Neurons and Kayaks

As I shared previously, during my first year of grad school I struggled to stay physically active.  I spent long hours sitting in class, sitting at my desk, sitting on my couch with my laptop or tv.  I would walk as far as necessary to get to my car, and then I would sit some more.  I’ve never been a particularly sporty person, but I’ve also never been so sedentary.  I think this imbalance in my physical quadrant (see The Medicine Wheel) was an important factor in my struggles last year.

All around me these days are messages about the importance of physical activity.  Just yesterday at my internship I sat in on a client session and listened to my supervisor tell the client that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day is equivalent to taking an antidepressant.  Interesting.  In the evening yesterday I attended a talk by Dr. Sapolsky, a Stanford University neuroscientist.  He lectured about the ageing brain and in listing the ‘good stuff’ we can do for our brains, exercise was first on the list.  Regular exercise can promote neuron growth and even the generation of new neurons… any grad student would agree we need all the neurons we can muster!  Interestingly, one of Dr. Sapolsky’s main areas of research is stress, the very thing I am trying to conquer through seeking balance.

Part of my quest for balance this year involved my decision to buy an Aire inflatable kayak.  I figured paddling would be a good way to get ‘away from it all’ while also getting some physical exercise, and I was right!  I wrestle the thing out of the trunk of my car, inflate it, and haul all 45 awkward pounds of it to the water’s edge and ta-da: I’m sweating and sore and I’ve had about all the exercise I can handle!  And I haven’t even started paddling.  Setting out from the beach and taking those first few paddle strokes is so magically rejuvenating I tend to completely forget the earth-bound wrestling match as my kayak suddenly becomes a floating extension of my own body.  For someone who loves the water but can’t swim (although that doesn’t always stop me) it is exhilarating to float and move through the water with such ease!  I paddle and take in the scenery, and my neurons (I am certain) grow and multiply like wildfire.  A few more months of kayaking and I will certainly be a genius.  I will occasionally write about paddling as I work on maintaining balance so you haven’t seen the last of the Aire, but let this be the introduction!