1. Keep well hydrated. Your brain needs water to survive and perform at its best. Any signs of dehydration, your brain will not be functioning at its optimum level.
2. Eat healthy with lots of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish, avocados and walnuts are good examples of food with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Your brain uses omega-3 fatty acids in its structure and for its neuronal function.
3. Exercise is my number one prescription for anyone – exercise makes you feel good by releasing endorphins in your body. Exercise does a lot as you can read by clicking on my previous post here: http://drpetereppinga.com/?p=135
It also releases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, (BDNF for short) which aids in memory formation. By having your heart pumping and your lungs breathing at a good pace it brings lots of needed oxygen to your brain cells and gets rid of all the toxic chemicals and free radicals your brain produces. Exercise prevails over any medication.
4. Focus on the good things in your life and don’t focus on the bad things. If you’re alive you’re going to experience pain. The only people with no problems in this world our in the graveyard. So you have a choice when you wake up in the morning to focus on the good or the bad. The more you focus on the negative your going to apply negative meaning to your life and you will not feel good about it. Your emotions for the day are mainly going to be gloomy and pessimistic which nobody wants, and soon you will be in the doctor’s office asking for anti depressant pills.
A good way to focus on the positive is to tell yourself positive affirmations in the morning and through out the day. I have a list that read from in the bathroom and a list on my phone that I read through out the day. I also use scriptures from the book of proverbs in the Bible. As I find the writers of the Bible are very positive in what they have to say about their outlook on life.
5. Have fun in life and get plenty of sleep. Take time to schedule fun time in your days and when experiencing happiness enjoy it and focus on that instead of negative things for the rest of the day. What you focus on will expand whether it be good or bad.
A human brain is 75% water and has the consistency of tofu or gelatin. The human brain consists of approximately 100 billion neurons (which is as many cells as there are stars in the Milky Way). Each neuron has somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 synapses, equaling about 1 quadrillion synapses. If all the neurons in the human brain were lined up, they would stretch 600 miles. Keeping your brain healthy is keeping your mind healthy. Let your brain experience something fun today!
Love my Life and yours,
Dr. Peter Eppinga M.D.