The Ten Keys To Mental Fitness

When we’re young, like many things, we take our brain performance for granted. As we age, we tend to notice that things — like remembering names or even where we left our keys — aren’t quite as easy as they once were. And while it’s true that our brain does age, it’s also true that we can train our brain to be younger and more agile by practicing mental fitness.

No matter what stage we’re at in life, changing our habits to include brain healthy practices will improve how we feel and change how we think. Having a limitless brain isn’t solely about mental intelligence, it’s also about mental fitness. And following these ten keys will unlock endless brain energy paving the way to a truly limitless life.

1. A Good Brain Diet

Like any complicated machine, our brain is only as good as the fuel we give it. So it makes sense that in order to unlock brain energy, the first thing we have to do is eat a healthy diet.

When it comes to brain nutrition, not all foods are created equal. It’s important to find foods loaded with vitamins, such as B, C, E, and K along with choline, folate, zinc, and magnesium. Plant based foods are an excellent source of these nutrients and are packed with omega 3 ALA fatty acids. These fatty acids are important for our overall body and brain health, and we can only get them through our diet.

Fruits and vegetables are generally packed with antioxidants, ensuring we oxygenate our brain and help fight against free radical buildup. And eating foods with healthy omega 3’s, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as in cold water fish and nuts, provides a powerhouse of brain nutrients.

For a full list of our favorite brain foods, be sure to check out our article, Feed Your Body, Fuel Your Brain.

2. Brain Nutrients

Eating a healthy diet is one part of the brain nutrient equation. In today’s hectic life, it can sometimes be difficult to always find and eat the nutritious foods the way we should.

On top of that, many of us have dietary restrictions for a variety of reasons ranging from lifestyle choice, religious requirements, or food allergies and sensitivities. So to ensure we’re getting the right amount of nutrients, we need may need to add healthy supplements to our diet.

One of the most important supplements to be sure we’re getting enough of is phospholipid DHA. This nutrient is what our brain uses to create and maintain healthy cell membranes. Other supplements to be sure we’re getting enough of are B vitamins, which have been shown to improve our memory function, and curcumin, the active nutrient in turmeric, that is helpful in preserving cognitive functionality.

These vitamins and nutrients can be found in natural foods, and it’s always preferred to eat a diet rich in these nutrients. However, if we find our lifestyle or dietary needs aren’t providing enough, these nutrients are readily available in supplement form. Just remember — as with food, not all supplements are equal, so always be sure to do research and talk with a healthcare professional before adding to a daily routine.

3. Exercise

We like to say, when the body moves, the brain grooves. Which is a fun reminder that the brain loves exercise as much as our body needs it.

There have been numerous studies showing there’s a direct correlation between brain function and exercise. In fact, a study done at the University of British Columbia showed that when our heart rate is increased and our sweat glands are activated through regular exercise, it appears to boost the hippocampus in particular, which helps with verbal memory and learning.

Regular exercise helps improve blood flow, ensuring we get plenty of oxygen to our brain. Fitting even ten minutes of aerobic exercise every day, will do wonders for our bodies and brains.

4. Killing ANTs

No, we don’t mean actually killing the insect. When we talk about killing ANTs we mean Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the thoughts we all have, the ones inside our head constantly reminding us of the limitations we believe we have. But just because we all have them, doesn’t mean we can’t get rid of them. Remember, if we fight for our limitations, we get to keep them.

Phrases like, “I can’t” or “I don’t” are usually how these negative thoughts start. They’re the things we don’t believe we can do and they’re meant to talk us out of trying something new. Maybe we tell ourselves we’re not smart enough, fast enough, young enough, old enough, brave enough, strong enough. Identifying these thoughts and changing them in our head is the first step. And once we begin trying new things, we’ll start to learn just how limitless we can be.

5. A Clean Environment

There are multiple levels to curating a clean environment. The air we breathe, the cleanliness of our living and working environments; they impact our brain and how it performs.

For some of us, we can’t help the quality of the air. Perhaps we live in a city or work close to an industrial area. However, we can bring plants into our interior environments and make an effort to visit natural environments nearby. Breathing fresh air actually improves oxygenation to our brain versus breathing indoor air, not to mention the benefits being in nature does for our brain ( Your Brain Wants You To Walk On The Wild Side). When we can’t, add plants to your work and home space, helping to improve the air quality in these indoor environments.

But the condition of our environments also matters. Our brain craves organization. When we’re in a cluttered room, our brain has difficulty determining what to focus on, and because it has to work so hard at figuring out where our concentration needs to go, it means we get worn out much faster. When we’re in a clean, organized space, our brain doesn’t have to work as hard, giving all its energy into what we want to work on, improving our performance and retention.

6. A Positive Peer Group

When it comes to food, we are what we eat. And, it turns out, the same goes for our peer group. Who we surround ourselves with determines who we become.

Our brain has what’s known as mirror neurons, which activate when we watch an activity and then perform it. This type of neural activity is necessary in helping us learn faster, but this type of activity can also mean we pick up on other types of behavior based on the people we are in direct and constant contact with. If we have people who are negative, use limiting language, don’t eat well, never exercise — the odds are we will pick up on and end up replicating many of these same behaviors.

There have also been studies showing that interaction with our peers activate reward centers in our brain, giving us powerful reward responses when processing social information. This means the behaviors we get social responses from will likely be rewarded, cementing them into habit. It’s vital that we know who is influencing us, and whether they are lifting us up or holding us back.

7. Brain Protection

There are any number of activities where wearing a helmet is just good sense, ranging from contact sports and recreational activities to the mode of transportation we use. And while we rarely foresee an accident coming, let’s face it, accidents happen.

We have one brain and as one of the most important vital organs in our body, it makes it essential that we take care of it. This means protecting our brain whenever possible and encouraging our children to the same. We can’t prevent accidents from happening, but we can try to protect our bodies and our brain whenever possible.

8. New Learning

If we want our brain to stay fit, we need to continue to engage our brain by being a lifelong learner. Learning something new, especially when we participate in difficult and challenging materials, is one of the best ways to keep our brain healthy.

When we learn, we maintain, and in some cases improve, our brain’s neuroplasticity, the ability for our brain to adapt and change, creating new neural connections throughout our life. Essentially, neuroplasticity helps keep our brain operating at optimal levels by pruning unnecessary synaptic pathways and strengthening new ones. Learning ensures this process continues to function at its maximum capacity, keeping our brain flexible and adaptable, even as we age.

Our brain likes to be active. And the phrase, use it or lose it, is especially apt here. But what we risk losing is the overall processing power and strength of our brain. Consistently engaging in a life of learning is one of the best ways to preserve and strengthen our neural pathways and cognitive functionality.

9. Stress Management

We all live with varying amounts of stress in our lives. The temporary stress spikes we may feel from time to time aren’t likely to do much damage to our brain or our body. But when we experience stress for on-going long periods of time, the damage can be tremendous.

Stress is a result of the body releasing the hormone cortisol into our body. This is a natural process and cortisol is essential in many of our daily activities. It plays a vital role in our sleep-wake cycle and is necessary in our fight-or-flight responses. But extended release of cortisol in the body due to stress can lead to long-term problems such as anxiety, depression, digestive issues, sleep disorders, memory problems, and more.

When we learn how to manage our stress, we can lower our cortisol levels. Meditation, exercise, journaling, engaging in a hobby, sleep, and even spending time with the people we love are all ways we can manage our stress levels. Learning how to cope with stress is important to ensure our brain is performing at its peak.

10. Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things our brain needs. Exhaustion impacts focus, concentration, ability to think, decision making, memory, and more. Getting enough sleep is vital to our survival, and is just as important as food and water. Yet, it’s also one that is easy to neglect.

In regards to sleep, it’s always quality over quantity. But getting quality sleep can be difficult in the chaos of our daily lives. Many of us don’t have a bedtime routine signaling to our brain that it’s time to shut down and sleep. This means we can have trouble falling asleep quickly. When we toss and turn, we disrupt our sleep cycles, resulting in waking groggy and not well rested at all.

Exercise and eating right can do wonders for a good night’s sleep. Stress management helps quiet our mind and limiting our screen time at least an hour before sleeping helps us fall into deep, restorative sleep. And when we are able to sleep well, we’ll wake up refreshed and able to face the day with energy instead of lethargy.

Conclusion

Our brain is one of the most complex computers in existence. And like any machine, it needs constant fuel, maintenance, and care to perform optimally. The good news is with the right focus, we can change our habits to easily accommodate taking care of our brain, allowing us to unlock our limitless potential.