One simple action to live a more productive and fulfilling life!

Did you know that 64% of people experience minor to major cognitive decline as they age?

Interest in brain health tends to rise as we get older and we begin to worry about memory problems and cognitive decline. What if there was a way that you could preserve impeccable brain health instead of reacting after it’s too late?

In order to save you time and see if this blog post can help you, here are a few questions for you to ask yourself.

1. If you could be confident you are taking care of your brain health NOW, how would your life change?
2. Imagining your future, what kinds of activities do you want to be able to do in your 70’s?
3. Are you currently taking deliberate action to insure that your brain is as healthy as possible? If so, what activities are you doing?

If your answers to the above questions revolved around having an exceptional quality of life in your 70’s, living a productive and fulfilling life, AND remain mentally + emotionally healthy, then you are in the right place.

All this and more is possible for you by making one, small change in your life. Let’s look at the facts!

When you spend just 15 minutes a day practicing the cello as an adult, you set yourself up to develop EVERY major area of the brain.

Here are just three of the top areas you develop when you learn the cello:

1. The memory centre - The parts of the brain impacted by practicing cello to develop memory are the basal ganglia (starts movements) + pre-motor cortex (plans movements) — moves into the cerebellum as you progress. What this means for you is being able to learn new skills faster and remember difficult and complex structures with clarity. The real value is feeling calm and confident in your ability to be successful at anything you put your mind to.
2. The joy centre - This centre of the brain is developed from the anticipation of an incredible chord or beautiful melody. Both the nucleus accubens, dopamine & serotonin centres are developed. These reward centres give you the ability to feel joy every single day, no matter what stressful things you are going through. Imagine feeling joy even on the toughest day at work, even when you are barely sleeping because you have a newborn… Imagine how this healthy method of producing joy could impact your motivation…
3. The problem solving centre - Since you use the right and the left side of the brain simultaneously when playing an instrument, it increases the volume and activity in the brain’s corpus callosum - the bridge between the two hemispheres. This allows musicians to better solve problems in both academic and social settings. In fact, studies have shown that the corpus callosum in musicians is significantly bigger after only a year of playing the cello. What this means for you is smart problem solving where you can focus on what is truly important (the big picture), as well as sort the smaller details that make up the problems you face.

Learning new skills quickly and deeply, having a reliable source of joy in your day AND being a strategic & caring problem solver is what you want, isn’t it?

That is what is possible for you when you make cello practice a day a part of your routine.

Now I know what you might be thinking, “I don’t have time to learn the cello”. And I get it, your time is valuable and you want to be spending it effectively.

Now this might be the VERY REASON why you should learn the cello. Did you know that a 15 minute practice routine can increase your brain activity by 32 percent?!

When your brain activity increases, so does your mental alertness and ability to focus for longer periods of time. What that means for you completing tasks faster and with greater accuracy. The best part is that you will actually get to work less hours and therefore have more time. Having more time to spend on developing and taking care of yourself is what you want, isn’t it?

Picture this, I can see you now…

It is December 29th, 2023 and you are sitting down at your desk with your favourite mug, steaming full of peppermint tea. As you watch the steam rise in the air, you see your cello in the corner of the room, happily waiting for you to do your daily practice session. Sipping your tea you reflect on the year that has gone by, and you are shocked to realize that this year you have felt calmer and more in control of your time than you ever had before. You know that it because you have spent time developing your brain. You know that prioritizing your 15 minutes of brain development with the cello every day has been the atomic habit that made the difference. You finish your cup of tea and start practicing Bach’s Prelude in G major. As the melodies and chords swell and fade your heart is full of joy. You know that the cello has made you better.

That’s the picture that you want to see, isn’t it?

Let’s take a closer look at the idea that is causing you to hesitate and weigh it against the reasons to move forward, okay?

The reason to hesitate is, you feel you don’t have time to practice cello everyday. Is there anything else that belongs here?

The reasons to move forward now, are

1. exceptional quality of life in your 70’s
2. living a productive and fulfilling life
3. AND remaining mentally + emotionally healthy

Don’t you feel the reasons in favour seem to weigh heavier?

Would you like to book a Discovery Call to further explore how the cello can impact YOUR specific situation, OR would you like to sign up for the Inner Voice newsletter?