Keep healthy by juggling

Sunday, November 28, 2010 by: Lindy Brown
Tags: health, juggling, health news

(NewsTarget) Juggling is not just a clown trick or a way to explain life management, it's a way to get exercise while increasing your brain function and reducing stress. Juggling is an activity that works both your mind and body. And, it's an activity that you can do anywhere.

In a recent study led by Arne May, of the University of Regensburg in Germany, "a comparison of brain-imaging scans of non-jugglers and other volunteers before they learned to juggle and three months later, revealed an increase in gray matter in certain areas of the newly trained jugglers' brains." Gray matter is parts of the brain and spinal cord which are responsible for advanced mental functions. In the study, May and his colleagues said brain scans done three months after the new jugglers had stopped juggling showed gray matter had been reduced. Also, the research shows that learning a new skill will increase brain function better than improving on an already learned skill.

Juggling improves focus and concentration levels because it requires focused hand and eye movements. And, it burns calories! You can burn close to 300 calories an hour with light scarves and balls. Burn more calories by integrating juggling with other activities like jumping jacks and abdominal exerises. It's a great activity that works the shoulders, arms, upper back and abdominal muscles. Juggling is great for athletes because it puts you in a relaxed concentration state which is the state athletes need to be in to perform their best.
In addition, a study done at Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental School in Japan shows that juggling reduces stress in people with anxiety disorders.

Kids can juggle with their parents and have fun without feeling like they are exercising and getting smarter. According to Dr. Carole E. Smith, Physical Education Specialist, kids who learn juggling also improve their reading, writing and reasoning skills.

And, best of all, it's a very portable activity that can be done indoors on your break at the office or outdoors on an adventure. Juggling scarves and balls are lightweight and small which make them easy to pack to take to school, to the office or on your next outdoor adventure.

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http://www.icanjuggle.com/academic.html

About the author

Lindy Brown is a freelance writer, editor and photographer. She is also the mother of two and is passionate about natural health and outdoor fitness. Her expertise is in healing foods. She continually looks for natural ways to help heal and strengthen the body in order to keep her family healthy and to share her knowledge with others. She and her husband have their own online, outdoor health magazine at www.outdoorgulfcoast.com You can also find her at www.gulfcoastediting.com