Nervous System Rule #2 for Better Balance and Prevention of Falls

The better the input, the better the output.

This is the language of the nervous system and I explain how to put the words together in my new book, "ABCs of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination.  A brain-based approach to the prevention of falls".

Education is Power:  
ABCs of Balance Book now available

The nervous system has three functions; input, interpretation and output.  Balance is an output.  If you want better balance, it's only logical that you need to train the inputs.  You cannot jump straight to the end product without addressing the first two steps.

Dr. Rose of FallProof™ introduced me to three sensory inputs and how to train them for improved balance and mobility.  She offered basic vision, vestibular and proprioceptive approaches to reduce falls.  Dr. Cobb of Z-Health taught me how to train these three systems from the brain's perspective and the results are life changing.

The better the visual inputs the better one's balance.  The better the vestibular inputs, the better the one's balance.  The better the sensory receptor input, the better one's balance will be.  Unfortunately, traditional fall prevention programs only focus on outputs. 

If you want better balance, you have to train the vision, vestibular and proprioceptive inputs and the brain's interpretation of them. 

I explain all of this in my new book, "ABC's of Balance: Aging, Brains and Coordination".  If you want to know why your balance is getting worse as you age and what you can do about it, this is a must read.  Everything begins in the brain.  Brain training is the future of fitness.  

Education is power.  Order your copy today. 

Feeding Pattern of the Brain for Better Balance and Performance

The brain is a remarkable organ that uses approximately 70% of your daily caloric intake to function.  The better the fuel source, the better your brain can function.  The anatomy of the brain is such that the "old" brain, where the sensory and autonomic regulators live, get fed first and the "new" brain, where you make decisions including all voluntary movement and feel emotions, gets fed last.

The feeding pattern of the brain follows blood flow; back to front, bottom to top.  Oxygenated, nutrient dense blood enters the brain from the bottom, back region and flows up and to the front lobes of the brain.  Bottom to top, back to front.

What does that mean to you?  Sensory input to the brain has a powerful effect on how you move. Your vision, vestibular, and skin/joint/muscle receptors all get fed before your 'voluntary' movement; before the decision making part of the brain gets fed.  Sensory before motor.

In order to function optimally, your brain needs fuel and activation.  Stimulating the sensory receptors activates different parts of the brain so the "use it or lose it" principle applies to neurons in the nervous system more importantly than muscles.

Fuel sources for the brain are oxygen and glucose.  Breathe and Eat.  Feed the back of the brain before you feed the 'human' part.  Make better decision and move better if you feed your brain the nutrients it needs.

If you want to improve your balance, feed your brain accordingly.  Eat sugar.  Enjoy juicy fruits.  Orange juice is your new staple.  I'm not a nutritionist but I am studying neurology.  Research demonstrates that the brain needs quick absorbing sugar; fructose is wonderful.

Eat often enough so your blood sugar can supply the ENTIRE brain with the fuel it needs to function and stay away from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).   PUFAs prevent the absorption of glucose.

In other words, PUFAs do not allow your brain to access the sugar in the blood.  The result?  HIGH BLOOD SUGAR.  Not because you're eating too much sugar but the PUFAs block the absorption of sugar.

What contains PUFAs?  Think nuts, nut butters, nut oils, grains, chickens and cows that eat grains.  Your brain needs fuel and activation.  Fuel is oxygen and glucose.  Yes, sugar is good for the brain.  Nuts are not.
Ray Peat Resources: LINK to LIST

Absorb that information, breathe and eat some fruits and chocolate.  Like all things in life, moderation.  Your brain will function better and you will ultimately think and move better.

Feeding pattern of the brain:

Back to Front, Bottom to Top

The Fall Prevention Lady™

Pain Is Your Brain's Way of Saying Stop

Nothing will stop you from doing the things you love quicker than pain.  In fact, pain has been identified as the biggest obstacle to any behavior change.  For example, no matter how much you want to start exercising, if your knee hurts with every step, you cannot and will not exercise.

In order to understand pain, you must know how the brain works.  The brain is divided into two sections, the "old" brain located in the 'back' of the brain and the "new" brain, located in the front.  The only thing "old" brain is concerned about is your safety.  Is this movement safe?  Is this situation a threat to my safety?

The old brain determines if something is safe through input data from billions of sensory receptors and prior experiences in similar situations.  The old brain is only concerned about survival.  If the old brain does not feel safe, the brain elicits an output; something that will stop you from current behavior so you remain safe and are not killed.   Pain is a protective output of the brain to force a change for your safety.

Please understand that I am in no way diminishing any pain that you feel but rather, I hope to explain pain in such a way that gives you hope; a way out of the misery of dull aching and constant pain.  

Neuroplasticity proves that a person can "train" the input systems and train the interpretation of data to improve prediction and thus improve performance while reducing pain.  The more safe your brain feels, the better your movement and the less your pain.

In a prior blog,  I explained that the nervous system is a loop of input, interpretation/decision, and output.  This constant feedback process determines how we move through life.  Our sensory systems provide data about the environment and the brain (aka, cerebellum) monitors how the body is interacting within the environment.  Based on input data and prior experiences, the brain initiates a motor response.  The quality of the response is determined by the quality of the inputs, speed of interpretation and accuracy and timing of motor response.

If all systems say "safe", movement is smooth, fluid and pain-free.  If prior experiences in same situation were 'safe', movement will be strong.  Conversely, if the brain does not feel safe, the brain's  output is going to be PAIN, nausea, poor movement, decreased strength or flexibility or even a loss of balance; anything to get you to stop what you're doing.

How do you make your "old" brain feel safe?  You practice drills that improve predictive capability. In other words, you practice the Brains and Balance class drills regularly with accuracy and coordination.

The pain theory is outdated.  Listen to your body.  Train your brain.  Don't fall down.
The better the input, the better the output!

The Fall Prevention Lady, aka, Your Neuro-Performance Coach!