How Much Exercise Does Your Brain Actually Need?

Does a walk around the grocery store count as exercise? A physical therapist says yes, and the reason why changes how you think about moving your body.

In this episode of Hello, Brain :), host Collin Adams sits down with physical therapist Dr. DeJ'a Crippen, PT, DPT, to talk about exercise and the brain. Every movement starts in the brain, so what is actually happening in there when we move? DeJ'a explains how physical therapy retrains the nervous system, the three signs your brain has really learned a skill, and how much exercise you need to see a benefit. Collin shares how two push-ups after every bathroom break turned an exercise he hated into one he loves.

In this episode:

•     Why every movement starts in the brain

•     Use it or lose it, and the other principles of neuroplasticity

•     What changes first when people move consistently: balance, attention, mood and sleep

•     The three signs your brain has learned a new skill

•     Building movement confidence, in rehab and at the gym

•     Dual tasking in rehab vs. elite sport

•     Chaos training at a pitching facility

•     How much exercise do you actually need, and does a grocery store stroll count?

•     The talk test: how to tell if you're working hard enough

•     Why the best exercise is the one you'll stick with

•     "Pain and torture": the myth about physical therapy

•     Tiny Habits, two push-ups and why celebrating rewires your brain

•     If it hurts, should you stop moving?

•     Workout pain or ouch pain?

•     High intensity training and a client with Parkinson's

•     Two things to remember: keep moving, and get the dose right