Boost Your Energy

Boost Your Energy

If you’re working, a busy parent or perhaps both you’ll sometimes you’ll feel like you need an extra hour in the day. I certainly do as a parent and someone who runs her own business. The modern non-stop lifestyle would leave anyone weary. Here are a few tips which are useful to know when you are struggling to stay awake naturally and to give you the energy boost you need to soldier on through the day. 

Boost Your Energy With a Great Diet

To optimise the energy you get from what you eat it’s advisable to eat small snacks every few hours rather than three large meals a day. This will give your body a slow and steady supply of nutrients. Eat food with a low glycemic index, these can include oats and grains, pasta, rice, beans and pulse and most fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Starting the day with a good breakfast is fundamental as your body has been working hard during the night digesting and processing the previous day.

You might want to fit in some protein, eggs or yoghurt as if you choose healthier options. If you’re feeling like treating yourself maybe whip up some smoked salmon (you can find some recipe options here) which contains lots of Omega 3. If you’ve got less time, or find it difficult to get in all these different food groups, how about whacking it all together to make a smoothie? Then you’ll have everything you need in one, easy glass.

Boost Your Energy by Watching What You Drink

Be sure to continually drink lots of water throughout the day. A tell-tale sign of dehydration is feeling fatigued. If you haven’t already buy a refillable water bottle and try to keep it with you at all times. You can now purchase many made from recycled materials, and reducing your plastic waste, you’re doing the environment a big favour as well. Not drinking enough water is something I really need to work on!

The Caffeine Question

How can you best use caffeine to your advantage? Limit yourself to four cups a day, and steer clear of it in the evenings, as this might keep you up. If you’re looking for all-natural good quality coffee, try single origin coffee beans from Two Chimps Coffee. They even offer subscriptions right to your door, to make your life that little bit easier. I used to survive and thrive on caffeine (I’m a freelancer) but these days drink mostly de-caff and savour my caffeine drinks. 

Exercise and Rest

Both of these kept in balance will ensure you have an abundance of energy. Make sure you get regular exercise and try to restrict your sleep patterns to night time. This will give you more energy during the day. 

These are all great ways to boost energy naturally. How do you keep yourself going?

Brainpower: Tips For Brain Exercise

Brainpower: Tips For Brain Exercise

You may or may not know this, but your brain is like a muscle and in the same way you exercise your body to maintain a level of fitness and health, you should also be exercising your brain to improve your cognitive abilities and maximise your brainpower!

Now, you’re probably thinking, that’s all well and good but how do I lift a barbell with my brain?

Fortunately, exercising your brain is a little bit simpler than this and there are a number of ways you can flex your brain ‘muscles’. In this article, we’ll focus our attention on to 3 simple ways you can stimulate your brain to harness your brainpower. 

To begin let’s gauge an understanding of what brainpower is. 

The Cambridge dictionary definition for brainpower is:

“Your intelligence or your ability to think” 

  • Solving this problem has taken all my brainpower. 

Walk It Off

Being physically active has a plethora of benefits for your body, but it also has great benefits for your brain. A study conducted by the University of British Columbia found that aerobic exercise does wonders for your cognition. Researchers found that regular activities such as walking help to increase the size of the hippocampus – the area of the brain which is involved in your memory and learning (Godman, 2014). It doesn’t just stop at walking, any activity which gets your ticker pumping like swimming, climbing or dancing will have similar benefits. 

Eat a Mediterranean Diet 

With so many diets and meal plans floating around in the mainstream media, it can be difficult to know which one is the best one for you. Studies suggest a Mediterranean diet is an ideal way to bump up your brainpower. It consists of consuming large amounts of fruit, veg, legumes, cereals and olive oil, moderate consumption of fish, dairy products and low consumption of poultry, red meat and wine (with meals, of course). Researchers of one study found that consuming a Mediterranean diet is good for both brain and body; It can lower inflammation, reduce risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and improve cognitive function (Luciano et al., 2017)

Train Your Brain 

Another effective way of boosting your brainpower is through brain training. Several studies have been carried out which highlight the long term positive effects of using computerised cognitive training. Dr Barbara Sahakian of Cambridge University designed a game called Decoder in partnership with Peak – Brain Training which aims to better cognitive abilities and enhance sustained attention. Sahakian and her team of researchers found that Decoder was a “superior” form of cognitive training and is an “effective method for enhancing attention” (Savulich et al., 2019).

It doesn’t just stop there, there are numerous other things you can do to boost your brainpower by treating your brain like a muscle. Finding what’s best for you will help to improve your cognitive functions and boost your memory, attention, language and problem-solving skills. 

BrainPower Research Sources Cited:

Godman, H. (2014). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills – Harvard Health Blog. [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110

Dictionary.cambridge.org. (2019). BRAINPOWER | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brainpower.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brainpower

Luciano, M., Corley, J., Cox, S., Valdés Hernández, M., Craig, L., Dickie, D., Karama, S., McNeill, G., Bastin, M., Wardlaw, J. and Deary, I. (2017). Mediterranean-type diet and brain structural change from 73 to 76 years in a Scottish cohort. Neurology, 88(5), pp.449-455.

https://n.neurology.org/content/88/5/449

Savulich, G., Thorp, E., Piercy, T., Peterson, K., Pickard, J. and Sahakian, B. (2019). Improvements in Attention Following Cognitive Training With the Novel “Decoder” Game on an iPad. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00002/full#B17