If You Don't Use It, You Will Lose It.

The gyms were closed for 6 weeks.

I just returned to working out, emerging from weeks of "slacking" with little deliberate and non-consistent exercise.

It was immediately apparent that I was less strong than before ??

Source: Legion Athletics

That is atrophy at work... ?????????????? is the ???????????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?? ???????? ????????, ????????, ??????????, ???? ?????????? ????????????. ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????????????????????????????????? ?????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ????????????????????, ?????????????????????? ?????? ?????? ????????????????????????, ?????????? ???? ?????? ????????????????????.

?????????????? ?? will degrade if you don't use them.

Studies have shown that un-used muscles loose mass within a matter of weeks.

Source: Mend.me

Since I still move around everyday in that 6 weeks, I can't say that material atrophy have set in for me. But I can say that in the absence of stress/load, my muscular strength has certainly declined.

As we grow older, our muscles shrink faster. Some research suggests, for people above the age of 40, by about 8% for every 10 years. That number increases to 15% after the age of 70. Muscle loss with age seems inevitable.

Thankfully, there is the gym or exercises we can perform to stem the loss and preserve the muscles - importantly remain functional for our daily life.

?????? ???????????? ?? can shrink too as we age.

We use our brains everyday. Those little grey cells are being worked constantly even if we are sedentary, it is a matter of to what extend they are worked.

Source: ScienceDirect.com

But it's normal for the brain to shrink too as we age. For a healthy person after age 30, the rate of loss is about 0.2% per year. It accelerates after 70 to about 0.5% per year. While it seems like a much slow rate, I don't think there is a basis of comparison between the muscle in my head and the biceps on my arms.

While brain atrophy is inevitable as well, there has been strong evidence that there are several actions we can take to help protect the brain from degrading. Physical exercise, good nutrition and staying social helps greatly. Staying mentally active is critical. The brain remains plastic and very capable to learn event as we age. Memory and cognitive functions can be upheld.

Maybe that sell everything, move to a beachfront property and slip cocktails all day grand plan isn't a good retirement idea after-all. And what is retirement anyway these days?

???????????? ???????????? ?? ?? will degrade if we do not have social contact for too long.

Even before the pandemic, social skills were under siege from social media and social loneliness. In these WFH times, arresting degrading social skills become even more urgent.

Social skills are like any other skills. The muscles that activate them atrophy after a period of non-use. And the brain, that muscle likes social interaction, flex it to prevent atrophy.

From many confessions and articles highlighting this phenomenon, it seems like the need to re-learn to socialise is more prevalent that imagined. I over-heard recently, that if the person gets a dollar for every time someone tells him that thy drink a bottle of wine every day, he will be a rich man. Judging from increasing alcohol home-delivery sales, it is very plausible.

If anyone laments that they prefer to continue working from home as they have forgotten how to socialise and make small talk at work, please consider returning to the office if you can.

Source: Getty Images

How about the ???????? ????????♀??

Your physical brain is not the ????????. Your ?????????? is the hardware and the ???????? is the software. Your ???????? is behind the mental process, thoughts, beliefs and consciousness.

Your ???????? is behind the mental process, thought and consciousness. Working the ???????? goes beyond exercising the brain for better memory or longer attention span. It is about improving your awareness, mindset and mental health.

Source: Pixabay

Your electronic devices and applications require updates every so often to work properly. If you do not update them, they may run sluggish, have conflicts within the operating ecosystem and end up not working as it should. Once in a while there is a major upgrade and you get enhanced capabilities. You can hold off these updates and upgrades but there are certainly highly recommended for a more pleasant experience.

Similarly, your mind will work better with some updates. Examples of how this software can be updated are mindfulness based exercises, challenging your beliefs, appreciating other perspectives, practicing gratitude and connecting with self.

What are you doing to keep your ???????? exercised and healthy?

Cos if its not stretched, I am pretty certain it will atrophy too.

#exercise #fitness #social #skills #WFH #brain #nutrition #mentalhealth #mindfulness #mindset #life #health #personaldevelopment #coaching