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Johnny Gillespie, founder of Empowered Yoga in Greenville, Newark and Glen Mills, Pa., has been working on the mind-body connection in his studios for more than 20 years.
community clients suffer from depression, anxiety, stress and even a lowered self-im- age, she says. The exercise helps them recon- nect with their bodies and build self-con- fidence, the feeling of, ‘I can do this,’” says Allegro-Smith.
“It’s never too late to start.”
The effects of exercise on the brain are good for everyday challenges and just gen- eral living as well. Becoming the stereotype of the cranky old man or woman doesn’t have to be a part of the aging process, for instance.
“We were not created to be sedentary— our bodies crave movement but it can get more difficult once we become sedentary for too long,” says Kathryn Cieniewicz, founder of Aging in Place Specialists in Lew- es. “Our mood can be affected because we are just sitting around getting weaker.”
Aging in Place Specialists offers in-home physical therapy as well as evaluation and renovation of housing to allow people to stay in their homes longer as they age. “It’s never too late to start exercising,” says Cie- niewicz.
She’s seen clients in their 90s come out of depressions once they start working on strength and flexibility. She also sees clients
with anxiety appear more relaxed after their sessions.
“It’s like their bodies have dispensed all of that nervous energy and their mind is able to settle a bit,” she says.
Studies support Cieniewicz’s observa- tions of anxiety and emotions and exercise. Correlations have even been made between exercise and helping children and adults with ADHD and ADD. A study in the Jour- nal of Abnormal Child Psychology in 2015 reported that children with ADHD who ex- ercised 31 minutes before school were able to reduce inattention and moodiness in school for the day.
Using that study, members of the Univer- sity of Delaware Mind and Body Laboratory started exercise and mindfulness programs for preschoolers and professors.
In the mindfulness summer camp for children between the ages of 4 and 7, chil- dren participate in yoga and dance exercis- es as part of their regular activities. During the weeks of the camp the children show improvement in focus, compassion and the ability to identify and regulate emotions, ac- cording to the laboratory website.
“People tend to respond fairly quickly,” says Michael Mackenzie, director of the Ap- plied Health Behavior Science Laboratory
at the University of Delaware.
Regular exercise can actually make sub-
tle changes in the brain physiology. Exercise causes an increase in the good neural trans- mitters in the brain as well as circulation to the brain. The healthier you are physically, often, the healthier you are cognitively, says Mackenzie. To test the theory, Mackenzie helped develop a mindfulness exercise pro- gram for members of the University of Del- aware staff. The program, Mindful Employ- ee and Occupational Wellness (MEOW) taught staff mini mindfulness exercises, like simple breathing, meditation and stretch- ing that they could do almost anywhere.
The result? Staff members showed a sig- nificant decrease in stress and an increase in productivity after the six-week course. The staff members were so pleased with the results, they asked for more.
“More mindful, less stress, more work,” says Mackenzie.
A walk is often enough
Nancy Hawkins Rigg, owner of Forever Fit Foundation in Dover, Lewes and Men- denhall, Pa., finds that many highly success- ful people incorporate physical exercise as a regular part of their lives. “It’s not another job,” she says. “It gives them [mental] relief.”
28 302Health issue 2.2017-18
BRANDON AUFIERO