Why Brain Training Is So Important
If you want to improve your memory, there’s good news and bad news as the old saying goes. First the good news. There are hundreds of memory improvement games, courses, and audio tapes out there. But here’s the bad news …
Memory Improvement And Your Brain
The bad news is this. Almost every CD, ebook, or audio tape teaches you theory, but fails to teach you how to consistently put the theory into practice. Let’s use a practical example.
Suppose you wanted to be a great guitar player. You could read a magazine about playing guitar, or perhaps go to an Eric Clapton concert. But what it would really take to be a great guitar player is practicing a certain set of defined skills and making them a part of your everyday life.
To improve your memory, you have to understand how it works first. It is not a part of your brain, it is the end result of many factors. Memory is having great attentive skills. It’s also about being able to visualize, like remembering where to turn when you’re driving. And memory skills require being able to think quickly, like remembering a person’s name.
And so, since the power of memory is actually determined by several brain functions, it makes perfect sense to improve your skills by improving your overall brain function.
How Your Brain Can Be Trained
As you might imagine, your brain is exceptionally powerful. It has great capacity, but much like a muscle, if it is not challenged, it won’t perform when needed.
In order to train your brain, first you should examine how you learn. Humans learn by engaging all five senses. Think about it. At some point in your life, you’ve learned by seeing, hearing, touching, smell, and tasting. That is not only how you learn, it’s also how you remember.
By engaging all your senses in the learning process, you engage your entire brain. In essence, you give it a workout and it performs better. You can see where we’re going here. The end result of highly engaged brain capacity is a better memory.
Your brain can be trained by using techniques which engage all the senses at one point or another. It is not about memorizing a deck of cards, for example. These techniques are more about a comprehensive, thorough training of your brain to work at its fullest capacity. The only way to do this is by practice.
Summary
Training your brain to use it’s fullest potential is the best memory improvement technique, because memory skills stem from all your senses. Just using one sense, for example, your sense of hearing by listening to a memory tutorial CD, is not enough.
Bottom line, there are hundreds of memory improvement techniques on the market. Be cautious of any that merely ask you to use one of your senses and expect results.
Foods To Improve Memory: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
You may have heard or read about certain foods that are good for your memory skills. Yes, certain foods are beneficial for brain health which in turn means they’re good for your memory.
But it’s really the combination of foods you eat that will ultimately make a positive difference in your memory capacity. Let’s break it down to the day’s three main meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Breakfast:
The best breakfast to have is one without artificial sugars, like sweet rolls or donuts. Why? The answer might be different than you think. Foods with high amounts of starch and sugar lead to an increase of serotonin in the brain. Without getting too technical, serotonin is a chemical that causes a slow down of your organs and brain activity.
That’s why when you eat a lot of sweets you find yourself in more of a restful, even tired state. You’re much better off with a small amount of carbohydrates for energy along with natural sugars from fruit, which don’t cause an increase in serotonin.
At the risk of taking all the fun out of breakfast, stay away from high fat breakfast sandwiches with sausage, ham, processed cheese, etc. High fat foods take longer to digest. That means more blood is directed to the stomach to help the digestion process. And yes, you guessed it, less blood to the brain. When the brain isn’t functioning fully, you won’t be working at full capacity.
Lunch:
Are you often tired after lunch? It’s almost always as a result of what you’ve eaten.
Let’s keep this as simple as possible. Eat a lot of protein at lunch. Chicken (not fried chicken!) and fish are excellent choices.
You’ve probably heard that certain types of fish rich in Omega compounds are good for your heart and brain. That’s true, so try to consume fish like salmon once or twice a week. Lean chicken is always an excellent choice. It’s high in protein and low in fat.
If this sounds like a diet plan instead of ways to improve your memory, well, there is a direct correlation. Almost always, what’s good for your body is good for your brain. And great memory skills start and end with a healthy brain.
Dinner:
The best approach for dinner is a combination of foods. And there’s nothing wrong with a reasonable amount of sweets after dinner. Refer back to the comments about breakfast – sweets release serotonin which puts the brain in a more restful state.
Vegetables are always a good choice, as are a few carbohydrates. Remember, carbohydrates also release serotonin, so there’s nothing wrong with a baked potato, rice, or a dinner roll or two. For a mian course, try to fill in what you may have missed during the day. Balance your dinner to about 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 30% good fat.
Memory Improvement Techniques: Train Your Brain
Are there really memory improvement techniques that will make a noticeable difference in how much you remember?
Without question, the answer is yes.
Fortunately, many are easily within reach. Here are a few key memory improvement techniques:
- Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep
- Drink Ample Water To Increase Blood Flow
- Exercise Regularly For Overall Good Health
And then there are a few memory improvement techniques that range behond the simple day to day.
Among the most discussed in the scientific community are brain training programs.
Brain Games: Improve memory with scientifically designed games
Let’s differentiate something right away. We’re not talking about brain teasers, the kind you find on your cell phone or in a Cracker Jack box.
Rather, we’re referring to legitimate, focused training, similar to athletic traning. It is a well known fact that the more the brain is used and challenged, the better it will perform. That, of course, includes your memory. Much like physical skills, memory is a mental skill.
Improve Memory And Concentration
No matter your age, at some point in time everyone has wanted to improve their memory and concentration skills. Whether it’s remembering that potential client’s name or which turn to take off the freeway, memory and concentration are key aspects of our day to day lives.
But how do you improve memory and concentration?
With concentration, it’s a little more clear cut. Chances are, if we aren’t able to concentrate, our mind is on something else we personally deem more important. Address that notion head on. Ask youself some questions. A good first question to ask is this: “Is what I’m thinking about more important than what I’m doing right now?” Hint: If you’re driving, the answer is NO!
In all seriousness, concentration is in large part a sense of prioritizing. If you’ve made a personal choice that whatever you’re doing is exactly what you should be doing right now, chances are great you’ll concentrate.
As for memory, it’s a slightly different story. But there is still a sense of priority. Make it a point to exercise your brain. Instead of blindly plugging phone numbers into your cell phone, try to remember a few of them. Challenge yoor memory and strengthen your brain. Puzzles are an excellent way to improve your brain capacity, and with it, your memory.
School of Phenomenal Memory
Phenomenal Memory is not a GIFT…. It’s a skill!
Some memory loss is to be expected as we age. It’s natural. Our brain function begins to lower as we reach middle age, so some memory loss is normal. And yet, we can ward off some of the aging effects in much the same way we’d tackle physical changes. Exercise, a good diet, ample sleep, and a balanced lifestyle are just a few key factors.
The best thing about memory is the more we use it, the more likely we’ll retain it. Challenge yourself to have a great memory!
Ways To Improve Memory: Take Care Of Your Brain
If you’re suffering from memory loss or just want to have a better memory, one of the most important things you can do is take care of your brain.
Sounds trite, perhaps. But your brain is just like any other body part. It needs to be nourished, taken care of, and challenged to reach its peak potential.
One very underrated and not often discussed way to improve memory is to examine your personal habits and change them if necessary.
For one, are you getting enough sleep? Lack of sleep is a major cause of lowered brain function and hence, memory loss. We can’t assign a specific number of hours you need to sleep – only you can determine how much you need. But it’s well worth examining on your sleep habits to determine if a change is in order.
Further, just as good nutrition plays a key role in physical health, the same is true for brain function and memory. One of the ways to improve memory is to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet. Are you getting all the nutrients you need? Drinking enough water? All of the oft discussed health habits apply to brain health as well.
We’re not advocates of taking pills, but especially as we age a good multivitamin is useful. They’re inexpensive and taken consistently, you’ll notice a positive difference in your energy level, day to day performance, and brain capacity.
Finally, another good way to improve memory is to challenge your brain. Sorry to say, but watching TV doesn’t cut it, with a few notable exceptions. Playing along with Jeopardy can kick your memory into gear.
Instead of relying on your car’s GPS, make a point to study the route beforehand and challenge yourself to remember it. You can always write down the directions just in case. But in today’s gadget driven society, we rely so much on technology instead of using good old fashioned brain power. The less we’re forced to use the brain and our capacity for memory, the less likely it’ll be there when we need it.
Thnik of your brain like your heart. Take care of it, use it, give it a workout. You’ll be rewarded long term with a sharp memory!
