Muscles that remember (wrf the hindu dt:17-12-11)

If you start by being active when young, the memory is stored by your body to be pulled out for later use.


If you can cover 10 km in 1.20 hours at a brisk walk, you definitely fall under the 'fit' category. And based on facts, three days a week and three months of cardio respiratory fitness would fetch such results.


But what surprised and intrigued me was that my sister - who is about 20 kg above her ideal BMI (Body Mass Index) and has not been within sniffing distance of any fitness programme for more than 10 years - did this 10 km in 1.20 hrs rather effortlessly.


This was because her body didn't perceive brisk walking as exertion; and that's because of muscle memory. She was a sportsperson during her younger days.


Like motor learning


Now, is muscle memory stored in your muscles? Of course not; memories are stored in your brain. Muscle memory is similar to motor learning, which is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor activity into memory through repetition. When that movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that activity eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort.


When it comes to gross motor skills like movement of large muscles or major body movements like walking or running, the extent to which one exhibits gross motor skills depends largely on muscle tone and strength. The foundation is laid when a child starts learning these movements and then consolidates them. As a matter of fact, we walk today because of that motor memory.


It's a little like learning to balance on and ride a bicycle. If you learnt to do that at the age of 6-7, and then never touch a cycle till age 35, you still don't have to relearn anything. Your body will balance and ride it effortlessly compared to another 35-year-old adult who didn't learn to cycle as a child. And guess what? That person's chances of learning to ride are pretty bleak.


So the important pint here is to put in train children the right way at the right time so that the chances of their being unfit later - the years when it is crucial to stay fit – declines. Given the concern about increasing childhood obesity and consequent health issues, all it takes is to just play right.


Stages of physical development


Birth to 6months: Reflexive and spontaneous movement


6 months – 2 years: Rudimentary movements


2–6 years: Fundamental movements


6–12 years: Sports skills (gymnastics, tennis, martial arts)


12–18 years: Growth and refinement


18–30years: Peak performance


If you are a parent


Encourage your child to take part in sports


If the child shows interest in a specific sport help him/her pursue it


Look at other options if the sport is not available in school


It is difficult to balance academics and sports. But, what if your child is a prodigy? Remember Sachin Tendulkar