Friday 18 December 2015

7 Ways You Can Improve Brain Health Approved by Experts


No one really wants to have a bad memory or to experience memory lapses from time to time. Furthermore, we also don’t like the lack of focus or concentration, particularly when we’re working on something extremely important. Luckily, there are many ways you can deal with these issues and they all revolve around improving your brain health. Optimal brain health is vital for all cognitive functions. For this purpose, throughout the article, you will see 7 easy and effective tips on how to improve memory and overall brain health.

1. Quit smoking

If you’re a smoker, then the first and the most important thing you can do to improve your health is to quit the bad habit. A study conducted by Rusanen M from Department of Neurology, the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland showed that heavy smoking in midlife is strongly associated with a greater than 100% increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. 

The study which lasted between 1978 and 2008 included 21,123 participants and its findings were published in journal Archives of Internal Medicine. If you’re a heavy smoker now and think it’s already too late to quit, think again – the study also showed that people who quit smoking didn’t have increased risk of dementia. 

Therefore, to preserve and improve brain health and memory as well as overall wellbeing, the best thing to do is to quit smoking. All you need is willpower. 
2. Have a healthy relationship 

A psychologist Daniel Wegner developed a concept of transactive memory in 1985. In this form of memory, we are excellent in memorizing one type of information and usually have the responsibility for it. For example, if you’re married or in a relationship, and you go with your significant other to a party one partner is usually better at remembering people’s occupations and some characteristics, while other partner is better at remembering their faces.

In these cases, couples work as a team. Transactive memory isn’t only applied to love relationships, but to all relationships in our life. For example, your friend might remember some things that you don’t and vice versa. Having a healthy relationship with other people keeps your mind open, how to improve memory, and engages you to think creatively.

3. Think positive

This is known as the Pygmalion effect and is usually used to describe situations where teachers expect more of particular children who strive to meet the expectations. Thinking positively allows you to accomplish and do things that you didn’t know you could do. 

For example, American Psychological Association published a study conducted by psychologist Aronson J in which seven-grade students from the unprivileged school in New York City were taught to think that intelligence is changeable, not fixed. Along the course of the study, students who were taught they can achieve great things and improve had better grades compared to students in controlled group who weren’t taught these things. 

Positive thinking can do wonders for your brain health and memory. When you stop concentrating on flaws and beliefs that you can’t do something and decide to have faith in yourself and your abilities, you will constantly strive to achieve more which is only beneficial for the brain.

4. Challenge your brain

When you or someone you know have a baby, the more you talk, play games or communicate with them, the smarter they get. Well, adults aren’t that much different either. Challenging your brain is important for improving its overall functionality because it positively affects neurogenesis. Brain training strengthens all cognitive abilities and there are many ways you can do so:
  • Learn a new language
  • Travel 
  • Puzzles
  • Crosswords
  • Sudoku 
  • Reading/writing
  • Learning new skills 
  • Expressing your creativity.
You can find more ideas to challenge your brain right here. 

5. Exercise

Exercise improves blood flow which increases the amount of oxygen and glucose your brain receives. Furthermore, exercises include physical coordination which means your brain is challenged as well. 
Furthermore, physical activity helps with growth of new brain cells and improves the entire process of neurogenesis. Plus, exercising is free and you don’t experience any side effects. To become physically active, you don’t need gym membership or to pay fitness trainers, you just decide to job, ride bicycle, or even do some exercises in comfort of your home.

6. Meditate

Stress is one of the biggest enemies of poor memory and impaired brain health. The stress response prioritizes immediate information which shortens the attention span. In turn, we become less productive or even feel too exhausted to start with assignment or work project due to lack of focus and concentration.

To get the “job” done and think intelligently, you have to engage your mind and concentrate and when you’re stressed out you can’t do that. That’s why; meditation is the perfect way of relieving stress in order to become more productive. 

Meditation techniques vary, but they all focus in proper posture, focusing on breathing, and being calm to connect your body, mind, and soul. Meditation has been around for thousands of years and is regarded as one of the best techniques for relieving and managing stress. 

Stress management will improve your focus, productivity, and attention span. 

7. Eat brain food

Just like your body, the brain needs vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to function properly. Therefore, to improve brain health, you should include brain-healthy foods into your diet. Brain-healthy foods that can improve your memory, concentration and even decrease risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease or dementia include:
  • Salmon and other fatty fish due to Omega 3 fatty acids 
  • Blueberries
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Avocados 
  • Whole grains
  • Dark chocolate
  • Pomegranate juice
  • Dark green leafy vegetables.
Conclusion

Brain health can be significantly improved by reducing or managing stress, having healthy relationships with people that surround you and ditching bad lifestyle habits. It’s important always to strive to learn something new (it could be just about anything) to keep your brain challenged. 

References



Tuesday 15 December 2015

6 Easy Things You Can Do to Before Bedtime for Weight Loss


It’s a holiday season and you want to look your best on Christmas party, particularly on all those photos that people will upload to Facebook or Instagram accounts and tag you, of course. Or maybe you just want to lose weight to have a healthier lifestyle. Either way; this article is perfect for you. When losing weight it’s important to make some lifestyle adjustments because everything you do can help or prevent weight loss. Did you know that certain things you do before bedtime can, actually, help you in your endeavor? What things, you wonder. Keep reading this article to find out all easy things you can do before bedtime to lose weight faster.

1. Have some tea

Not a tea lover? Well, it’s time for you to change your mind about that because a single cup of this beverage before bed can help you lose weight. What tea should you drink? You should opt for African Red Tea which is also known as rooibos tea. It comes from the South African red bush and it is caffeine-free.

This particular tea contains only 2 calories per 8-ounce serving. For example, if you switch from drinking soda beverage to rooibos tea at least once a week, you can lose up to 2 pounds per year. Benefits of this magnificent tea for your endeavor don’t stop here. Rooibos tea contains a compound called aspalathin which reduces stress hormones that trigger hunger and fat storage.

Furthermore, rooibos tea is naturally sweet which means you won’t have the need to add sugar in it. American Heart Association reveals that American people consume excessive amounts of sugar in their diets; which is why the number of overweight and obese people keeps increasing.

Therefore, to lose weight faster, have a cup of nice, rooibos tea before bedtime.

2. Avoid emotional eating

Before we move on to 3rd step, let’s point out one more time that emotional eating is never a good idea. In fact, it is the biggest enemy of weight loss mission. Unfortunately, due to hectic lifestyles we have the need to turn to food for emotional comfort. Sometimes we even eat just because we’re bored. It’s important to identify real hunger from false hunger.

Here are some tips to recognize real hunger:
  • Close your eyes and tune in physical signs of wanting food. Are there any?
  • Focus on intensity of hunger sensation and decide whether it’s real or false
  • Could you go to bed without eating? If the answer is yes, you’re experiencing false hunger
  • Do you turn to food because you’re hungry, or because you’re bored or stressed out?
3. Have some turkey 

Now when you know how to differentiate real hunger from false hunger, let’s talk about things you can eat when you feel really hungry. Most people think eating before bedtime is completely wrong. Well, overeating is never a good idea and it’s probably not smart to order a pizza. But, taking a slice of nice, turkey meat is generally considered a good idea.

Turkey, just like most meats, contains an amino acid called tryptophan which has sleep-inducing effects. A study conducted by Hartmann E. revealed that ¼ grams of tryptophan found in a skinless chicken drumstick or 3 ounces of turkey meat significantly increase hours of sleep. Results of this study were published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

Why is that important? Well, it’s important can sleep-deprivation can, actually, prevent you from losing weight. A study conducted by Rachel R. Markwald from Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Psychology from University of Colorado showed that dieters consumed 6% fewer calories after they got enough sleep. If you’re on a 2000-calorie diet, it’s 120 calories per day. Results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the Untied States of America.

Therefore, a couple of turkey slices will help you sleep better and lose weight faster.

4. Take a supplement 

You should bear in mind that supplements only help you lose weight. You should never rely solely on their “power” to shed the extra pounds. Dietary supplements are usually made of natural ingredients, rarely cause side effects. They also aim to protect your overall health, speed up metabolism, improve digestion and help you lose weight. Top weight loss supplements include Quantrim that helps lose weight and prevents regaining lost pounds, Lipozene acts as an appetite suppressant, Phenocal a fat burning supplement and many others.

5. Eat some cottage cheese 

Feeling hungry and you can’t wait to wake up the next morning? Instead of opting for unhealthy food you should eat some cottage cheese. Why? It’s because cottage cheese, just like turkey, contains trypophan.

6. Exercise 

To optimize weight loss, it’s healthy to exercise before bedtime. Ideally, you should do some resistance exercises such as:
  • Squat to overhead press
  • Single-leg dumbbell row
  • Step-up with bicep curl
  • Dolphin Plank
  • Curtsy lunge
  • Superman etc. 
If your neighborhood is safe, you can also jog for 15 to 20 minutes as well.

BONUS tips
  • Have sex/masturbate
  • No TV, phone, laptop, or tablet in bed
  • Write a to-do list for tomorrow to relieve stress and sleep better
  • Sleep in colder room
  • Take a shower/bath.
Conclusion

Having healthy habits that you do before bedtime can help you lose weight faster than you think. It’s important to remember that emotional eating or eating out of boredom is never a good idea and using “just this night” as excuse is even worse. When you feel really hungry opt for a few pieces of cottage cheese or turkey meat to sleep better, feel full, and lose weight. Plus, enjoy a nice cup of rooibos tea!

References

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/weight-loss-reviews/phenocal.html
https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health