Why You Need A Brain Fitness Program

When somebody decides to get into shape they often start with cardio or weight lifting. They focus on their body. Rarely will a person begin with their brain. However, their mind needs exercise as well. Often ‘overlooked’ this organ alone probably dictates whether a person will fail or succeed in the gym or in life. Most people struggle to get through the day let alone a work-out because of their mental attitude. “I hate to work out, I hate healthy food, more salad! …‘groan’. It takes a brain fitness program and a mental shift to get the rest of your body pointed in the right direction. So what can we do to strengthen our mind so that we may succeed? Well, take note.

1-Feed your Brain.
Remember, garbage in garbage out. It is difficult to be sharp mentally or have a positive attitude when most people do not get enough nutrients in their diet. For a variety of reasons most people are too busy to eat well balanced meals. In a rush for work we may skip breakfast. Tired after work we may not want to shop for groceries or prepare healthy meals. Between making healthy choices at the grocery store, preparing meals and cleaning up afterwards there doesn’t always seem to be a lot of time. Restaurants are generally busy everyday of the week as fewer people cook. Eating out more, many of us may not be eating healthy very often.


Nutritional supplements, such as women's health supplements or natural vitamin supplements can help all of us meet our daily nutritional needs. With many over-processed foods grown in nutrient-depleted soil, forgetting supplementation is no longer an option if we want total nutrition for full mental and physical health.

Salmon oil is one of the better fish oil capsules available that can directly benefit the mind. Salmon Oil is a very good source of Omega 3. Omega 3 is a key component to our diet since it provides us Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). EFA’s are the ‘good fats’. These are fats that are absolutely required for us to function optimally. These fatty acids are critical in the formation of cells, the building blocks of our bodies. More specifically, they support critical functions related to the nervous system (as well as the cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems). Unfortunately, our bodies cannot produce EFA’s. We must ensure that we consume enough on a daily basis. There are two groups of EFA’s; Omega 3 and Omega 6. As stated earlier, EFAs are major building blocks of the brain. Therefore, it is no surprise that salmon oil benefits our brain and mind. In fact, Salmon oil pills have shown promise in aiding mood swings and attention span in both children and adults. However, there is no magic pill! Omega 3 salmon oil plus a healthy diet should be paired with regular physical activity.

2- Stimulate Your Mind and Body
Even if you believe that you are doing well from a nutritional standpoint, physical activity benefits the mind as well. You will feel better mentally and physically, sleep better and in general have more energy by which to attack your day if working out on a regular basis. We can all use more physical activity. Remember, an object in motion tends to stay in motion. Conversely, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. Physical activity and exercise are simply necessary today. We sit in the office, we sit in the car. We lead very sedentary lives. However, when we work-out endorphins are released. These are proteins with pain relieving properties that are naturally found in the brain. Studies have shown that endorphin levels will increase with physical activity. Endorphins are released when the body is under stress. This, in turn, will stimulate your mood and acts to reduce pain. If you want to get going in the morning try a workout and pass on the second cup of coffee. The endorphins and increased oxygen and blood flow to the brain will give you a ‘natural high’.

3-Give Your Brain A Break
The brain cannot remain in a elevated state of stress and stimulation over a long period of time. So, give it a break! Life is busy. It is easy to get out of balance. The stress of maintaining work-life balance can be overwhelming. Many of us lack information on anxiety and stress management. It’s no wonder why cases of chronic fatigue syndrome are more common. Many of us are chasing happiness thinking that if we can push through just a few more days, weeks or years that we will be happy or happier at that time. Truth is, happiness needs to be found in the journey not simply at some fictitious end-point. So take the time to ‘smell the roses’. Balanced living and a healthy lifestyle needs to include relaxation just as much as proper nutrition and fitness. Relaxation is the best stress management technique if you don’t wait too long. Find what brings you joy and don’t let yourself get so stressed that you can’t relax and enjoy it. The next time your stressed avoid the quick fix of sugar, caffeine, alcohol or smoking (all terrible for the brain obviously buts that’s another article). Better yet, make a point of relaxing in some way on a regular basis. Remember stress is in your mind. It is your reaction to how you perceive a given situation. It may be difficult to have the self-control needed to stick with an exercise routine or meal plan when stressed or sleep deprived. Remember, the long-term effects of stress can; be damaging to the immune system and brain cells (thus impacting your memory) and increase your chances of stroke or heart attack. Please note another benefit of salmon oil is a healthier cardiovascular system.

4- Let your Brain Re-Build
Critical, proper nutrition and exercise will help you sleep better. However you need to ensure you have a healthy sleep routine. Take the time to do something relaxing before bed. Help yourself unwind. No matter how busy you think you are, things will simply appear a lot worse if the brain can’t process correctly due to lack of sleep. Unwanted stimuli act as an annoyance and we react likely making what ever situation we’re in all the worse. Studies indicate that sleep is necessary for our nervous systems to operate properly. Without it; memory loss, decreased physical performance and mood swings. It is believed that sleep allow neurons active during the day to shut down and repair them selves at night. Activity in the brain is reduced especially in areas of the brain that control emotions and decision making. This infers that lack of rebuilding the night before may lead to ‘issues’ the next day since these parts of the brain have not ‘repaired’ themselves adequately. Sleep is needed for survival, laboratory rats have been shown to have reduced life-spans due to lack of sleep. Avoid sugar and caffeine after dinner. Women process caffeine much slower than men so you may want to avoid it all together. Do not exercise too late in the evening. The elevated body temperature may bring about a restless sleep.

5 –Positive Internal Dialog
Daily meditation is a great way to relax and focus our minds. Believe that the benefits of meditation and visualization can help create a positive mental attitude. It will be impossible to succeed reaching any goal with a negative attitude. Find a quiet place and for 5-10 minutes simply sit still, breath deeply and picture an image in your mind. It could be anything you want. Perhaps yourself attaining your personal fitness goals. Goal setting and then picturing your personal goals is uplifting and motivating. Make it clear what you want, write it down or find an image in a magazine that represents what you want or what you want to be. Meditate on it and visualize yourself having reached it. Believe you can have it and deserve it. Feel has if you have it already. Re-examine your goal setting and meditate in the morning and before bed. Think about your goals every day. If the day did not go so well, meditate on it and how you would have liked the day to have been better. Never complain. Studies have shown that meditation stimulates certain areas of the brain to the point that if it is done on a regular basis your brain may actually be more efficient at processing information. Furthermore, the stimulation of meditation can release anti-bodies that boost the immune system.

6 – Continue Learning
Like a muscle you’ve got to keep your mind active and working. We all need routine to help with the day but too much is not healthy for your mind. Stimulate your mind, take a class that interests you. Activities such as learning a new language or reading are beneficial. Learn a new word every day or try something that you can do easily and do it in a different fashion. Get dressed with your eyes closed, take a new route to work or simply do things with your opposite hand. Travel and get away from the house when you can so that you may experience things that are less familiar. Even has adults new neurons are being formed you are never too old to keep learning.

For more information and nutritional products that may help you with your brain fitness program please visit us at www.bamboohealthproducts.com.

By: KirkB

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated