Yes! You can teach an old dog new tricks
Epigenetics is an emerging area of scientific research that has provided support for how wonderous the brain’s ability is to change over the course of your lifetime, this ability to change is called neuroplasticity.
WHAT!!! How on earth does this help me in my running?
People used to believe that the brain was set by a certain age, let’s say 30, and after that the brain, your personality, your genetics, your behaviour was immovable; the dye was cast, your lot was determined.
But this emerging research has highlighted how much environmental influences can and do affect our genes, the old idea that our genes are set in stone has now been put into question.
This is great news, if the brain can change, adapt, and be influenced by what we do, who we love, where we live, what we eat, how much we move, how much stress we experience, if we have pets, if we laugh a lot, belong to a community……. the list goes on, all these millions of bits of experience mean we can change where we are heading, we don’t have to be stuck in a rut!
Conventional cliches of “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “the leopard can’t change their spots” no longer really pass muster. And whilst clichés like these carry a comforting tinge of familiarity, hanging on to them keeps us safe, we know that the brain is also attracted to predictability, a familiarity bias, so we tend to favour the known things over the new, new people, new places or new experiences.
Yet, paradoxically, the brain has this amazing gift of being able to change and adapt and thrive when learning new things.
Knowing that you can change, that the die is NOT cast and can be achieved at any age is good news. Change isn’t easy, it’s hard but little changes can make a big difference.
Here are 4 easy ways to change your brains neuroplasticity that are considered effective by neuroscientists
Establishing Root Passions and Goals Through Mindfulness.
Cognitive Exercise.
Social Contact.
Aerobic Exercise.
We know that physical exercise is good for us physically, but did you know that aerobic exercise can strengthen your brain which can lead to improvements in cognitive skills like
learning,
memory,
improve fine motor coordination,
brain connectivity,
protecting against cognitive decline,
reducing depression symptoms
And if you do aerobic exercise with you are ticking half the boxes for an even more adaptive brain!
“1.3 million 55–74-year-olds are more active than the same age group 20 years ago”
This shift in perception of what being physically active actually looks like has contributed to more people showing up and not giving up despite getting older.
Historically, markers of how fit you were was down to how many marathons or triathlons you’d completed, but thanks to initiative and campaigns like parkrun and C25k staying active doesn’t have to be so extreme.
And the good news is that if running marathons and triathlons are your thing, there is no real evidence to suggest that keeping up high levels of exercise is harmful as we age.