Because one of our highest core values is to "Continually Learn and Improve," Andy just returned from another trip to Phoenix, attending Z Health's 9S: Structure course. The easiest way to describe this course is that we spent 4 intensive days (and months leading up to it) studying functional neurology, and what we need to do to the body in order to help the brain function optimally, and vice versa.
This was by far the most brain-intensive course to date, and incredible new insights were gained on how truly wonderfully we're made, and a better insight as to what really is possible in healing, rehabilitation, and performance if we give the brain the right stimulus, in the right amount, to allow it to happen. Our movement quality, behavior, and activities are a physical reflection of the brain's status and function. We can learn to move better to help the brain become healthier and more functional, and we can also target and activate certain areas of the brain to move and feel better. They go hand in hand!
We talk a lot here about neuroplasticity (now, officially being renamed "neural plasticity"). Neural plasticity means that every time we introduce a stimulus to the body, the brain is learning, and physically changing and creating a pathway to adapt to what just occurred (a vision drill, strength exercise, injury, etc).
We learned about a totally new concept that is incredibly exciting and hopeful: Metaplasticity. Metaplasticity is described as "the plasticity of plasticity." What this means is, because the brain continually adapts as it's givennew stimulus, it actually becomes better at being plastic.
So what does this mean for us? It means, the more we practice plasticity (training our body/brain with novel stimulus) the more injury/trauma resistant we become, and the faster we can recover from the event because our brain is so good at changing.
Continuing to challenge the brain intellectually as well as physically sets us up to be more resilient, speeds up recovery, and allows for life long health and athleticism.
