The Body Brain & Soul Triangle

Geplaatst op 03-08-2021

The Body Brain & Soul Triangle.

The human body is an extraordinary intriguing piece of artwork. Yet, through its enormous complexity regarding function, capacity and potential, it all boils down to the simplicity of just this one principle : `use it or lose it `.

Muscles are the most clear example of this principle. When you train your muscles, they increase in strength and sometimes volume, depending on the type of training and your genetics. When you stop exercising, over time you will experience a decrease in strength, with muscle fatigue kicking in a lot faster than you were used to, when you were doing your daily or weekly workouts.

The same principle goes for the brain as well. When the brain is triggered by being exposed to challenges and changes, the results will lead to adaptation (and improvement of whatever it is that you’re doing!)  Modern day technology through brain scans, has made it possible to show  significant changes to certain parts of the brain, due to practicing skill development.

When the brain is not triggered on a regular basis - meaning switched on auto-pilot for the major part in your window of non-sleeping hours -  you’re basically giving up your chances on building up interesting potential.

So, what about the soul? What is it and how do you nourish it?

It’s an interesting and philosophical topic, often times mixed up with or interpreted as `spirit`.  For the sake of keeping this little note to the point  - for now - I will put it like this: soul is the energetic entity within you, triggered by emotion and touched or brought to light by action or thought.

Now, how does this all play out and interact?

Let’s use the following illustration.

Roller skating is one of the best ways to directly work the body, brain and soul at the same time; going through the mechanics first, by letting the body do what you want it do; helping  the brain understand how and why with proper knowledge and guidance. (Coordination exercises are highly recommended  to stimulate the cerebellum, which is a key element, involved in many processes regarding brain activity)

Repetition is the mother of skill. So that means practice on a regular basis, to develop and establish adaptation on all levels. Repeating movements 1000 times can be absolutely boring, so that means adding fun and variables to your practice, to uphold your motivation.

Attaching your time spent on roller skates to a place, certain music, a person, or as part of a pattern in your daily life, brings emotional content to your skating habit. Whenever you’re in a non-skating environment and you hear or see something that brings up roller skating vibes or memories, you’re actually tapping right into your soul, right there and then. You might actually even catch yourself doing a little skate move –on shoes-  because, well… you can’t help yourself!

Let’s go back to the initial principle of `use it or lose it`.

Now it all starts with the actual physical act of putting your body to work. That is the best way, if not the only way to keep your system physically and mentally in good shape and to a certain extent, counter or postpone degeneration and disease.

Doing nothing is no good for anybody. Never. Not even a little while. Not an option. Ever.

When you are suffering from let’s say a leg injury, that doesn’t mean you need to give up exercising entirely, right?

You can ALWAYS come up with alternatives to work out or challenge yourself. There is no excuse NOT to do so. Sustaining regularity in workouts leads to so much more than just the physical aspects. Not only does it build confidence, stamina, creativity and dedication, It also taps directly into your soul, big time!

Roller skating should definitely not be your only way of physical workout, for the simple fact that it doesn’t cover all variables right or effectively enough. Additional training off-wheels is therefore highly recommended. From easy accessible bodyweight exercises to compound weight resistance training; it all adds up to overall good function and interaction of the body, brain and soul.

Lack of regular overall physical action can lead to serious muscle and hormonal imbalances, which lead to injuries and inflammation, or in case of already existing trouble – inferior recovery or no recovery at all.

Why mention and underscore all this?

People tend to forget, that roller skating is a very physical act. As soon as you lace up, you will instantly get feedback on your overall (mental) state and (physical) status.

Not in a good shape? Your legs will burn within minutes.

Lack of sleep? You’ll have a hard time keeping yourself in control.

Not been eating properly? You’ll run out of energy in no-time.

There is frankly no other way of putting it:

Use all your functions on a regular basis and bring them to extreme activation more than once in a while.  When you don’t , you will lose capacity and potential faster than you want and need to. Everyday day life and basic functioning will unconsciously change and not for the better.

So, working out stimulates the body, brain and soul. What happens between workouts is eventually what enhances and upholds optimal fitness.

Some keyfactors to consider:

Nutrition (quantity/quality ratio, diet psychology obstacles)

Non-exercise movement time (bodily behavior and body positioning in a passive work environment)

Enough deep sleep (pythons sleep 18 hours a day on average.  Not recommended for humans obviously, or you would be without a job, home and life by the end of the week.  But robust sleep has an interesting way of smoothing things out and keep the body-brain-soul triangle, fresh and funky).

Of course, we all have our individual differences such as limitations in movement, hormonal challenges, lifestyle, interests, aging etc. Optimal fitness differs from person to person and even for one person in different periods of time.

Bottom line is, there’s always a way to improve yourself despite whatever the circumstances are. You just have to figure out what suits you best, create your own path and set realistic (measurable) goals.

In the end, malnourishment of the soul is what makes you miserable!

Brian B. Kanhai, Soulful Fitness Roller Skate Trainer, Es Quint Foundation.