Welcome to the Travel and Wellness Blog, a place to let your sense of curiosity and adventure lead you to enhanced cognition and wellness. If you’re like us, you have a list of valid reasons to be adventurous and travel but enhanced cognition, or brain health, doesn’t always come to mind. (pun intended.)

The truth is, it absolutely deserves to be TOP on our lists. Neuroscience research backs this up by uncovering the connection between travel and brain health. Let’s dig in and learn exactly what this means for you!

Scientists used to believe the brain was capable of growth and change only during childhood, but now widely accept that neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change, is present throughout life. The brain must be exercised in order to create new connections and neurons, a process called neurogenesis. “It’s very important to train and stimulate the brain because, with time, a bigger number of connections implies a bigger cognitive reserve, which allows our brain to be more resistant to deterioration that comes with age or the symptoms from neurological diseases,” says Dr. José Manuel Moltó, spokesperson for the Spanish Neurology Society.

OK, we need to exercise our brains, but how do we go about this? We think you’ll be happy, and maybe a bit surprised, to know it’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s adventurous!

You’ve likely heard that doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles is good for cognition, but we can do so much more than puzzles. Facing a variety of new situations, ideas, experiences and challenges is great exercise for the brain. When we travel, we accomplish all of this. That’s right, travel is a fantastic workout for our brains and enhances cognition!

In Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life, Dr. Michael Merzenich — known as “the father of brain plasticity” — explains the importance of getting outside our comfort zone and embracing the unfamiliar. People who travel to new places, keep learning languages and continue to experience new things into old age, are far less likely to develop cognitive decay, according to Merzenich’s weighty body of research.

What’s more, according to University of Pittsburgh neuroscientist Paul Nussbaum, traveling can stimulate your brain and encourage the growth of new connections within cerebral matter”. Don’t you love the message in this research? It’s so encouraging and empowering. Each of us has the ability to improve neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, cognition and brain health through travel. This is THE BEST NEWS!

So if you’re looking for a way to keep your brain healthy and active and have fun doing it, there’s no better time to start planning your next adventure and create beautiful memories to last forever. Whether you want to travel close to home or across the globe, Canyon Calling Adventures for Women has a variety of wonderful options! Grab your sense of curiosity and adventure and click here to see where you’d like to go first: Solo Women’s Travel: Women Traveling Together with Canyon Calling

To learn more about how I can help you achieve optimal wellness through remote one-on-one fitness and/or nutrition sessions, including BRAIN HEALTH, click here: Personal Trainer | Sue Kartheiser | Stay Fit With Sue | Fort Collins, CO

Stay Curious, Explore Your World and Be Well,

Sue