Exercise always makes people feel better. Aerobic exercise boosts the body’s circulation, creativity, and the comprehension of new information! Research has proven that chronic exercisers are more creative and have a significantly better memory than non-exercisers. Exercise will make you more creative and boost your overall productivity & cognitive performance while “on the job.”
2) Ditch The Distractions
In more than 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King’s College London University found that workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails, and text messages suffered a greater loss of I.Q. than if they’d just smoked marijuana! The I.Q. of people distracted with technology while at work fell by an average of 10 points. This I.Q. loss is equivalent to that of missing an entire night’s sleep, falling 10 points. A 10 point drop is more than double the I.Q. loss seen after smoking pot. For some reason, the intelligence drop was even more significant in men. To keep your intelligence at it’s peak, don’t check your messages until you have a break!
3) Get Proper Nutrition
Many studies show that getting enough Antioxidants in your diet can have a significant affect on overall cognitive function. It is recommended to eat a high-protein breakfast to raise serotonin levels, which produce hormones that make you feel alert. If you are feeling a bit sluggish mid-day through work, eat an energy bar or some rich fruits to give you a boost! Keep that water bottle by your desk and stay well hydrated throughout the day. It is important to stay well hydrated to help prevent headaches and keep your body at an optimal overall level of functioning.
4) Exercise Your Brain
We all know that physical exercise makes us feel good, but what about mental exercise? Using your brain in new ways like learning a new language, doing a Sudoku, or engaging in a debate strengthens neural-pathways and neuronal synapses between nerve cells in the brain. Other ways to strengthen overall brain function include: word-puzzles, reading challenging vocabulary, brain training games (i.e. brain age), and doing activities with your non-dominant hand (i.e. eating with your left hand if you are a righty). By giving your brain a good hard work-out, it will strengthen new neural-pathways that involve problem-solving and intelligence.
5) Always Think Positive
Leading neuroscientist Richard Davidson conducted over a decade of research @ the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior. The research results showed that consciously choosing specific thoughts and emotions can change the structure and working of the brain. When participants practiced feeling “love and compassion,” their brains showed much more high-frequency 40 Hz gamma activity in the prefrontal cortex than the average person. Their brains went into action and literally “built” new connections and neural-pathways. Richard Davidson concluded that positive emotions are linked to increased intelligence. He also found that taking only 10 minutes of personal time each day to focus on positive, happy thoughts correlated with increased intelligence and a happy mood! This will help you feel positive throughout the workday and put you into a state of “flow” where time goes by quicker because you are happier, having more fun, and thinking positively!
6) Go To Sleep At Night
We all know that taking a short nap can significantly boost brain function, but so can getting a good night’s sleep. Experts recommend getting at least 8 hours of sleep in order to maintain peak-brain functioning throughout the workday. A National Sleep Foundation study found that half of U.S. workers say that lack of sleep “interferes with the amount of work they get done.” Twenty-percent (20%) of U.S. workers say that not getting enough sleep causes them to make more mistakes. Dr. William C. Dement, a sleep expert, says that “we all need to get at least 1 hour of sleep for every 2 hours we’re awake!” If you keep sleeping “one hour less each day,” you will acquire a “sleep debt.” This sleep debt can take a heavy toll on your emotions, I.Q., cognition, and overall mental abilities. Now that you have access to such great work-tips, I recommend that you utilize them to keep your brain and life on the right track! Recommend these to anyone that you think could benefit!
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2 Responses
Ginny Berry
January 12th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
1I think that this is a great list! I’m going to link to this article on my blog. I’m a stroke survivor. I have returned to teaching first grade last week and I am deeply interested in maximizing my brain’s potential.
Ginny
Admin
January 13th, 2008 at 5:34 am
2Hi Ginny,
Glad you liked the article! Looking for ways to maximize your brain’s potential? ….well, you’ve definitely come to the right place!
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