That's Fit

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I have long been a believer in exercising outdoors as much as possible. Of course many folks stay healthy via treadmills, ellipticals and the like more times a week than I log a sweat session. And I make use of those too. But those who rely solely on machines are missing out.

The sensory benefits are pretty big. Breathing fresh air, smelling seasonal blooms, feeling the breeze and seeing your surroundings of sky, clouds and everything underneath all combine to fill your head with the happiness your heart feels after beating several more times per minute for an hour or so. It's invaluable to me. I run, walk, bike or just stretch in a meadow, on the sidewalk, on a dirt trail. Sometimes a brisk stroll through town provides a nice changeup too while enjoying the architecture and human company.

I admit during the heat and humidity or bitter wind chill that can be part of summers and winters here in Northern Virginia, I am happy to partake of the air conditioned air, humming machines, televisions and sometimes views of unfortunate outfits on my fellow exercisers in the gym down the street. But if you've found yourself in a rut that leaves you staring at walls for every workout, try breaking away for a change. You'll be glad you did.

To those who have trouble believing in things beyond what they can see, the concept of an "out-of-body" experience seems a little far-fetched. After all, who knows why a person might feel like they were "outside" of their body, "watching" themselves -- it's a phenomenon that's been almost completely untouched by the scientific community.

Until now, that is.

Teams of researchers in both England and Switzerland have devised methods for confusing the signals sent from the senses to the brain -- giving people the impression that they're standing outside of their bodies. Essentially, this amounted to "tricking" the brain by giving it deliberately misleading sensory information.

When participants thought that they were "standing outside of themselves" they reported feeling "weird," but certainly weren't having any kind of spiritual episode.

So, while the "out-of-body" experience is definitely an interesting phenomenon, it seems to be caused by a relatively straightforward manipulation of the body's sense -- and not, as some have suggested, by any contact with higher powers, alternate dimensions or otherwise.

Life is too short not to be fully "tuned in." The Daily Turn On! is designed to wake up your senses, all six of them: smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight and intuition! Everyday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will awaken your mind, your body and your life!

Did you know ... We have almost 10,000 taste buds, and yet, taste is the weakest of our six senses (yes, we do have six!). And, women typically have more taste buds than men. Flavor drives our desire for or disgust of certain foods. However, taste rarely acts on its own. Our bodies rely on touch, smell, sight and sound. The act of eating is a full awakening of our senses. It's is no wonder food can be so enjoyable!

It's a texture thing. Most of us have at least one food that we just can't seem to enjoy because the way it feels in our mouth is unpleasant; of course, the opposite is true. There are plenty of foods we love because the texture provides a highly pleasurable sensory experience.

Smell has a direct impact on taste. Have you ever thought, "Wow, that smells just like the way ... tastes"? That is because the olfactory glands and taste are in constant communication. The odor from food actually enhances our sense of smell, which is why we will hold our noses to get something unpleasant down the hatch!

On the flip side, you may see food that looks utterly delectable and think, "That looks delicious!" The area of the brain called the substantia innominata contains nerve cells that actually respond to the sight of food. The stronger the brain activity is in this area is indicative of how strong the desire is to consume that food. The activity is impacted with experience, meaning the activity may be higher or lower based on one's initial experience with the food.

Scientists have discovered that our brain produces large bursts of ultrasound with an initial bite into crunchy food. This ultrasound provides the brain with an understanding of the texture of food and in response elicits a corresponding signal of pleasure or displeasure.

Food awakens all of our senses ... choosing the right foods will train your brain to Turn On when exposed to healthy choices.

Turn On your senses ... Wake up to a fit life!

Life is too short not to be fully "tuned in." The Daily Turn On! is designed to wake up your senses, all six of them: smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight and intuition! Everyday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will awaken your mind, your body and your life!

Did you know ... Your sense of smell can directly impact your physical, mental and emotional well being. As a matter of fact, smell is one of the most important senses. Smell travels directly to the limbic system, the most primal area of the brain. This area is where emotions, memory and behavior are controlled. Smell influences mood, memory, emotions, choice of mate, the immune system, as well as the endocrine system.

What we sniff truly empowers or weakens our mental, emotional and physical state. A bit of lavender will calm the savage beast. Jasmine will calm and perhaps get you "in the mood" for romance. And the essential oil of lemon has been known to increase accuracy in data entry by up to 54%! The good news? Any scent will turn more of your brain on! Even while you are sleeping!

Turn On your senses ... Wake up to a fit life!

We now have news out on another small device for diagnosis health issues: this one uses sniffing to detect health problems varying from Alzheimers to a deviated septum.

The idea is that the sense of smell is one of the most delicate of senses and may act as a sort of "canary in the mine" to give early warnings of impending or already existing issues. By measuring how deeply a person sniffs when smelling a scent or odor experts can determine if their sense of smell is impaired or not, and then find out why if it is.

I hope I'm not asked to take this test anytime soon because the smells they use include ripe cheese mixed with rancid meat, burning mixed with skunk scent, and then (a sigh of relief for participants) bananas.