Hey everyone, Manny here đź‘‹
I came across a study that I thought was really interesting, and it changes how I look at something as simple as just moving around during the day.
We’ve always been told that exercise is good for the brain. That’s nothing new. But what stood out to me here is that researchers are starting to understand the actual physical mechanism behind it.
What they found is that when you engage your core, even lightly, you create pressure in your abdomen that pushes blood upward through a network connected to your spine. That pressure creates a kind of hydraulic effect that gently moves the brain inside the skull.
That movement helps circulate cerebrospinal fluid, which is what the brain uses to clear out waste. So in a very real way, small movements throughout the day are helping “flush” the brain.
The part I found really interesting is that this doesn’t require intense exercise. This can happen with something as simple as taking a step, adjusting your posture, or just engaging your core slightly.
They even observed that the brain starts to shift before actual movement happens, just from the initial tightening of the core muscles. That tells you how sensitive and connected this system really is.
One of the researchers compared the brain to a sponge, which I think is a great way to think about it. If you want to clean a sponge, you don’t just run water over it, you have to squeeze it. This movement is essentially doing that on a small, constant level throughout the day.
We already knew that sleep plays a role in clearing waste from the brain, but this suggests there’s also a “movement-based” cleaning process happening while we’re awake.
For me, the takeaway is pretty simple. This isn’t about pushing harder or doing extreme workouts. It’s more about not being completely still all day.
Regular movement, even at a low level, might be playing a much bigger role in long term brain health than we realized.
Definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye on as more research comes out. You can read more here.
— Manny
MyoTechnology đź©şđź’Ş