The Exquisite Change Detector

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I think it was the book "The Organized Mind" that coined the phrase that the brain is an exquisite change detector. I witnessed this today. I was going to come back home on foot from dropping off a car at the mechanic's shop about 3 miles from home. The thought of walking that distance seemed boring and "long". I decided that since I was not going to CrossFit, and instead getting my exercise this way that I should add some intensity. So I did 1 minute sprints with a 5 minute walk (1:5 work/rest ratio). The interesting side effect is that while I was recovering, I was covering a lot of distance while observing the changes that my body was experiencing...breathing slowing, heartrate coming back under control, muscles feeling ready to work again, etc. I was really enjoying the experience of my body's changes happening, before I stressed it again. My brain seemed to enjoy the variance of intensity & recovery *more* than it would have if I would have just done a steady state walk the whole time. And, of course, it linked the journey home to my goals by doing high intensity interval training. Win-Win.

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