Have you ever felt exasperated when you bumped into someone at the store but absolutely couldn't remember their name? Sure, it happens to all of us.
Despite being the strongest computer on the planet, our brains do lapse. It's hard to blame them really. As humans, we spend much of or existence stuffing our brains with stuff.
No matter how powerful our brains are, they need recuperation time to be kept in shape. Think of it as a tune up for your brain. Skipping brain maintenance is as silly as the person wandering the parking garage because they forgot where they parked. Is that you? Are you that person? If so, fear not; we are all that person at some point.
Now I am not a brain surgeon and I am not going to suggest you do anything surgical or dangerous. I am however an astute student of human behavior so I always look for simple ways to super charge my brain.
Here are some things you can begin doing as soon as today to begin the great brain tune up:
Eat Almonds
Almond is believed
to improve memory. If a combination of almond oil and milk is taken
together before going to bed or after getting up at morning, it
strengthens our memory power. Almond milk is
prepared by crushing the almonds without the outer cover and adding
water and sugar to it.
Drink Apple Juice
Research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML)
indicates that apple juice increases the production of the
essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, resulting in
an increased memory power.
Sleep well
Research indicates that the long-term memory is consolidated during
sleep by replaying the images of the experiences of the day. These
repeated playbacks program the subconscious mind to store these
images and other related information.
Enjoy simple Pleasures
Stress drains our brainpower. A stress-ridden mind consumes much of
our memory resources to leave us with a feeble mind. Make a habit
to engage yourself in few simple pleasures everyday to dissolve
stress from your mind. Some of these simple pleasures are good for
your mind, body and soul.
- Enjoy music you love
- Play with your children
- Appreciate others
- Run few miles a day, bike or swim
- Start a blog
- Take a yoga class or Total Wellness routine
Exercise your mind
Just as physical exercise is essential for a strong body, mental
exercise is equally essential for a sharp and agile mind. Have you
noticed that children have far superior brainpower than an adult
does? Children have playful minds. A playful mind exhibits superior
memory power. Engage in some of the activities that require your
mind to remain active and playful.
- Play scrabble or crossword puzzle
- Volunteer
- Interact with others
- Start a new hobby such as blogging, reading, painting, bird watching
- Learn new skill or a foreign language
Practice Yoga or Meditation
Yoga or
Meditation relives stress. Stress is a known memory buster.
With less stress, lower blood pressure, slower respiration, slower
metabolism, and released muscle tension follows. All of these
factors contribute significantly towards increases in our
brainpower.
Reduce Sugar intake
Sugar is a non-food. It’s a form of carbohydrate that offers
illusionary energy, only to cause a downhill slump once the initial
burst has been worn off. Excess intake of sugar results in neurotic
symptoms. Excess sugar is known to cause claustrophobia, memory
loss and other neurotic disorders. Eat food without adding sugar.
Stay away from sweet drinks or excess consumption of caffeine
with sugar.
Eat whole wheat
The whole wheat germs contain lecithin. Lecithin helps ease the
problem of the hardening of the arteries, which often impairs brain
functioning.
Eat a light meal at night
A heavy meal at night causes tossing and turning and a prolonged
emotional stress while at sleep. It’s wise to eat heavy meal
during the day when our body is in motion to consume the heavy
in-take. Eating a light meal with some fruits allows us to sleep
well. A good night sleep strengthens our brainpower.
Develop imagination
Greeks mastered the principle of imagination and association to
memorize everything. This technique requires one to develop a vivid
and colorful imagination that can be linked to a known object. If
you involve all your senses - touching, feeling, smelling, hearing
and seeing in the imagination process, you can remember greater
details of the event.
Control your temper
Bleached food, excess of starch or excess of white bread can lead
to nerve grating effect. This results in a violent and some time
depressive behavior. Eat fresh vegetables. Drink lots of water and
meditate or practice yoga to relieve these toxic emotions of temper
and
stressful mood swings.
Take Vitamin B-complex
Vitamin B-complex strengthens memory power. Eat food and vegetables
high in Vitamin B-complex. Stay away from the starch food or white
bread, which depletes the Vitamin B-complex necessary for a healthy
mind.
I don't believe these are that tough. If you find yourself increasing stumped, give a couple of these a try.
Written by Shilpan Patel of Success Soul and cross-posted from Dumb Little Man, a web site that provides tips for life that will save you money, increase your productivity, or simply keep you sane.
[photo credit: Getty Images}
