Brain Muscle - Maximize Your Brain Power

[Jerry Hunter]

Your brain is not getting older, it's getting better. Maybe you think
you've had "senior moments" or joke that you're beginning to get
Alzheimer's. Truth is, no matter what your age, your brain wants to
stay young - and it wants you to help it.
There is no reason for your mental sharpness to decline, say
statistics. The reason it seems to when people age is because they're
putting less effort into being creative. They're not trying as many
new things nor have as many dragons to slay.
You've spent enough time killing brain cells with alcoholic beverages.
Take time now, and every day, to rejuvenate and freshen your brain's
ability. Here are several ways to do so, and they don't necessarily
need to be done in order.
GIMME FIVE
During a meal or snack, or at least during a cup of coffee, use all
five senses at once: taste, smell, hearing, seeing and feeling.
Observe each sense's intake fully.
"It's something we don't do often enough," says management consultant
Brian Stein, who works with businesses to help their employees think
more creatively. "When you do this on a regular basis, you make all of
your senses keen."
It's the same principal, he says, that makes blind people have extra-
sharp hearing. They "tune in" so strongly to their sense of hearing
(since the dominant sense, seeing, is unavailable) that the sense
becomes acutely perceptive.
REVISIT
Take a few moments to visualize a place you enjoy. It might be a room
in your home, the 18th hole at the golf course, or even your favorite
watering hole. In your mind, picture each item there, as clearly as
possible. Try to recall the sounds, the smells, what you feel there.
This type of exercise helps your memory and imagination improve.
"Don't get frustrated if you can't remember everything you want," says
Stein. "Next time you're there, use your senses to experience the
place, then remember it another time. The point is not to see how much
you can remember, but just to go through the process."
People who can see, he points out, seldom close their eyes and try to
recreate a place--it's just not something we have to do. But by going
through the process, we help our brain learn to process information.
DO DIFFERENT
It might seem strange, but suddenly shifting to a new type of activity
actually moves your brain onto a higher trek. It can be as simple as
switching from doing the newspaper's word search to doing the
crossword puzzle. Try an entirely different sport, even if you don't
think you'll be good at it.
After that, still avoid getting in a rut. "This doesn't mean to have
to change every aspect of your life all the time," warns Stein. "That
would be too stressful. But when you can vary your hobbies and free-
time activities more, it's beneficial to sharpening your creativity."
LAY LOW
One great way to solve a problem, experts say, is to move it to the
back burner. You might have thought "sleeping on it" is the answer,
and it might be, according to specialist Stein, but an active physical/
passive mental state would be better. Stop thinking about the problem
or challenge. Exercise, take a shower, even have sex. Your
subconscious will move into the fore on the problem, and the next time
you tackle it, you'll more likely have the solution.
"That's why you have good ideas when you're standing in line somewhere
or when you're not trying to come up with an idea," says Stein.
SHARPEN UP
Today's multi-demand living might have you hopping in a hundred
different directions, which is why it's a good idea to hone your
mental focus.
The best time to do this is at the gym, while you're exercising,
particularly during aerobic exercise, suggests Stein. Pick a focal
point and stare at it, concentrating on only that. If your mind
wanders, gently pull your attention back to the focal point. Think
about nothing--just look at the focal point. As thoughts enter your
mind, gently push them aside.
"It's like meditation, but you're really not meditating," says Stein.
"What you are doing is sharpening your mind's ability to concentrate
hard on a single thing."
You might think that later you'll pick your focal point and ponder one
burning issue while you stare at the point. Not so. Just doing the
exercise, with the mind-blankening aspect, increases your overall
ability to concentrate deeply.
GO CRAZY
When you're trying to think of a solution to a problem, tune in to
your "inner critic" and learn to put down all of your ideas, whether
they're crazy or not.
"We censor a lot of ideas before they've even had the chance to form,"
says Stein. "Sometimes wisely so, but many times, it's the programming
of parents, teachers and authority figures that told us to be quiet or
that our ideas weren't good."
If you cut through that self-talk, a lot of half-formed ideas can come
through, and the answer might be within them. As you learn to censor
your mind less, it becomes a self-improving cycle, and you find
yourself more open-minded to your own ideas!
FISH AND FRIENDS
Don't forget the physical side of helping your brain. Personal
trainers always recommend getting regular cardio exercise and eating a
diet low in saturated fat. Science confirms that both of these
activities help the brain. Getting enough sleep plays a major role in
maximizing brain power.
And eat fish: they're rich in omega-3 oils that in many studies have
shown to be brain food. If you can't stand fish, find fish-oil
supplements.
"It's really not hard to sharpen your thinking and improve your mind
power," says Stein. "A lot of people don't try it because they think
that mentally they are where they are. It's not so. You have a lot of
room for improvement."