​Brain Boosting Strategies: Skills and Snacks

Our brains are always active; they create stories, express ideas, make split decisions, and plan out every part of our daily lives. Our minds race, they form our emotions, and store every memory we have ever had! For these reasons and more, it’s a smart idea to take care of your brain. Doing so is easier than you might think -- and can be really fun!

Facts...

The powerful organ behind our eyes operates like any other muscle; in other words, it needs to be used in order to stay strong. After the age of 25, the brain is finished developing and sadly, brain function begins to decrease. To protect your brain power, challenge it.

Flexing some cerebral power can be as easy as listening to music and as complex as doing a brain puzzle. A brain puzzle can be something like a word search, sudoku, crosswords, or just a regular old jigsaw puzzle. These games are fun to play and extremely healthy for your brain function!

Reading is also invaluable to your brain. As you take in new vocabulary, your brain actually becomes stronger. In fact, reading has been associated with increased attention spans, as well as increased capacity of working memory.

Other brain boosting activities worth exploring are:

●Exercising

●Teaching a skill

●Learning a skill

What sorts of skills should I learn? Which ones offer the biggest boost to my brain?

There are plenty of new skills for all ages and abilities to help sharpen your mind. Learning a new language or musical instrument are popular, along with engaging in artistic pursuits like painting or those that challenge dexterity, like knitting.

If you feel intimidated to try something new, challenge a friend or your spouse to take a class with you. Socialization is also excellent for your mental acuity and overall health.

Depending on where your new pursuits take you, consider showing up in style with an IonLoop ionic bracelet. These negative ion bracelets and magnet bracelets are credited with reducing the amount of positive ion exposure we encounter every day. What’s more, they support the existence of more negative ions in our personal orbit, meaning simply slip on an IonLoop bracelet and reap the reported benefits of negative ions.

Feed the Machine...

Just like our bellies, our brains get hungry. Besides information, our brain also soaks up vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin K, omega-3 fatty acids, and flavonoids. How can you bring more of these brain favorites into your body?

Reach for any of the following foods to get ahead (couldn’t resist!)

●Leafy greens

●Broccoli

●Coffee/tea

●Berries

●Fatty fish

●Avocados

●Nuts

In addition to learning new skills and smart snacking, you should also arm up against the persistent positive ions that emit from both natural sources like the sun, as well as man made electronic devices. Unlike negative ions, which reportedly enhance both physical and psychological well-being, positive ions have been cited as causing psychological distress like depression.