The Hidden Organ: How Exercise Can Dramatically Improve Brain Health

Ever feel like your brain hit the snooze button and forgot to wake up? Join the club.

We all have those moments when our mental mojo takes an unscheduled vacation.

But what if I told you the solution isn't another cup of coffee or the latest "brain-boosting" supplement with an unpronounceable name?

I recently sat down with David Amerland, author of the mind-blowing book "Built to Last," and let me tell you – the conversation was like a cold splash of clarity for anyone who's ever

wondered why some people seem to stay sharp as a tack well into their golden years while others... don't.

The Hidden Organ That Controls Everything

"The brain is the hidden organ," David explained, leaning forward with the enthusiasm of someone about to spill celebrity gossip.

Unlike your biceps that scream when you're on rep 12 of a heavy curl, your brain doesn't send those same direct signals of fatigue.

You don't "feel" your brain getting tired in the same way you feel your legs burning during a squat.

And that's precisely why we often forget it needs training too.

"We can't do anything physically that doesn't affect the mental part of us," David shared.

That three-pound blob of jelly between your ears is secretly running the whole show, coordinating everything from your finger touching your nose with eyes closed (try it – it's weirdly amazing) to deciding whether you'll stick with your fitness routine when Netflix is calling your name.

Because of its importance, it's critical to for all of us to be aware of how we can improve brain health.

From Angry Teen to Brain Health Advocate

David's journey into fitness began at 13 – not because he was dreaming of six-pack abs, but because he needed somewhere to channel his adolescent frustration.

"I was 13. My parents were moving around a lot in Australia, changing states, changing schools. No friends, always an outsider," he recalled.

The emotional connection to fitness became his anchor.

"You get stressed, they get really angry in your head and nobody can understand you. Like you're like this kid that doesn't fit."

Instead of choosing destructive paths, he stumbled into a martial arts club and found something that transformed him from the inside out.

"You can't change physically if you don't change internally. The outside comes second and the inside comes first."

This accidental discovery shaped his entire future – from becoming a chemical engineer to a tae kwon do champion with black belts in multiple martial arts styles.

The Emotional Connection That Makes Fitness Stick

Here's where things get juicy for those of us who've started and stopped more fitness routines than we've had birthday cakes.

According to David, motivation is always, always emotional.

"If you want to start something and you want to stick to that thing... If you don't feel it, if there's no emotional connection, there is no go."

No connection = no consistency.

It's that simple and that complicated.

But how do you manufacture that emotional connection if you're not naturally feeling it?

David offered a thought experiment that hit like a sledgehammer: "Suppose tomorrow you go to a doctor and he tells you, 'I've got bad news – you've got six months left to live.'"

Suddenly, all those things you've been putting off become urgently important.

"However, if you do this thing and it's really difficult, you might get another five years."

Would you do the difficult thing? Of course you would! Because now there's an emotional connection.

The trick is creating that same urgency without the terrifying doctor's visit.

"What is really valuable to you? What do you value in your life?" he challenged.

Picture yourself 50 years from now with your partner, traveling the world—not ill, not frail, just older and still capable of adventure.

If that future is important to you, the gym session today isn't a problem.

You'll make it happen come hell or high water because it's connected to something you deeply value.

Fitness: The Ultimate Way to Improve Brain Health

Get ready for the mind-blowing part (pun absolutely intended).

When you exercise, you're essentially giving your brain a spa day, complete with all the fancy treatments:

1. Improved Circulation: "The moment you exercise your body, blood flow and oxygen content in the bloodstream begins to go up. Your cells are better oxygenated."

2. Mood Enhancement: "You get neurochemicals in your bloodstream which activate specific neurotransmitters which affect mood. You feel good about yourself, you're more tolerant to pain."

3. Reduced Inflammation: "Inflammation in your body drops. So your overall cell health is going to be better."

4. Enhanced Cognitive Coordination: "By training the body, we teach the brain to bring in all the different centers together, which coordinate movement in 3D space."

This last point is particularly fascinating.

Think about it – your brain is essentially blind, yet somehow it knows exactly where your body is in space at all times.

"It's an amazing amount of imagery that goes in that movie in our head that allows us to know where we are," David explained with a sense of wonder.

"You can shut your eyes. You can touch the tip of your nose with your fingertips. How do you do that when you can't see where your nose is and you can't see your fingertips?"

The Mind-Blowing Power of Imagery

Ready for a wild example of brain power?

David shared a 2020 University study where sprinters were given specific imagery to focus on before racing.

Some were told to imagine themselves as "an exploding cannonball" or "a rocket taking off from the starter blocks."

The result? A 3% improvement in performance.

For elite sprinters, that's the difference between gold and not even making the podium.

All from changing what was happening in their brains.

This isn't woo-woo wishful thinking – it's the power of your gray matter creating real-world physical changes.

The Heat Is On: How Discomfort Builds Mental Strength

Perhaps the most eye-opening example came when David discussed sitting in a sauna.

"If it's a dry sauna, it's a hundred degrees centigrade, boiling temperature of water. 15 minutes, and you want to go out, and you say to yourself, gonna stay another 15 minutes."

What keeps you in that uncomfortable environment?

"It's that willpower to basically take a discomfort, control your emotions, control your stress levels, because it's a stressor."

The payoff? "I guarantee you, if you do that, for the rest of your day, nothing can stress you out."

Your ability to handle discomfort becomes your superpower.

It's like getting a mental vaccine against the stresses of daily life.

Your Roadmap to Better Brain Health

So what's the takeaway from all this brain-boosting wisdom?

David's advice boils down to connecting with your future self:

"Take a moment... sit down and visualize. Do some visualization of what you'd like life to be like as you're in your sixties, seventies, eighties. What do you wanna be doing? Who do you wanna be doing it with, and where are you gonna be enjoying life at that point?"

For most of us, we want to be sharp, strong, mobile, and living life to the fullest.

Once you tap into that vision, you have an ongoing source of motivation that's going to help you know exactly what to do today to get that future outcome.

Key Takeaways:

1. Motivation Is Emotional - To maintain consistency in fitness, you need to connect emotionally with your future self and what you value most in life.

2. Your Brain Benefits Directly From Exercise - Physical activity improves blood flow, releases mood-enhancing neurochemicals, reduces inflammation, and enhances cognitive function.

3. Physical Challenges Build Mental Resilience - Facing physical discomfort trains your brain to handle stress better in all areas of life, creating a higher threshold for daily challenges.

Want to learn more about building a brain and body that's built to last? Grab David Amerland's book "Built to Last" and check out the full interview on Episode 254 of the Begin Within Health Show.

Your future self—with that sharp mind and capable body—will thank you.