15 Simple Ways to Improve Brain Performance

The human brain is a 3 kg computer - it is the command and control center that runs our lives and is involved in everything we do, so there is no shadow of a doubt that it is very important to protect and upkeep. Our brain determines the way we think, feel, act, and how well we get along with other people, our brain also determines what kind of person we are - are we considerate or polite, or otherwise rude? Optimizing your brain function is necessary for maximizing your abilities, whether at work, leisure or in relationships with the people closest to you. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following tips to improve your brain's performance.
brain
1. Exercise for your brain cells
Many studies have shown that when people engage in physical activity, the level of brain function improves. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., Found adult mice on the wheel had twice as many new hippocampus cells as mice who did not want to use the wheel. Researchers are unsure why the rodent's brain responded to physical activity in this way, but they hypothesized that exercise reduced stress and caused the rest of the body's functions, including those in the brain, to work more efficiently.

2. Train your mind
Just like exercising, activating different parts of the brain also trains them. Professor Lawrence Katz, a neurobiologist at Duke University, argues that finding simple ways to activate different parts of the brain that are not normally used is beneficial in keeping neurons and dendrites, which are short extensions protruding from nerve cells that are their input devices. Just as a new weight-building exercise builds muscles we rarely use, so a new worldview or recreational activity can improve the function of parts that are less used in the brain. Try new flavors and smells, do things with your weaker hand, take a different route to work, or travel to new places. In short, try to do new things that will take you out of your comfort zone, and your brain will enjoy and grow stronger.

3. Ask 'Why?'
Our minds are very curious, but as we grow older, many of us ignore or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious and wonder why things happen the way they do and ask someone who knows. The best way to exercise our curiosity is to ask "Why?" At least 10 times a day. Your brain will be more active and you will be amazed at the number of opportunities and solutions that will appear in your life and at work.

4. Laugh
Scientists say laughter is good for health because it releases endorphins and other positive chemicals to our systems. While we don’t really need scientists to tell us that laughter makes us feel good ... laughter is just like the quick claim of energy to our brain. 

5. Eat fish
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in walnuts, flax seeds, and fatty fish, have long been known to be beneficial to heart activity. A recent study found that omega-3 fatty acids are also very healthy for the brain, not only because they improve the functioning of the circulatory system that supplies oxygen to the brain. It turns out that these beneficial compounds can also improve the functioning of the membranes that surround brain cells and thus improve overall functioning.

6. Remember
Take an old photo album or even your high school yearbook and give it a few minutes of in-depth examination. Our brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work a bit and spend some time with your memories. Browse the photos and try to remember the names of the people, the experiences you shared with them, and the feelings you felt toward them. After a while, you’ll discover that the process of recalling memories happens much faster even when you look at an old album or at all when you try to recall something you were sure you had already forgotten.

7. Reduce your intake of bad fat
Can "bad" fats adversely affect our brain function? When researchers at the University of Toronto provided rats with a 40% fat diet, their mental functioning decreased, including memory, spatial orientation, and learning ability. The problems worsened with a diet rich in saturated fat, found mainly in dairy products and meat. It is hypothesized that fat may reduce blood flow to the brain, which damages the supply of oxygen and glucose to the nerves. This does not mean that you should stop consuming fats, you just need to know what type of fats to consume, and how much. Monounsaturated fat, which is mainly plant-based, is very healthy for the body and linked to health and longevity, you can get it from fish, olive oil, nuts, avocados, and seeds.

8. Work the brain
Some of us like puzzles, some the daily crossword, and some of us prefer riddles - the kind does not matter. The main thing is to solve difficult and challenging things. Solving problems in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in excellent condition.

9. Listen to music
A decade ago, Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin in the United States, and her colleagues published an amazing discovery and found that listening to Mozart improved mathematical and spatial thinking of the listeners, and even rats ran better and more accurately through a maze after hearing Mozart. It seems that listening to Mozart stimulates activity in three genes involved in transmitting signals in the brain. And it isn’t just Mozart, music, in general, is good for our health. Listen to the music you love when you can, it's much more important than you thought until now!

10. Improve your skills in the things you already know how to do
Repeating routine actions that your mind is used to doing doesn’t strain your mind. At the same time, there is no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade or change how you do things to create new connections between nerves in your brain and improve your abilities. 

11. Reduce your alcohol intake
Some say that alcohol kills brain cells, but the reality is a bit more complicated. A study of 3,500 Japanese men found that men who drank moderately (in this case, one drink per day) had better cognitive function than those who did not drink at all. Predictably, the worst performance was observed among those who drank more. The results of another study that examined the association between alcohol and brain function revealed that rats receiving a large amount of alcohol had fewer new cells in the hippocampus immediately after drinking and even a month later. This indicated that the alcohol not only damaged the rat's brain but also prevented it from correcting itself at a later stage. Therefore, it is definitely worth reducing your alcohol consumption and consuming it in moderate amounts.

12. Play
Find time to play, and even make time to play. Play cards, video games, board games or any game you love - the main thing is to play. It is good for the general feeling and good for the brain because it is an action that encourages thinking strategically and puts us in the face of problems we wouldn’t normally encounter in our daily lives.

13. Sleep on it
The recommended sleep time for an adult is 7-8 hours. Sleep is vital to our health and even to the proper functioning of the brain. During sleep, neurotransmitters in the brain reduce their activity, and their threshold is reset to normal and regular levels. In addition, during sleep, free radicals that accumulate in the brain during the day are cleaned by special enzymes, and nerve cells regroup.

14. Focus
Concentration can improve brain power. Learn to focus when distracted, and try to get rid of the disturbance. For example, if you need to make an important phone call, thinking about it can take your mind off the task at hand and make you not think clearly. Try to make the phone call as soon as possible so that you can concentrate again. Stop the flow of life from time to time to ask yourself "what's on my mind?" and identify the factors that interfere with your concentration and deal with them.

15. Learn a new word every day
There is a strong connection between vocabulary and intelligence. When we add new words to our vocabulary, our brain can think in new ways with more nuances between different ideas. This is a particularly powerful way to stimulate and improve our brain activity.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                     FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                   

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Exercises Which Will Strengthen The Pelvic Floor For Women

The topic of pelvic floor disorders isn’t a popular one at parties, as there is an overwhelming stigma surrounding them. Meanwhile, the official U.S. statistics report that 1 in 4 women suffers from a moderate to severe form of a pelvic floor disorder.

The reason for such high occurrence at severe stages is, in part, that the early symptoms are uncomfortable and difficult to admit even to a medical professional. All the more reasons to discuss this topic in depth and teach you how to manage this problem.

 

What Is the Pelvic Floor and Why Is It So Important For Our Health and Well-being?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles located inside of your pelvis. These muscles play one very important role: they prevent the organs from slipping out, as weird as it may sound. As the doctor describes it, “the pelvic floor muscles work like a hammock to support the pelvic organs, including the uterus, bladder and rectum”.

Like all muscles, the pelvic floor muscles can weaken as a result of trauma or aging, which explains the findings that it is predominantly women after childbirth and women post-menopause that suffer from weakened or overstretched pelvic muscles and all the uncomfortable symptoms that go with it.

Other causes of a weak pelvic floor include obesity, straining associated with chronic constipation and constant coughing. When the muscles are weakened, patients can experience the following symptoms:

• leaking urine when sneezing, coughing, laughing or running
• incontinence
• passing wind uncontrollably when lifting things or bending over
• painful sex
• diminished sensation in the vagina
• a sensation of heaviness in the vagina
• tampons that slip out.

Luckily, because the pelvic floor is a muscle, it, too, can be strengthened and returned to its initial happy and healthy form through regular exercise. All of the exercises that we will show you are easy, they can be done in the comfort of your own home and don’t require any special equipment (although we will give you optional uses of some sports equipment that you may have lying around at home).

1. Kegels

This is a great exercise because it is not only effective, but also can be easily done at work, in the car, or anywhere else, really. The movements you will do are so minimal no one will ever know you’re in the middle of exercising. You will benefit from this exercise if you experience leaking after sudden movements or if you have a strong urge to urinate right after urinating.

Here’s how to do this exercise:

Step 1. Identify your pelvic muscles. To do so, just stop urinating midway. The muscles you use to stop the stream are your pelvic floor muscles.

Step 2. Now that you know which muscles we’re talking about, simply contract them and hold for 5 seconds and then release for another 5 seconds. To see progress, repeat this exercise 10 times, 3 times a day.

Extra tip: If you feel like it’s difficult to keep the pelvic muscles activated, let your abdominals join in and suck in your belly as you’re contracting the pelvic floor (we illustrated this in the picture below).

2. Bird Dog

Can you tell from the name that this exercise was inspired by yoga? Well, as many yoga poses, this one is a full body strengthener, so if you found kegels too boring, you are sure to feel an effect after doing this one, especially in your glutes, abs, back and hips.

It will also challenge your sense of balance, so start slowly and be mindful. If you have sensitive knees, we recommend to do this exercise on a rug, yoga mat or a simple towel.

Step 1. Start from an all fours position. Make sure your wrists are aligned directly under shoulders and your knees are under hips. Keep your back straight and protect your lower back by activating your core muscles.

Step 2. Start the exercise by simultaneously straightening  and raising the right leg and left arm (ideally until they form a straight line with your spine, see the picture). Keep your head neutral and relaxed. You will feel wobbly at first and your body might even start shaking a little, that means you’re doing everything correctly. Hold this pose for 2 seconds and then lower the arm and the leg back to the initial position.

Step 3. Repeat the same process, this time with the other arm and leg. This is 1 repetition. Keep in mind that each side may feel different, that’s okay. If you find it difficult to maintain your balance, here’s a trick: rotate the foot that is raised slightly inwards.

Repeat this exercise 10 times and do 3 sets with a 30–60 second interval between the sets.

3. Squats

Squats are a very powerful exercise for engaging the entire lower body. It engages both small and large muscles, such as the gluteus muscles, the back muscles and the leg muscles, and. of course, the pelvic floor. Remember that alignment is key in this exercise because otherwise your can hurt your lower back.

Step 1. Stand with the feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Toes either look forwards or point out slightly. Engage your core and keep your spine straight as you slowly bend your knees and push your hips and bum down and back, as if you’re about to sit down on a chair. Make sure you don't carry all the weight on your knees and that your knees don't splay out.

Step 2. Squat until you can keep your shins perpendicular to the floor, no need to bend forward. Then rise up and straighten your legs, returning to the initial position.
Repeat 15 times.

4. Bridge

Though many people think that the bridge is mainly an exercise for the glutes, by doing it correctly you will also strengthen your pelvic floor and inner thighs. You don’t need any equipment for this, but for beginners it is beneficial to use some kind of object until you understand which muscles to activate. This can be a yoga block, a small book or even a balled-up pair of socks, we’ll explain how to use it later.
Step 1. Lie on the floor with your arms straight and palm facing down. Bend your knees in around a 90-degree angle, legs at shoulder width apart. If you want to use a block or any other object, keep your legs together, hugging the object that you’ve placed between your legs at around mid-thigh level.
Step 2. On an inhale, push your abdomen, hips and thighs up as much as you can or until your body forms a straight line. You will feel the glutes immediately, but the trick is to squeeze your thighs in as well. If you’re using an object, don’t let it fall by holding it with your thighs. Stay in this pose for 1–2 seconds, and then slowly return to the initial position.

Repeat 10–15 times and do 2–3 sets with a 30–60 second interval between the sets.

If you want to do an even more advanced version of this exercise, you can use a stability ball. Instead of keeping your feet on the ground in the starting position, place them on the ball and raise your hips just like we instructed above.

5. Split Tabletop

This exercise looks just like the starting position of an ab workout, which means that you will activate your core. The split element, in turn, will activate your thigh muscles and pelvic floor. If you suffer from back pain, we recommend doing this exercise on a mat or similar.
Step 1. Start laying down with your back on the floor and your knees bent so that your shins are parallel to the floor.

Activate your abdominal muscles and flush your inner thighs together. 
Step 2. Slowly and mindfully start splitting your legs outwards, so that each knee falls outward as much as you can.
Step 3. Return your knees to the initial position.
Repeat 10–15 times and do 3 sets with a 30–60 second interval between the sets.
This was the last exercise we had to offer in this article. Keep in mind that with any exercise it takes time to see any effects, so repeat these exercises for at least a month or two to see any results.
Disclaimer: If you think you might be suffering from a weak pelvic floor, please see your doctor. These exercises may not be sufficient for your condition.

 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Crying is a Way to Reduce Stress

If you've ever watched a good tear-jerker and felt strangely happier afterward, you'll know the power of a good cry. But, in our society, crying is often looked down on. However, it seems that Japan is actively encouraging schoolchildren and workforce to reap the mental health benefits of a good cry. In fact, a former high school teacher and self-styled , has been giving lectures about the importance of crying to companies and schools for six years. “The act of crying is more effective than laughing or sleeping in reducing stress. If you cry once a week, you can live a stress-free life,” he said.

 

To raise awareness of how crying can reduce stress, the expert teamed up with a professor. They were inundated with invites to speak with employees about the power of crying in 2015, the year Japan brought in mandatory workplace stress-checks for companies with more than 50 employees. 

Global mental health

Like many other countries, Japan has only recently started to deal openly with mental health issues some individuals experience. Prior to the late 1990s, depression wasn't a term used widely outside the psychiatric profession. Nevertheless, the stigma persists. According to a 2016 study of eight countries, it was found that employees in Japan were the least likely to tell employers about depression, followed by Americans. In Japan, being overworked is a major problem. In fact, the Japanese invented a word for deaths caused by overworking, known as karoshi. 
Yet, while Japan is known to have one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, numbers have, thankfully, dropped by more than one third, 38%, since its peak in 2003. In 2017, numbers were listed at 21,321 cases. Among the G20 countries, Japan has the third-highest rate of suicide, behind South Korea, and Russia. 

More than 90% of those who attempt suicide suffer from depression. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) released on World Mental Health Day in October, half of all mental illness begins by age 14. Though most cases remain untreated, despite suicide being the second more common cause of death wrong young people aged 15 to 29. 
The WHo reported that depression is among the largest single cause of disability worldwide and it accounts for 4.3% of the global burden of the disease. The economic impact is therefore huge and the study estimates depression collectively costs Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico and South Africa and the USA more than $246 billion a year In Japan alone, this figure totals $14 billion in lost productivity due to employees calling in sick, or being unproductive when they do show up for work.
Globally, the gap between the need for treatment and provision is still wide. Annual spending on mental health is still less than $2 per person and stands at less than $0.25 in low-income countries. Between 35-50% of people who received no treatment for severe mental health disorders in high-income countries, varies to the 76-85% of people in low and middle-income countries. 

But, how does crying help?
In a study of 30 countries, most respondents admitted to feeling better after shedding tears, while more than 70% of clinical practitioners actively encourage clients to cry. Three types of tears are produced by the body: reflex, which clear away irritants; continuous, which keep our eyes moist; and emotional, which studies have found to have certain health benefits. 
In the early 1980s, a Dr. carried out some of the first research into why humans cry. He discovered emotional tears contain stress hormones that are flushed out when we cry. "Crying is an exocrine process... in which a substance comes out of the body. Other exocrine processes, like exhaling, urinating, defecating and sweating, release toxic substances from the body. There's every reason to think crying does the same, releasing chemicals that the body produces in response to stress," he said. 
Evidence also shows that crying slows down your breathing, this helps you to relax and stimulates the production of feel-good endorphins. “Crying is an act of self-defense against accumulating stresses,” a professor said.
  
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Watch out while coughing it might actually break your RIB!

Laughing so hard your sides split is one thing, but one woman actually coughed so hard she broke a rib. When the 66 year old woman, who has not been named in a case study published, first went to see her doctor, it was thought she had flu did nothing to ease her symptoms.

When she went back to the doctor five days later, she had a large dark mark on the right side of her torso. The woman underwent a CT SCAN  that revealed she had a displaced fracture of her ninth rib the rib had broken and the two ends had separated.

The tests confirmed she had an infection with Bordetella pertussis, which causes whooping cough. Whooping cough is rarely serious in adults, but can lead to rib fractures in serious manifestations.

Even without whooping cough, when one has severe bouts of cough, one can fracture their rib, as a person close to me had this problem. So, kindly take precautions when your cough gets bad.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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