph
Maroon, M.D., 73, just finished his fifth Ironman Triathlon
world-championship event – considered the planet’s most grueling. In addition
to seeing patients with Tri-State
Neurological Associates through UPMC, Maroon is a professor and the vice
chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine. He also is an author, an international speaker and expert, and
the longtime neurosurgery team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers.