Love your Brain, Love your Body, Love your Life - Boost your Creativity with a Vacation

Is it important to schedule that annual vacation? When money is tight and schedules don’t seem to permit taking that summer trip, how important is it really?

In Jonah Lehrer’s book Imagine - How Creativity Works, he discusses in great detail why our brain needs vacation time to stimulate creativity. Chapter 5, entitled “Outsider”, gives several examples of how being an outsider is a state of mind. We need to go outside our normal everyday surroundings, duties, chores and problems; to get away! Travel is one of the best ways to do this, the reason it’s so useful for creativity is a “quirk of cognition in which problems that feel close get contemplated in a more literal manner.” “When we are physically near the source of the problem, our thoughts are automatically constricted, bound by a more limited set of associations.  It only allows us to focus on the facts at hand - it inhibits imagination.”

Detaching from the familiar environment can help get new perspectives on everyday life, when you ask a friend for advice on solving a problem, his or her suggestions are often more creative than what you would have decided yourself - that’s because your friend has psychological distance from the situation at hand. When you’re in the middle of a problem, it’s sometimes hard to untangle yourself from it to think about it clearly.

This is why travel is so helpful: “When you escape from the place you spend most of your time, the mind is suddenly made aware of all those errant ideas previously suppressed. Many people have epiphanies when they travel because they can view their life back home from a more detached, outsider’s view.

Experience of another culture gives the traveler a valuable open-mindedness, making it easier for him or her to realize that a single thing can have multiple meanings. We need to change cultures to feel the disorienting diversity of human traditions. The same details that make foreign travel so confusing - do we tip the waiter? where is this train taking me? - turn out to have lasting impact, making us more creative because we’re less insular.  We’re reminded of all that we don’t know, which is nearly everything. We go home and home is the same but something in our minds has been changed, and that changes everything.

Of course, it’s not enough to simply get on a plane or drive a few hundred miles to the beach: if we want to experience the creative benefits of vacation, then we have to rethink the reason for the vacation. Our mind is most likely to solve our most stubborn problems while getting a sunburn far away from home. So instead of napping on the beach, or reading the latest issue of US Weekly, we should be mulling over those domestic riddles we just can't solve.

Imagine - How Creativity Works & The Benefits of Vacation, The Atlantic by Jonah Lehrer

Why Your Brain Needs Vacations By Elizabeth Landau, CNN May 24, 2011 

Love your Brain, Love your Body, Love your Life Benefits of Stress Management and Dementia / Alzheimer’s Prevention

As we discussed in December, stress takes a toll on our body and our brain.  Stress raises your cortisol and adrenalin levels, which in excess, damage the cells in the memory center of your brain, block neurotransmitter function and cause injury to brain cells; stress is also linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol & heart disease. High Cortisol levels impact the ability to learn and retain new information (short-term memory loss). As stress and cortisol levels increase, so does your chance of developing memory loss.

What’s worse, as we age or develop an illness, you naturally have decreased ability to handle stress and lower your blood cortisol levels; damaging the brain cells, a situation that affects all areas of your memory and overall brain health.

Controlling your daily stress is a vital part of an Alzheimer’s prevention strategy. Studies show there is a high correlation between having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high cortisol and the onset of Alzheimer’s. Stress has been shown to be a key factor in all these conditions.

Managing stress requires regular effort. Applying the stress management tips we shared last month go along way in keeping our brain and body in good health:

• Laughter
• Targeted nutrition
• Quality sleep
• Good hydration
• Regular exercise

You may also include these proven techniques to get your stress levels in check:

• Breathe! Stress alters your breathing rate and impacts oxygen levels in the brain. Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Restorative breathing is powerful, simple and free!
• Schedule daily relaxation activities.  Make relaxation a priority, whether it’s a walk in the park, playtime with your dog, yoga, or a soothing bath.
• Nourish inner peace. Most scientists acknowledge a strong mind-body connection, and various studies associate spirituality with better brain health. Regular mediation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize against the effects of stress.

Remember, you can manage your stress if you choose to. Love your brain now for a long, happy, healthy future.

Synergy Training Center

Alzheimersprevention.org

Helpguide.org

Love your Brain, Love your Body, Love your Life - Enrich your Life and Arm Yourself with a Weapon to Fight Alzheimer's, Targeted Nutrition

What is Targeted Nutrition? Feel a cold coming on? Eat an orange or other citrus fruit, why? High in vitamin C. Finished a workout? Hydrate and eat a banana to replenish lost fluids and potassium. These are just a couple of examples of “Targeted Nutrition” that help our body function properly or maintain good health. Why would it be any different for our brain? Your brain is only 2% of our body mass, yet it uses 20% of the body’s energy, it needs massive amounts of energy, in comparison with the other organs in our body. It also needs the proper materials (targeted nutrition) to build, heal and grow itself. 

What does our brain need and want?

• Vitamin C & E - Antioxidants are for cell protection from free radicals.
• Vitamin D - for focus and concentration.
• B vitamins -  for memory, nerve, cell and neurotransmitter function.
• Vitamin K - enhances cognitive function.
• Calcium - improves nerve function.
• Magnesium - improves blood flow.
• Zinc - memory and thinking skills.
• Choline - aids in memory and brain development.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA) - improves communication between the cells; attention management, and mood balancing. Also contain anti-inflammatory substances.
• Glucose - supplies your brain’s energy; your body creates it from the carbohydrates you eat, your brain needs at least 125 to 150g per day to function. Be careful, too much is counter productive.

How can we get all these “brain boosting” nutrients? Let’s look at some super brain foods.

1. Wholegrain Foods - whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, popcorn etc. Supplies, glucose, vit. B6.
2. Walnuts - omega-3 & 6, vit. E, vit. B6
3. Cashews - magnesium
4. Almonds - riboflavin (B)
5. Pecans & peanuts - choline
6. Blueberries - have compounds that turn on key systems in the brain to enable proteins to help with memory or other cognitive skills. An antioxidant.
7. Strawberries - antioxidant, improves communication among brain cells.
8. Blackberries - antioxidant, particularly anthocyanins, which fights degenerative brain diseases.
9. Sunflower seeds - thiamine (B vitamin), boosts mood and brainpower.
10. Pumpkin seeds - zinc, vit. A & E, omega-3 & 6.
11. Freshly Brewed Tea- enhances memory, focus, fights mental fatigue. Contains polyphenals (antioxidant) which help maintain a steady supply of glucose.
12. Eggs - choline, antioxidants.
13. Avocados - contain mono-unsaturated fats to help maintain healthy blood flow.
14. Tomatoes - lycopene (antioxidant).
15. Broccoli - a super food due to its overall nutrient content; for your brain it’s Vit. K.
16. Red Cabbage - polyphenol (antioxidant).
17. Spinach - slows down the effects of age-related declines in brain function, helps protect from oxidative stress. Improves learning capacity and motor skills.
18. Yogurt and Calcium rich foods - improve nerve function. Yogurt contains an amino acid called tyrosine which is responsible for producing the neurotransmitter dopamine and noradrenalin.
19. Chocolate! - Dark and Milk - antioxidant, enhances mood, focus and concentration. MORE IS NOT BETTER, indulge in moderation :o)
20. Beans - stabilize glucose levels; 1/2 cup every day.
21. Wild Salmon, sardines & herring - rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Eat with your brain in mind, it’s the greediest organ in the body, keeping it properly nourished is vital to creative thought, positive mood, memory and overall good health.

Love your Brain, Love your Body, Love your Life Alzheimer’s - Enrich your Life, Enrich your Brain

Neuroscientists are confirming that being proactive in choosing a healthy, enriched, well balanced lifestyle, may be the best way to maintain your overall health and reduce the risk factors for the development or advancement of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It’s never too early or too late begin.

These five factors are valuable tools that you have control of:
1. Targeted Nutrition
2. Stress Management
3. Structured Aerobic Exercise
4. Cognitive Fitness
5. Social Interactions

During this month, we will discuss each of these items in detail and how it pertains to your brain’s long-lasting health.

Stress: Tip #6 - The Synergistic Affect

We all have stress in our lives, it’s unavoidable. It’s how we deal with it that can make or break us.

Our tips this month on Stress Relief have been simple ideas that, when applied, can help alleviate much of your stress almost immediately. 

1. Laughter/humor
2. Nutrition
3. Sleep
4. Hydration
5. Exercise

These sound simple enough but it’s putting them to use that will make the difference.  Just like our New Year’s resolution’s take an effort for success, incorporating these stress relief tips takes an effort too.

Life spirals in an upward motion or a downward motion depending on our good or bad decisions, and these decisions are exponential.

By doing nothing, your life could look like this:

You have no time for exercise because your too tired from lack of sleep which is caused by lack of exercise and poor planning; which makes you feel bad so you don’t care what you eat, you skip breakfast because your too tired and get up late and have no time to eat or pack a lunch; eating at the first fast food restaurant you come to. Your health suffers because you don’t make time for exercise or proper diet, or drink enough water, causing more stress & lack of sleep; the relationship suffers because we are too stressed, causing more stress, lack of sleep and bad diet, you live on coffee because you are so tired, causing you to be dehydrated due to the caffeine, which interrupts sleep patterns more, causing more stress; we don’t drink enough water to flush out the toxins all the stress causes so we have more health issues arise causing more sleepless nights, stress and relationship issues; our since of humor is gone so we don’t find anything funny; the job suffers, we are often late, we snap at people making them stressed so they snap at someone and on and on; your inefficient, forgetful, grumpy and sullen, not a good candidate for promotion, keeping you at a lower pay grade, causing low self esteem which causes junk food binging, which makes us more tired, depressed and overweight and it goes on and on...

Or:

You exercise, which energizes your body and your brain and makes you feel good so you want to eat healthier; you sleep good because the exercise allowed for a sound nights sleep; you wake refreshed needing only 1 cup of coffee with your nutritious breakfast; you remember to pack a lunch with a refillable water bottle because you got a good nights sleep and your memory is working efficiently; You have planned your day well so you have time to visit with friends and have some good laughs; which makes you feel happy, you smile at someone walking down the sidewalk, which in turn, smiles back and passes it on; your more efficient at work because cognitively you are “with it” being an important part of the office; your boss notices and offers you a promotion with a nice raise; you now have more money to do those things you love and can even put some aside to save; your happy, yes stress comes but it only makes a ripple not a splash; you feel confident and empowered and it goes on and on...

Which life do you want?  What will you do to achieve it?

“The biggest gap in the world is between ‘I should’ and ‘I did’ ” Author Unknown

Take action now! Plan your day don’t let it plan you!