I have tried to stay in shape since my teens, and four decades later, I was still training with the same intensity until the pain in my joints appeared. Like any person stubborn in denying it, I ignored it and suffered. I then spent a weekend with my sister and her husband, who showed me an innovative approach to strength training that would put less stress on my joints while increasing my strength.
As my brother-in-law, a professional trainer, described this approach and shared the tools to try it, the researcher in me filtered his words. Don't get me wrong, I think he's fantastic, but his approach sounded too good to be true and I hadn't heard of him before.
After doing my own research, I decided to switch from my intense weight lifting to Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training, as I had suggested. With this, he places a cuff or band over the biceps and triceps to restrict blood flow to the muscles during the exercise. This improves muscle strength and hypertrophy at approximately one-third the weight compared to traditional training and strikes a balance between optimizing muscle development and recovery while minimizing stress on joints and tissues.
The results have been made profoundly clear by my increase in muscle tone. I haven't had a tone like that since college! So BFR worked, at least for me.
As a school leader in the second half of my life, this experience was not only a win-win, but it led me to consider a greater reward: continuing to learn and develop new ways to improve my quality of life is an approach I can model with my learning community.
You can teach an old dog
Steven Kotler challenges conventional wisdom about aging and learningand shows how testing the limits of an aging body and mind can transform our later years. It can make us more effective and resilient, and show that we can model for others the value of learning no matter who or where they are in their developmental stages. For school leaders like me, Kotler's ideas offer lessons about how continuous learning enhances the ability to support my school community far beyond conventional leadership.
Kotler's experiment is based on neuroscience and psychology. It debunks the “long, slow decay theory” of aging and instead presents evidence of how our brains remain flexible and capable of growing well into old age, allowing us to acquire new skills and adapt to challenges, always May we continue to actively participate in learning.
One of the key scientific concepts Kotler explores is the idea of ”flow,” a state of deep concentration and immersion in an activity. Flow can be achieved at any age, but it is crucial to maintaining cognitive health and peak performance as we age. By striving to learn new and complex skills, older adults like me can still achieve high levels of performance and satisfaction.
Again, the secondary and broader benefit is that a new generation of students and families see me striving to develop and learn. Because, as Ben Franklin suggests, the older I get, the more I realize that I don't know.
Lifelong learning and school leadership
For school leaders, these principles can link directly to our role as school leaders, helping us to be better leaders and role models for our school communities through continuous adaptation and learning.
Consider these actions to help your own development, as well as that of your community.
- Adopt a growth mindset – Kotler stresses the importance of a growth mindset: the belief that skills can be developed through dedication and hard work. This mindset is crucial for school leaders navigating the ever-changing educational landscape. By modeling a growth mindset, leaders can inspire teachers and students to embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities for growth. This triggers our locus of control, or the degree to which people believe that they, unlike outside forces, have control over the outcome of events, shows that we are capable of anything.
- Improve cognitive flexibility – Kotler's exploration of neuroplasticity highlights the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural pathways. For school leaders, continuous learning can improve cognitive flexibility, allowing us to better manage the diverse and dynamic challenges of our roles. Engaging in new learning experiences keeps our minds alert and adaptable.
- Develop empathy and emotional intelligence – A cognitive superpower is enhanced empathy, which comes from lifelong learning and broadening perspectives. Effective school leaders can better understand and connect with their staff and students on an emotional level because we develop greater empathy and emotional intelligence, which leads to stronger relationships and a more supportive school environment.
- Promote innovation and creativity – Creativity triggers innovation, essential for addressing unique challenges. By continually learning and discovering new ideas and perspectives, we can foster a culture of transformation within our schools, encouraging teachers and students to experiment and think outside the box.
Dance like the whole world is watching
When I noticed a change with blood flow restriction training, a good friend of mine, someone who is innovative and forward-thinking, asked me, “Aren't you worried about people looking at you with those bands?”
This is the oxymoron of leadership. We are expected to project a certain image at the same time that children need fallible adults who demonstrate that they can still learn, mentors who can inspire them to grow in a remarkably imperfect upward progression.
My response to my friend: “I'm not doing this for them. “I do it for myself and for everyone who sees that I can still grow.”
Practical steps for school leaders
- Participate in various learning activities: Engage in a variety of learning experiences that diversify and stimulate different areas of the brain and improve overall cognitive flexibility.
- Lifelong learning model: Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning by sharing personal learning experiences with staff and students. This can create a culture of continuous improvement and inspire others to follow their own learning paths.
Discovering blood flow restriction (BFR) training later in life allowed me to improve my strength and muscle tone without stressing my joints, illustrating the power of lifelong learning. Kotler's work on lifelong learning and cognitive flexibility shows how I can better support my school community by modeling continuous growth and encouraging students and staff to embrace new challenges and learning outcomes.
