Whole Body Vibration & Nerves

Most of the contemporary focus on whole body vibration training deals with fitness in general, and in particular, increasing the challenge of standard isometric and dynamic exercises. While these are sound and scientifically proven benefits of using whole body vibration machines, my interest is the effect on the nervous system.

Your nervous system, which consists of sensors (eyes, ears, spindle organs, proprioceptors), the nerves, nerve junctions, the spine and the brain, exert tremendous influence over how you perceive the world, your health, and your motivation. If you can make small improvements to the functioning of the nervous system, everything else in your life improves automatically. This includes your ability to achieve fitness goals, to lead a stress-free life, and to pursue creative projects and other worthwhile objectives you set for yourself. It is my belief that whole body vibration holds the key to unlocking your full potential.

There are many psychological systems aimed at getting peak or improved performance out of people. Most of these systems work solely on the psyche, or mental aspects of one's present conditioning. They completely disregard the fact that there is a massive system of semi-autonomous nerve junctions (in computer parlance, we call these neural networks) that lie between your senses and your brain.

Whole body vibration technology has a profound effect on the activity of the nerves. The vibrations from the machine are converted into nerve impulses via touch and two other important senses: spindle organs and proprioceptors. These latter sensors are highly involved in the control of muscles through local feedback loops that are closer to the muscles than the brain (think of reflex actions). Because the vibration is periodic, it creates waves of nerve impulses that travel to the brain. Generally speaking, the experience of this vibration passing through you is pleasurable - it also has the side effect of 'resetting' many of the muscular control mechanisms in the body. Depending on your orientation, you may find you have increased energy, less stress, sleep better, and have more energy for traditional workouts.

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