Try It. Backwards. In Heels.

This is my dance instructor Andy and me at a ballroom dance competition. Ballroom dancing is my happy place, and science has proven that it has brain health benefits, too..

I had recently been remembering my Qi Gong class from long ago, and how we would walk backwards at the end of each class. Then, the other day my husband returned from walking the dogs and told me he spotted one of our neighbors outside, walking backwards. A few days ago, I received an email from one of my many health subscriptions, citing research on the health benefits of walking backwards. I did a bit more digging and thought my findings would be interesting to share.

Walking, or as my dance instructor likes to call it, “controlled falling”,  is something we take for granted. As we step with one food, our body weight thrusts forward, we throw off our balance, but just in time, our other foot catches us. We do it so instinctively that we simply take it for granted. It’s second nature. We can think about other things as we walk, where we are headed, the grocery list, carry on a conversation, you’re never really only concentrating on walking, or fully present. Walking backwards makes us more intentional. We take smaller steps, it changes our gait pattern, we think about articulating our feet, lifting our toes, pushing through our heels to lift our foot and take the next step. It’s a different type of mental and physical challenge. It can improve balance, body awareness, boost muscle strength and endurance, and you’re fully present, or you could fall.

Doing anything “normal” in a different way makes you slow down and be more intentional. Have you tried using the opposite hand for, say, brushing your teeth? Challenging your brain to do everyday tasks in a different way, such as walking backward or using your non-dominant hand, will increase neuroplasticity in the brain, or your brain’s ability to retrain itself to do things in different ways. It keeps the brain healthy and actually grows new neurons and pathways.

Incorporating unilateral workouts into your movement routine has similar benefits. This means working one arm, leg or side body at a time. Bicep curls with one arm, for example. It helps to rebalance strength. Your dominant arm may be stronger, so try using your non-dominant arm when doing household activities. This creates a different neural pathway in the brain, which activates the muscle group, what we know as “muscle memory”. At first it may seem challenging, but the brain deficit decreases over time. You gain strength and develop brain power to make the task easier.

As a ballroom dancer, my absolute favorite movement activity, I am primarily moving backwards. When I am “in hold” with my partner, he is leading, and I am following. Especially as we dance the smooth dances, like waltz, tango and fox trot. I am dancing backwards through most of the routine. I rely on my partner to lead me safely around the floor. All the while, I must be responsible for my own balance, focus on the choreography, proper technique, timing, musicality and artistry of the dance. Harvard Medical School published an article stating that dance has such beneficial effects on the brain that it is now being used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease. In fact, dance was not considered to be beneficial until relatively recently, when researchers began to investigate the complex mental coordination that dance requires. A Columbia University neuroscientist claimed that synchronizing music and movement—dance, essentially—constitutes a “pleasure double play.” Music stimulates the brain’s reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits. Other studies show that dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition. Even Zumba, the latin cardio activity, has been proven to improve mood and certain cognitive skills, such as visual recognition and decision-making. So perhaps you don’t think you are ballroom material, you can Zumba your way to better brain health.

Or perhaps simply start by walking backwards. Easier than dancing? Perhaps?