You are allowed to be a beginner at something that will support you, and in fact, your brain loves it and needs it.
It can still learn. Adapt. Strengthen connections. Practice something unfamiliar until it feels a little less unfamiliar.
That capacity is called neuroplasticity. And one of the proteins involved has a rather uninviting name: brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.
Stay with us. There will not be a quiz.
BDNF helps support nerve-cell survival and the connections involved in learning and memory (i.e. building habits). Think of it as part of the brain’s maintenance-and-growth crew: helping create conditions in which change can happen. It is an important contributor to neuroplasticity.
Why does that matter to us at ALIGN?
Because we believe you are not a finished product. Not in your body. Not in your habits. Not in the way you respond when life gets loud.
When you practice a new Pilates cue or begin building a different routine, you are asking your nervous system to learn. BDNF is part of the biology that makes learning possible.
A workout raises BDNF for an afternoon. A practice raises it for a life — or at least, that's the direction all the evidence points. A consistent availability of BDNF over time will benefit neuroplasticity more than one heroic workout.
And that’s what we are all about. Small. Consistent. Intentional. Practiced with gratitude.
This week choose something you would like to practice intentionally—not perfect.
Finish this sentence: “I want to become someone who regularly ______, because ______ matters to me.”
Keep it small enough to fit into your actual life. Not the imaginary one where nobody needs dinner.
Next week: how moving your body connects with this brain-supporting protein.
See you on the mat,
Amie & Amy
P.S. Our next ALIGN Weekly Session is Monday October 12 @ 6:00PM. Bring your breath. We'll handle the rest. Sign up here: www.alignwithamieandamy.com/align
P.P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for our 2-hour session on 11/21: Gather and ALIGN. Sign up at www.alignwithamieandamy.com/gather-and-align
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