Don't worry Spiderman, I'm an addict too

Peter Parker and I might not have a great deal in common but we're both big lovers of climbing walls.

While he may stick to the streets of New York City, my preference is for warehouses. And while he goes for spiderwebs, my preference is for indoor rock-climbing.

I took it up about 8 months ago and it has now become a bi-weekly event. What started out as a bit of fun has turned into a real mental and physical exercise workout. It requires not only the sheer strength to hoist yourself up a wall, but also the intellectual strategm to navigate from one rock to another.

For this reason, I believe rock climbing is very similar to dance.

Now before you dismiss me as a raving lunatic, hear me out. The parallel I've drawn is not without merit.

On "Insight" last year they did a forum on intelligence. Part of the persuing discussion broached the issue of dementia and how we can actively try to prevent it. Surprisingly, one activity that proved to exercise the brain most effectively was Scottish country dancing!
 
Yes, that's right. Scottish dancing! And there was sound logic behind the claim. According to Dr Valenzuela, dancing stimulated the brain on 3 different fronts.

1. Co-ordination. ie athleticism, balance and spatial awareness. And they have to complete a series of complex movements which have to be done in:
•  a specific order, 
• to the beat of the music,
• while co-ordinating their movements to everyone else.


2. Memory. The dancing couples not only have to memorise these moves, but they've then got to shift these steps from the short-term to the long-term spaces in their brains.


3. Social interaction. While dancing, individuals must be conscious of the other people around them - how are they moving? Are they synchronised? Are they struggling? And then individuals must adjust their own movements accordingly.

Now how does this relate to rock-climbing? Well that, in the words of all our favourite tv shows, is 'to be continued...'