The brain is a muscle. And we also have different muscles – big and small – that hold up our bodies, some more developed like calves due to everyday walking and some underused like gluteal or “glutes” which disappear when we sit too long. The principle is the same for all muscles. Use it or lose it.
I thought this was just a gym coach’s favorite phrase but now I realize how important it is to use every kind of muscle, which may not be used in your everyday life. Runners and walkers will have toned calves, as construction workers will have developed biceps and trapezoids. In this country where we carry 50-kilo bags of rice on men’s shoulders and where construction workers use their biceps to carry pails of cement from one floor to another, we think muscles are just for the male species. Not anymore. Who has not heard of Hidilyn Diaz and her 55-kg weight class?
My physiotherapist (PT) is a lady who has always dreamt of weightlifting as a sport back in senior high. She is a solid 52-kilo weightlifter, who can use this brawn in her craft as manual manipulation is part of physiotherapy. But more than that, making muscle requires a lot of discipline and determination. Much like making soil, which has to be done in gradual stages, making muscle is a program you commit to. She strictly observes a meal plan to ensure that what she builds is maintained, lest she converts them to fat and has to work harder to change them into muscles again.
Maintaining muscle also needs regular training. That means committing time to practice and making time to train each muscle group for stability and strength. I got curious about the strength and balance benefits and tried to also build some muscle. As we age, sarcopenia can set in, making us lose muscle mass and then making us seemingly weaker and easily get off balance, as many would warn older people. I have to now accept that upon alighting from a vehicle, I get hands offered to me for assistance. I used to be a little offended but started to realize I am not getting any younger. Though I want to jump out of a car like a teenager, sadly, I need to be more careful as balance becomes harder to keep. Try standing on one foot and then closing your eyes. Then you will know what I mean by wanting balance. I was assessed by this same PT six months ago and I thought I could skip getting her assistance. Today, she is my favorite therapist as she has repaired and reset many non-moving parts of my anatomy, which are now better put to regular use.
The lesson is simple. Life throws us the challenge of maintaining strength and endurance and sometimes the lesson can come hard: a bad fall, slipping in the bathroom or missing a crack in the pavement, which happened to me last year on a trek in Benguet. I could walk the rugged terrain but missed a gap on the cemented road and fell on my knees. I scraped them even through my hiker’s trousers, and had to get first aid before heading down to Manila and nursing the wound for two weeks! Lesson learned; strengthen core and maintain balance always.
I have heard countless accounts of bad falls and I did not want to be a statistic. So this made me look for a program to add to my regular walking regimen. You need to build muscle, be stronger and fight sarcopenia for as long as you can. You also do not want to be wheelchair-bound or be dependent on a steel walker. Be strong.
Today, I am six months into the program and have never felt better. I can now get up from squats, carry my luggage without strain and even walk down airplane stairs that they throw your way after a long flight. When I hold a kettlebell in one hand, I think of my carry-on bag. When I do step ups, I think of the mountains we climb with less effort now.
It really is a commitment to want to fight the dangers of wasting away good muscle. And this goes for both body muscles and brain muscle. For physical strength, we train with weights and resistance and for endurance we row, ski or push for better cardio health.
For brain muscle, we need to solve little problems and sort out details so our brain gets the exercise. We read books, solve puzzles and even just listen to audiobooks so our grey matter gets a workout. We do not just watch YouTube or are stuck scrolling through reels and short videos on the internet. That is good for entertainment, but we must challenge our brain muscle more by following a story or listening to intelligent conversations (my favorite is David Rubenstein on Bloomberg). In fact, Rubenstein is my inspiration to do podcasts and learning from other people we can interview.
So, that is the simple theory of “use it or lose it.” Just like any muscle, if we stop using our brain, demand will be less and it can start to fade away. Then we realize it’s more stressful to solve everyday problems. With physical strength, the theory is the same. If you stop using a muscle, it will soon have adhesions (causing pain or dull aches) or even disappear slowly. That is from personal experience and has been confirmed by professionals.
We are not working to be beach bodies, we are just working to keep the muscles where they ought to be, to help us manage our everyday demands. It will help us walk, balance and get ahead in life with little or no support. So, think about starting a program, a health program, no matter what age you are. Remember, use it or lose it.