Action Steps:

1. Do Some Mental Exercise

Your brain, like a muscle, responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Also like a muscle, when your brain doesn’t get any exercise, it tends to get weak and flabby. In a 24-7 world where often monotonous work takes up at least half of our waking hours, and mind numbing distractions courtesy of mass media can easily consume the rest, a lot of us are walking around with seriously deconditioned brains! Regular mental stimulation becomes critical to our ability to focus, our mood, and our general mental and physical health. Numerous studies have found that older people who play chess, read actively, attend classes, and generally stay mentally engaged are not only mentally healthier – they have much lower incidences of physical diseases like heart attacks and strokes as well!

While younger people aren’t at as much of a risk for physical disease due to lack of mental engagement, it’s all but certain that lack of stimulation compromises emotional well being and physical vitality in addition to undermining our ability to learn. Tempting as it may be to spend your free hours veging out in front of the tube, make an effort to get engaged. Read some quality literary fiction, look at art, or, best, make time to really talk with people who stimulate and challenge you.

2. Commit to Prioritizing Sleep

Shortchanging sleep can be a tough habit to break. It’s so very tempting to stay up that extra hour or two, either to get more done, catch the late show on TV, or go out with friends. And all of this is OK once or twice per week. But when you chronically deprive yourself of sleep, you really undermine the performance of your brain, and efficient learning becomes all but impossible. If you miss out on sleep to study, you’ll end up using up more time studying the same material without retaining it than you save by not sleeping.

3. Stop Poisoning Your Brain

Lead, sugar, artificial sweeteners, rancid fats, and hydrogenated oils all impair brain function. Poor nutrition will, without a doubt, compromise the performance of both your body and brain. If you want to be an effective learner and thinker, avoid tap water, junk foods, and processed food in general.