I first wrote about these 8 fundamental habits to supercharge you (your brain, your body and your soul) back in 2010 for another project I was working on.
Back then my focus was on brain health and memory function.
As I reread them recently I thought they were timeless. They are the basic building blocks and when we have them locked in as habits, we can live and thrive from there.
Take a look at these simple natural suggestions that have all been shown to have a positive effect on our brains, our bodies and our spirit or soul.
They are simple and at the same time easy to overlook in our hectic, busy lives.
Check how you are measuring against each one and perhaps there might be some room for improvement.
Over time I shall be expanding on each one in a separate blog, as they are all extremely important to me and my beliefs about how to live an outstanding and sustainable life full of energy, vitality, purpose and joy.
8 Fundamental Habits to Supercharge You
Habit #1: Drink Water
Are you drinking enough water?
I’ve talked about water before. Hydration, or rather lack of it, plays a big part in age-related memory loss and can bring a grown man or woman to their knees.
If you aren’t feeling like you have energy, drinking water can really help.
Water can be found in drinks and foods too, but beware of the type of drinks. Drinks such as coffee or alcohol can have a dehydrating effect.
Knowing how much water to drink is also important as well as water quality.
Habit #2: Get Good Sleep
Do you function well when you haven’t slept well? I know I don’t!
Lack of sleep plays a part in memory loss.
If you get a bad night’s sleep you may feel foggy in the brain the next day. A bit sluggish and slow.
But one bad night’s sleep is not what we are talking about.
If you do not get good sleep every night, it can build up.
Sleep deprivation is a form of torture!
Factors that can affect sleep include lack of fresh air, too much bedding making you overheat, caffeine drinks too late at night, alcohol, snoring (you or a partner), an uncomfortable bed or stress.
Habit #4: Eat Brain & Heart Nourishing Foods
When I was doing my research all those years ago, I was very surprised to realise the connection between our brains and hearts.
Generally, foods that are good for the brain are the same ones you see on the list for heart health. Eating these foods keep both the heart and brain healthy!
Some foods are just perfect for the brain. And others are likely to clog and fog the thinking.
Nuts are great.
Walnuts, which coincidentally are shaped like the brain, are said to be one of the best.
Foods high in anti-oxidants are generally fantastic for the brain.
Examples of foods high in anti-oxidants are blueberries, strawberries or broccoli.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are your body’s friends!
Habit #4: Physical Exercise
We all know that physical health is good for our body and our heart.
What about our brain?
It turns out, that our brains, especially as we age benefit from the increased circulation to get fresh blood and to cleanse away the toxins that build up.
Physical exercise can be in just about any form you desire. It doesn’t have to be high impact aerobics, running for miles or hitting the gym for hours on end.
Walking is one of the best exercises for the brain.
Just three one-hour walks a week can have a significant impact on your overall and brain health.
AND, you can combine it with walking the dog!
There are lots of other ways to exercise to keep your brain, heart and body healthy at any age.
Habit #5: Mental Exercise
We are moving out of the realms of the physical aspects and into the areas that we might not naturally think of that keep our brain agile and active as we get older.
Keeping your mind active can be as simple as reading a book, doing a crossword, travelling somewhere new or taking up a new hobby.
The key is to keep changing it up.
Be creative, you can read the newspaper, do crosswords, try number puzzles or surf the internet for information about a subject you know nothing about!
Hobbies are a great brain stimulant.
To turbocharge the effect on your brain why not aim to take up a new hobby every few years. That way you won’t get stale.
There are lots of ways to keep the brain active.
For the brain (just like the body), the old adage: use it or lose it, is also true!
Use It or Lose It
Habit #6: Social Interaction
Humans need social interaction. As we get older (and in these uncertain times), we interact less and less with other people.
Social interaction is a human need.
Working at home, retiring from work, the children growing up and leaving home or becoming single can all be events that reduce our social interaction.
Whilst peace and solitude have their place, so does real contact and conversations with other people. It helps our brains in so many ways.
Make time for social interaction, join a meet-up or find a group with similar interests or at the same stage of life as you.
Meet friends for a walk or lunch.
Join a volunteer group or get yourself out there dating if you are single.
It’s good for your brain and for your spirit too.
Habit #7: Meditation & Relaxation
Meditation isn’t some new-age voodoo, more and more medical doctors are recommending their patients practice meditation.
Heart attack patients are being taught to meditate for 20 minutes a day as part of their rehabilitation.
Meditation helps clear the brain, release stress and allow relaxation.
There are so many ways to meditate and so many great apps and tools to help you.
There is so much you can get out of meditation.
If meditation is not for you, you can swap this for relaxing and connecting with nature.
That has a restorative and reset effect too.
Habit #8: Purpose & Goals
Goals are easy to talk about, but often harder to define.
Reasons create power. The exact power the brain loves to run on.
Reasons create power!
Give yourself real brain power by defining what you would like to achieve.
Goals and purpose are powerful brain stimulants.
How do you feel when you have goals and purpose? Do you have energy?
I know the answer to that, and so do you! Heck yes!
Finding It Hard To Find Your Purpose?
Meaning After Motherhood – Where you get to put yourself back in the drivers’ seat of your life.
Wrapping The Habits To Supercharge You
So there you have it, 8 simple habits we can all do. None of it is hard.
You can make small changes and improve your whole life.
Improving your mind, brain, body, connections, relationships, energy, and what you do in the world for yourself and others.
These are areas I am passionate about and love sharing with you.
Come back and check this out often for extra resources.
These are fundamentals in our programs. If you want to sample that check out my free training How to Get Unstuck & Keep Moving Forward with Confidence.
Until next time,
LIVE, LOVE & THRIVE