【If You Don’t Strength Train, Your Brain Will Shrink】 The Divine ‘Strength Training + α’ Habits Practiced by the Elite

I am Wolf, your habit coach.
Today, I will talk about
【The Brain-Awakening ‘Strength Training + α’ Habits Practiced by the Elite】.

This article is written for business professionals in their 30s to 50s
who are facing massive amounts of information and heavy responsibilities on the front lines.

Strength training is not just for building muscle.
It is the most cost-effective self-investment to dramatically evolve
the ‘supreme hardware called the brain’ that governs intelligence, memory, and mental state.

The brain begins to shrink from age 25

‘Whether you are smart or not is determined by innate talent or brain size’

If you think that,
please update that perception right now.

I will share a shocking medical fact.
The size of the human brain peaks around age 25,
and after that, it shrinks with age if you do nothing.

This is because the rate at which brain cells die off
exceeds the rate at which new ones are born.

In particular, the ‘hippocampus,’ the center of the brain that governs memory and learning,
is the first to atrophy with aging.

Feeling like you ‘cannot remember people’s names’
is not just a lapse in attention, but a warning sign that your brain is physically shrinking.

However, there is no need to despair.

The latest neuroscience has uncovered the fact that ‘by providing appropriate exercise stimulation,
you can not only prevent the hippocampus from shrinking even as an adult,
but actually grow it larger.’

Stimulating muscles boosts brain speed

There are about 100 billion nerve cells in the human brain,
each connected complexly by tens of thousands of synapses.

The true performance of the brain is not determined by the number of cells,
but by ‘how smoothly each region coordinates.’

For example, try to imagine playing the piano.

Looking at the keys (vision), moving your fingers (movement), listening to the sound (hearing).
It wouldn’t be a performance if each region worked separately.
It is because each region coordinates at lightning speed
and exchanges information that a flowing performance becomes possible.

Business decision-making and intellectual production are exactly the same.

And the trigger that most powerfully strengthens and corrects this ‘coordination circuit connecting brain regions’
is stimulation to the muscles (strength training).

When you powerfully contract large muscles like your thighs during squats,
blood flow throughout the body is pushed up to the brain at once,
and the information processing network within the brain is dramatically reconstructed.

People who do strength training have faster mental processing
and make decisions quickly because their brain wiring is physically strengthened.

The Ultimate Brake to Stop ‘Cortisol’

When we feel the heavy responsibilities or anxieties of work,
the adrenal glands secrete ‘cortisol (stress hormone)’.

If cortisol continues to be secreted in excess,
it directly destroys hippocampal cells, causing the brain to fall into panic or mental paralysis.

Therefore, by strengthening the hippocampus through strength training,
you can apply a powerful brake to runaway cortisol.

The elite mentality that remains unshaken by pressure is not built on mental fortitude, but
by the ‘physical defense barrier of the brain created through strength training’.

The Divine Habit of ‘Strength Training + Alpha’ Practiced by the Elite

So, how do top leaders and elite business professionals
incorporate exercise?

The golden ratio for maximizing brain performance to its limit is
combining ‘strength training’ with ‘+ alpha (aerobics/walking)’.

Why is ‘Strength Training + Alpha (Walking)’ the Ultimate?

There is a reason why great historical philosophers, global executives,
and authors like Haruki Murakami
make ‘walking’ or ‘running’ a habit.

1. Effects gained from strength training (squats, etc.):
Contracts the massive muscles of the lower body, explosively increasing cerebral blood flow.
Secretes testosterone and growth hormone, creating a foundation for decisiveness and motivation.

2. Effects gained from + alpha (20-30 minutes of brisk walking):
The ‘thalamus,’ which acts as the brain’s filter, relaxes moderately,
allowing ideas that don’t usually connect to combine, leading to innovative flashes of insight. Furthermore, maintaining a moderate heart rate maximizes the secretion of BDNF.

Strength training reinforces the brain’s hardware,
while walking awakens the software of thought.
By combining these two,
concentration, memory, and creativity all reach their peak.

Protocol for Integration into Daily Life

Morning or before work:
Do 30 squats on the spot to send a surge of blood flow to the brain and wake it up. During the day/while commuting:
Walk briskly for 20 minutes during your commute or lunch break.
Perform important tasks or project planning during the concentration bonus time immediately after walking.
Weekends (days with extra energy):
Incorporate jogging (30-45 minutes) at a pace that gets you breathless 2-3 times a week
to nurture the hippocampus.

The Body is Your Greatest Business Asset

No matter how excellent your intelligence and strategy may be,
if the hardware called the ‘brain’ that produces them shrinks
and becomes exhausted, you cannot continue to demonstrate true leadership.

And the only switch to keep the brain in top condition
is not worrying in your head, but ‘moving your muscles’.

You don’t need to start grueling gym sessions immediately.
Skip the elevator and take the stairs two steps at a time,
or try walking with long strides during your commute.

From that small step, your brain will definitely begin to rejuvenate.

Once you finish reading this article,

first, try doing 30 squats right where you are!

Powerfully contract your thigh muscles,
send fresh blood and oxygen to every corner of your brain,
and awaken your dormant talents.

Today is the youngest day of your life!

So that you and your company can keep running for a long time,
as someone who supports both the wheels of management and health,
I will continue to deliver essential wisdom and systems.

Wolf updates his daily strength training and habit-tracking records on note.
If you want to keep going together, please follow me!