Give your brain the boost it deserves!

10 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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auto-pilot, brain boost, brainpower, brush your teeth, close your eyes, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, focus, helps you to focus, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, memory, sense of touch, shower, showering, take a shower

If you want to boost your brainpower, shower with your eyes closed… And grab the soap and shampoo without looking. Or find your toothpaste and load up your toothbrush using only your sense of touch. That’ll give you a brainpower boost by taking your mind off auto-pilot. Because when we do routine things in a new way, it immediately stimulates the growth of new nerve cells that keep the brain flexible, while improving memory and focus.

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How many squats do you think you can do?

21 Tuesday Mar 2017

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beat it, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, determination, dopamine, enhance, feel good, feel-good hormones, focus, guess, guesstimate, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, performance, squat, squats, workout

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How many miles do you think you can run? Answering questions like that can enhance your workout. Dr. Jane McGonigal is a performance studies expert – and she says simply making a prediction in your head triggers production of the feel-good chemical dopamine… which can help you work harder without feeling like you’re exerting yourself more. Because the increased dopamine gives you a bigger sense of determination – and distracts your mind from focusing on the effort you’re making. So just before you start your run, guesstimate how long it’ll take to do your first mile. You’ll end up pushing yourself to make that time, or beat it.

Allergies, allergies, allergies!

27 Friday Jan 2017

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allergic, allergies, allergy, attention span, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, eucalyptus, focus, grass, houseplant, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, memory, memory test, score, stress, stress hormone, stress-reliever, trees, wax plant, wheeze, wheezing

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We know that being out in nature is a major stress reliever. Studies show that breathing in the scent of fresh greenery lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 12%. And that allows us to think more clearly. But what if you have allergies – and inhaling the scent of trees and grass makes you a wheezing, watery-eyed mess? Get fragrant houseplants – like a eucalyptus or wax plant. Research from the University of Michigan found that inhaling those scents improves attention span and focus – and even raises people’s scores on language and memory tests. An added bonus? Those plants also purify indoor air from allergens.

If you can’t sleep because your partner snores, try this tip from the Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine:

18 Wednesday Jan 2017

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bed, can't sleep, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, fall asleep, focus, husband, Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, ocean waves, partner, relax, relaxing, sleep, sleeping, snore, snoring, white noise, wife

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Pretend your partner’s snoring is a white noise machine. Here’s the technique: Focus on your senses by feeling the heft of your comforter… The firmness of the mattress… and absorbing the darkness of the room. Then visualize yourself in a setting that has a similar rhythmic sound as snoring – like ocean waves crashing. By associating the snoring with something relaxing, it can help you fall asleep.

Water is more important than you might think.

13 Thursday Oct 2016

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brain, brain cells, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, dehydration, drink water, fatigue, focus, foggy, glass of water, headache, headaches, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lack of focus, memory, unfocused, water

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Does your brain sometimes feel foggy and unfocused? Drink a big glass of water! Research shows that dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, a lack of focus, and impaired memory. But drinking water can boost the flow of information between brain cells, improving focus and memory by 34%.

Not in the mood for that run?

04 Thursday Aug 2016

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brain, breathe, breathing, calm, calming, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, feeling tired, focus, in the mood, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, mood, motivate, motivation, run, running, tired, willpower, workout

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If you plan on going for a run – but you’re struggling to get in the mood for it – you’ll end up running a lot more slowly. That’s according to sports psychology professor Dr. Chris Englert. The reason? Because you end up using all your willpower to force yourself to put on your shoes, and get out the door. Which means, you won’t have as much willpower left to keep going when you start to feel tired. So, here’s how to restore your drive to exercise: Sit quietly and focus on your breathing for 5 minutes. Your brain will feel calmer – and you’ll be much more motivated to have a good workout. It sounds simple, but it works.

Here’s a quick way to get a brain boost:

31 Tuesday May 2016

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brain, brain boost, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, distance, focus, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, invigorate, invigorating, look out the window, refresh, refreshing, restore

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Look far away. Switch from looking at your computer... to looking out the window into the distance. Doing that literally shifts your focus, helping to reset your brain. And that can be mentally restorative and invigorating.

If you’re prone to migraines, you may want to try meditation!

17 Tuesday May 2016

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brush, brush your teeth, brushing, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, focus, headache, headaches, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, meditate, meditation, migraine, migraines, mindful, ohm, smell, taste, teeth, texture, toothbrush, toothpaste, Wake Forest School of Medicine

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Because 30 minutes of daily meditation has been shown to shorten migraines by a mega 3 hours! That’s according to Wake Forest School of Medicine. And the best part is, you don’t have to spend a solid 30 minutes Ohm-ing…You can spread it out. One of the easiest ways is to incorporate meditation into things you’re already doing. For example, when you’re brushing your teeth – have a moment of mindfulness. Focus on the taste of the toothpaste, the sensation of brushing, the sound it makes. You can also have a mini-meditation while you’re eating – focus on the smell, taste and texture of your food. Do that 30 minutes a day, and you’ll really cut down on migraine pain.

Need to improve your focus, fast?

28 Monday Dec 2015

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back to nature, boost attention, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, focus, improve, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, memory, nature, nature montage, photos of nature, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

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Get back to nature!
If you can’t go outside, hop onto YouTube and do a search for “nature montage”… Then, watch pictures of land, sea, or sky. A study at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor found that pictures of nature are so restful, that they boost attention and memory by nearly 20%.

If your kid seems a little hyper, try a walk in the park to calm them down.

11 Tuesday Aug 2015

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ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, environment, focus, green areas, hyper children, hyper kids, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Journal of Attention Disorders, park, pay attention, walk in the park

Researchers believe children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may focus better after they’ve had a dose of nature.

Findings published in the Journal of Attention Disorders suggest the walk itself isn’t what does the good. The environment is very important. Kids who walked in downtown neighborhoods or through residential areas didn’t experience the same benefits as those who walked through more “green” areas. Researchers noted that the greener the space, the better the attention span afterward.

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Tag Archives: focus

Give your brain the boost it deserves!

How many squats do you think you can do?

Allergies, allergies, allergies!

If you can’t sleep because your partner snores, try this tip from the Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine:

Water is more important than you might think.

Not in the mood for that run?

Here’s a quick way to get a brain boost:

If you’re prone to migraines, you may want to try meditation!

Need to improve your focus, fast?

If your kid seems a little hyper, try a walk in the park to calm them down.