Arguably, the most important organ in our bodies is the brain. What carries the brain around and allows us to express our wills and humanity? Our bodies, of course. What you do to your body influences your brain, and vice versa. Three things that we can use to boost our brainpower include exercise, diet, and the moderate use of stimulants.
ONE – Exercise
The more scientists explore the labyrinth that is our brain, the more malleable they’ve come to find that the adult brain to be. In a process called neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells, our adult brains are constantly undergoing restructure as we gain more knowledge or figure out new ways to do things. Changes in our behavior or our environment also cause rewiring or reorganization of our brain functions. Of course, this process requires new brain cells and plenty of oxygen and nutrients to encourage their growth and sustainability. Physical exercise gets blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to course through your gray matter. In fact, studies have shown that exercise can improve the so-called executive skills we are called upon to use in our day-to-day lives. These include planning, organizing and the “multitasking” we hear so much about today, especially in employment want ads.
Exercise also increases the levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that encourages growth of, communication between, and survival of, brain cells or neurons. In fact, senior citizens can get those juices flowing with just a 15 to 30 minute walk a day. Since we’re at it, we might as well mention that exercise improves sleep quality and boosts the immune system. Daily we find more and more reasons to get out of our lounge chairs and start moving around.
Physical exercise gets blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to course through your gray matter.
It’s worth noting here: A little music during your workouts will put you in a better mood and help you with your verbal skills. While exercisers in two different groups showed improvement from exercise alone in both those areas, those who accompanied their routine with tunes performed twice as well on follow-up tests as the non-musical participants.
TWO – Diet
Once you get the blood coursing through your brain to bring it oxygen and nutrients; it stands to reason that what you eat can also influence how effectively your brain operates. What foods will increase our brain power? Well, rats fed a diet of saturated fats – remember that nasty stuff as being bad for the body in general – underperformed on tests of learning and memory. Humans who have a lot of that nasty stuff in their diets seem to be at increased risk for dementia.
Another surprising fact is that rats, when fed a diet of calories restricted to 25 to 50 percent of their normal diet, lived considerably longer than those on a normal diet. They also outperformed their chubby fellow rats on tests of memory and coordination. They were also able to resist the damages that accompany Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.
Here we go again. Studies have shown that fruits and vegetables are excellent foods for the brain, as well as for the body. Walnuts, blueberries and spinach are especially potent for the sustained regeneration and sustainability of new brain cells. Antioxidants from the fruits and vegetables found on the produce aisles of your supermarket can counteract the atoms that damage brain cells. Back to the rats, researchers have found that diets high in antioxidants kept their learning and memory sharp even as they aged, and even when they were subjected to the sort of brain damage created by strokes.
THREE – Stimulants
Caffeine is the most-used stimulant or in the world. And three quarters of the caffeine we ingest comes from coffees, colas, and teas. Stimulants do a number of things: Charge-up the nervous system. Boost blood pressure. Increase heart rate and breathing. Bring up energy levels.
Caffeine is actually the most widely used “drug” in the world.
A particular study documented that the caffeine equivalent to two cups of coffee improved reaction time and short-term memory. MRI scans showed that caffeine stimulated areas of the brain that had to do with attention spans. Age-related memory decline in older women was showed to be ameliorated by the use of caffeine.
Caffeine in high doses does have some unwanted effects: Irritability. Jitters. Anxiety. Insomnia. And sometimes death in extremely high doses. Caffeine is actually the most widely used “drug” in the world. Other stimulants, such as cocaine and amphetamines are not so good. They have some of the same positive effects of caffeine, but they affect different areas of the brain. They do affect the brain’s euphoria neurotransmitters – including dopamine and serotonin – and increased alertness and energy. They also are extremely addictive drugs, they can induce psychosis, and once you’re hooked, they can cause a nasty withdrawal that includes severe depression. And, an overdose can easily kill.
Exercise is always a great way to heal mind and body and facilitate the growth and sustainability of both. Improving you diet is always a good way to encourage the growth and resistance of your body and brain. Stimulants, when used in moderation within the perimeters of law, can be a boost to your brain as well.
Photo by Ballistik Coffee Boy
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