Workout Your Brain

Students across the nation are heading back into the
classrooms, sitting at their desks and, if they're anything
like me, zoning out. I know I have company out there in
the slacker realm. When I was in school I never truly
appreciated how good I had it. All that was expected of me
was to go to class and learn, and that seemed like such a
hardship. I distinctly remember not going to classes when
it rained, or they were too early or just about anything
outside of my perfect condition. Now that I am out of
school, I look back and just think "you ass". Now I miss
the knowledge being pumped into my brain despite my best
efforts. I find myself thirty for knowledge and the
learning of new skills. Turns out that our brains need
these stimuli that I had so flippantly taken for granted.
Whether you are in school, going back to school, or simply
looking to give your brain the workout that it deserves,
these simple activities can keep your brain in peak
condition.

1. Learn what the "It" is in "Use It or Lose It". A basic
understanding will serve you well to appreciate your
brain's beauty as a living and constantly-developing dense
forest with billions of neurons and synapses.

2. Take care of your nutrition. Did you know that the brain
only weighs 2% of body mass but consumes over 20% of the
oxygen and nutrients we intake? As a general rule, you
don't need expensive ultra-sophisticated nutritional
supplements; just make sure you don't stuff yourself with
the "bad stuff".

3. Remember that the brain is part of the body. Things that
exercise your body can also help sharpen your brain:
physical exercise enhances neurogenesis.

4. Practice positive, future-oriented thoughts until they
become your default mindset and you look forward to every
new day in a constructive way. Stress and anxiety, no
matter whether induced by external events or by your own
thoughts, actually kills neurons and prevent the creation
of new ones. You can think of chronic stress as the
opposite of exercise: it prevents the creation of new
neurons.

5. Thrive on Learning and Mental Challenges. The point of
having a brain is precisely to learn and to adapt to
challenging new environments. Once new neurons appear in
your brain, where they stay in your brain and how long they
survive depends on how you use them. "Use It or Lose It"
does not mean "do crossword puzzle number 1,234,567". It
means, "challenge your brain often with fundamentally new
activities".

6. We are (as far as we know) the only self-directed
organisms in this planet. Aim high. Once you graduate from
college, keep learning. The brain keeps developing, no
matter your age, and it reflects what you do with it.

7. Explore, travel. Adapting to new locations forces you to
pay more attention to your environment. Make new decisions,
use your brain.

8. Don't Outsource Your Brain. Not to media personalities,
not to politicians, not to your smart neighbors... Make
your own decisions, and mistakes. And learn from them. That
way, you are training your brain, not your neighbor's.

9. Develop and maintain stimulating friendships. We are
"social animals", and need social interaction.

10. Laugh. Often. Especially to cognitively complex humor,
full of twists and surprises.

I know that a lot of these seem rather self explanatory but
re-emphasizing them never hurts. Your brain is the most
valuable gift that you have and it needs the same attention
and care that you show to your heart and lungs. Happy
learning!

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This article is from one of the founders of Fit Fuel, Luke
Burgis, with source material from SharpBrains.com. Fit Fuel
is a leading natural and organic foods retailer on the web
(http://www.fitfuel.com )