Today, as I was virtually training our client Jane, I mentioned that I've been getting more absent-minded than usual in the past few weeks. She replied that this is a common trend these days and I am not an anomaly.
This makes sense, if you think about it. I spend most days in the same familiar environment around my house, doing virtual training sessions and looking after the kids, maybe getting outside once a day. I do go to NET a couple times a week, too, but that's pretty much it.
What I suspect is happening is that our brains are getting grossly under-stimulated due to our quarantined lifestyle. Humans are the kind of animal that needs to move around in order to get food and procreate. That's just what we do, and our bodies and brains expect a certain level of stimulation. Studies show that only two weeks of inactivity leads to a whopping 7% increase in fat in the abdominal area.
When we move around, we are engaging our brains so much. We need to pay attention to the surrounding environment when we commute and interact with people. Normally, we'd come across countless constantly changing environmental situations that would trigger the release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps us create new synaptic connections between our brain cells). These days, however, we're lacking most of these stimulating experiences.
So it's very likely that not only are our bodies paying the price of a sedentary lifestyle, but our cognitive function is suffering, too.
The good news is that strength training is shown to improve our cognitive function and even increase gray matter. Is that enough, though, these days? Probably not, if my absent-mindedness is any indication.
What can we do about it? Since it will likely be a while before our lives go back to normal, I recommend looking into the app BrainHQ. I came across their research a while ago and used to do their practices daily, but haven't done them in a while. Now seems to be a good time to take it more seriously.
You can also check out the book Soft-Wired by Michael Merzenich, one of the leading authorities on brain plasticity.
And just as a precaution, the next time you see me, please speak slowly...