10 Steps to Improving Your Memory and Boost Your Brain Power
Your brain is the most powerful supercomputer on the planet. It has the ability to process four billion bits of information per second and store unlimited memories in multiple categories. One of the fascinating functions of the brain is recollection. Your brain can store and recall information in a fraction of a second; however, over time, you can lose your ability to easily recall things that you have experienced through some form of sensory perception. I am sure that you know someone who seems to be able to remember even the most mundane of details effortlessly. Since memory is a huge part of learning, this same person seems to pick up new skills and appropriate the knowledge easily.
The truth is that we all have the capacity to use our brains in the same way. Unfortunately, many have not optimized their brain functions, and there are many ways to do this. To access and actualize the full capacity of your brain, it is important to keep it active and acutely tuned. Sitting still on your sofa while watching the same programming on television every day is not going to get you the results you are seeking.
Following are 10 steps that you can take that will help improve your memory and give your overall brain power a huge boost.
There is a wealth of empirical and pragmatic evidence that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to the deterioration of the brain. It has been proven that obesity has a direct negative impact on brain function. Since blood flow is essential to the brain, it is important to keep your heart healthy and your arteries clear. The lack of exercise allows plaque to build up in the arteries, and it also reduces the efficiency of each heartbeat.
In addition to oxygen, your blood also delivers nutrients to the brain (more on this later).
It should go without saying, but you would be surprised how many people fail to make the connection between brain functionality and nutritional intake. There are lots of foods that are great for brain health. Following are 10 powerful brain foods that can easily be integrated into your daily diet.
Because of the Brobdingnagian responsibility the brain undertakes, it is not surprising that it has a high demand for nutrients. Without a sufficient supply of brain nutrients, your cognitive and mental health will suffer. However, certain nutritional deficiencies are common, especially in certain geographical locations. Your brain needs an ample supply of micronutrients — namely, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. While there is no shortage of carbohydrates in the average American diet, the deficiency arises because mostly simply carbs are being consumed. The brain and the body work better with complex carbohydrates that metabolize and break down slowly. Complex carbohydrates will give your brain the sustained energy it needs to perform at high levels.
Starchy vegetables such as yams, winter squash, beets, carrots, and potatoes are excellent sources of complex carbs.
Protein is synthesized and broken down into amino acids — a major component in hundreds of chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters — allowing brain cells to communicate with one another.
I constantly remind my clients of the importance of guarding their periphery. Those in your circle influence your reality. There is an adage that states that you will be the average of the five people you spend the most time around. I was always taught that “association” brings about assimilation. We have what is known as mirror neurons that cause us to emulate and mirror what we observe in others. If you are around someone long enough, you will begin to behave like them in multiple ways. Negative ideas, thoughts, and behaviors can have a negative impact on the health of your brain.
Many people rehearse negatively through their habitual thought patterns. I’m sure that you have seen people behave as if it is compulsory that they entertain negative thoughts. The need to entertain negative thoughts has become automatic. These negative thoughts have a negative impact on the health of your brain. Negative thoughts release negative chemicals that are destructive to brain health.
Getting enough sleep is so undervalued in today’s culture. You constantly here success guru’s talking about getting up at 3:00 a.m. and about the importance of being on the grind. Don’t get me wrong; I definitely believe in putting in the work and optimizing your time. There are 86,400 seconds in a day and believe that each one of them has a purpose. However, you can’t adequately take advantage of the opportunities presenting throughout the day without adequate rest.
As you go through your day, your brain exerts a lot of energy — building up plaque in your brain. Sleep is the time that the brain cleans itself and heals itself. Sleep deprivation is one of the most destructive forces that impact your brain health.
Some studies have shown that having a neat work environment supports better brain functions. But a clean environment constitutes more than just a neat working area. It includes healthy foods, clean drinking water, and clean air.
When you experience a moment of stress, the body release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. While these chemicals can be helpful in certain stressful situations, like avoiding an accident or defending yourself against an attacker, the longer they remain in your bloodstream, the more destructive they become. Chronic stress is extremely harmful, and you have to find ways to manage your stress if you want to get the most out of your brain.
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When you see brain protection, the obvious would be wearing a helmet when riding a bike or motorcycle, but there are so many other ways that you can physically damage your brain in the era of technology. The electromagnetic fields created by smartphones and tablets can cause harm to the brain. When reading studies that report that nearly 80 percent of teens sleep with their cells phones under their pillows, I cringe.
A very powerful tool for improving your memory and brain performance is to focus on learning new things every day. There was a time in which science believed that after age five, our brains were pretty much wired the way they would remain for life. Science also believed that once brain cells were destroyed, they could not be replaced. We are now aware of neurogenesis, the growth, and development of nerve tissue and cells in the brain. Additionally, we are also aware of neuroplasticity — the ability of the brain to form and reorganize new synaptic connection, especially in response to learning or experiencing some new.
Attempting to integrate all 10 of these tips at once may prove a bit daunting for you. Try adopting one or two of them a week or bi-weekly. Adopting just one will produce noticeable results. The majority of Americans are not even close to optimizing their brain function, which is a shame. You can start today and experience life at an entirely different level.