Does your body feel Energetic?

          or are you Tired, and Slow?

Where does our energy go?

Where does it come from?

Why can’t we reach those elusive goals?

Why can’t we stay motivated?

Does our brain have anything to do with all that?

          Well, yes.  It does.

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We need to keep our brain as healthy and energized as we can.  Do you think it would have anything to do with the food we eat? Or our sleep?  Well.  It does.

If you have a goal, any kind of goal… maybe to read every day.  So you make a plan to read just 5 minutes every day (because small steps is a great way to start on a big goal). 

But you skip once; then twice; then again.  And you quit trying.  If there is one thing that will keep you from carrying through, it is very likely the feeling of fatigue.

Your main goal—the reason you wanted to increase your reading—was very worthy.  You had your “Why”.  But you get busy and tired, and distracted, and before you know it, you lose your focus.

In order to stay motivated, you need Mental and Physical Energy.  That’s the fuel to keep you active and moving toward your goal.  You just can’t be motivated if you don’t generate energy.

In his book, Limitless, Jim Kwik gives 10 recommendations of ways to generate brain energy.  Put some thought into helping your brain with some of his ideas:

1.     A healthy brain needs a nutritious diet, which nourishes the brain, and protects it.  Your car needs premium fuel.  If you give it inferior fuel, it won’t operate as well.  This is your only brain.  It can’t possibly do the work it’s meant to do if it isn’t cared for and nourished and protected. 

a.      (Sugar leads to inflammation, and can actually cause depression.)

b.     Dr. Lisa Mosconi says the brain needs 45 nutrients to be creative. Some of these come from the brain itself; the rest come from food. Here is a list of ten of the best brain foods:

                                                       i.           Avocados

                                                      ii.           Blueberries

                                                   iii.           Broccoli

                                                    iv.           Eggs

                                                     v.            Green, leafy Vegetables

                                                    vi.            Wild Salmon, Sardines

                                                 vii.            Turmeric

                                              viii.            Walnuts (they even look like the human brain)

                                                    ix.            Dark Chocolate

                                                     x.            Water (We are made up of 80% water)

c.      What we eat truly matters, especially for our brain health.

d.     If you can’t eat this way, it has a direct effect on your motivation toward your goals.

2.     There are supplements you can take that will help with your nutritional needs, and I can get them to you, but they are to support your nutrition—not to “be” your nutrition.  But let me know if you’d like this information.

3.     Exercise.  Regular, aerobic exercise and strength training.  If you want to unshackle your brain and increase the part of your brain that does creative thinking, regular exercise has a direct link to help here.  Even 10 minutes a day has benefits to your brain.  If time slips by and you forget, set your phone alarm to alert you when it’s time to get moving.  Then, just do it.

4.     In his book, Change your Brain, Change your Life, Dr. Daniel G. Amen says our brains are infested with “Automatic Negative Thoughts”.  He Says we need to eradicate our “ANT’s”; that they pop up everywhere in our brains, but that we can eliminate them. 

a.      What are ANTs:  If you regularly tell yourself you can’t do something, or you’re too old, or that you’re not smart enough, you’ll likely not get to your goal.  This is Automatic Negative Thoughts!  Move on from this self-destructive talk.  Exterminate your ANTS.

b.     Move on with clean eating, and yoga training or some other exercise you love, to eradicate the ANTs.  Do this for the health of your brain.

5.     A Clean Environment.  It is believed that approximately 30% of strokes are caused by air pollution.  Air pollution also is linked to dementia.  Think how it feels to take a deep breath of clean mountain air.  You may not be able to enjoy that experience as often as you’d like, but it’s important.

a.      Go to places where you can breathe clean air, more often.

b.     There are also good devices that will clean your air effectively.

c.      Remove clutter in your surroundings

d.     Remove distractions in your surroundings

e.      You’ll feel better, and your focus will improve.

6.     Have Positive Friends.  Jim Rohn says we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with.  Whether or not this is true, our social network influences who we are, and how we behave. 

a.      Your friends (along with what and how much you eat, how much you exercise, and how much quality sleep you get) are definitely tied to our brain function.

b.     Think of how your friends influence your desire to work toward your dreams, and get to your “why”.

c.      Think of the people who boost your positive vibes, and spend some time with them.  Call them today.  Set it up.

7.     Brain Protection.  We have only one brain.  Our life depends on taking good care of it.

8.     New Learnings.  Keep learning.  We’re all capable of expanding the capacity of our brain (at any age).  As long as we keep learning, we keep expanding new pathways in our brains—literally.

a.      It’s much better if we can give ourselves genuine challenges in our learning, like mastering a new skill or hobby, discovering a new language, or learning someone else’s culture, etc.

b.     When you increase the ways you use your brain, you increase the capabilities of your brain.

c.      Have a “to-do learning list”.

9.     Stress Management.  Chronic Stress has the ability to re-wire your brain—and not in a good way.  Animals that have been put in chronic stress situations show less activity in the part of their brain that does “higher order tasks”, and more activity in the primitive-based, or survival area of the brain.

a.      It’s similar to exercising one part of your body, and not another part.  It builds up one part of our brain to handle threats, and not the part that creates.

b.     Find ways to reduce your stress.  Think of your favorite way to reduce stress—how long has it been since you did that?  Decide when you’ll do it, and then do it as often as you can.

c.      Consider meditation.

10. Sleep.  Some people say they don’t need much sleep, or they just don’t have the time.  About ¼ of our population suffers from Insomnia. 

a.      The author of the book, Limitless, Jim Kwik, was severely sleep deprived for a good part of his life. 

b.     Jim Kwik says it’s a serious mistake if you think that less sleep is ok—to please reconsider right now, and consider that you do need more sleep.  He says sleep is not a choice.  It is crucial for our overall health, and daily functioning.

c.      The National Institute of Health says we must have good quality sleep, and enough of it—that it is as important to our health as food and water.

d.     Poor Sleep is tied to physical and mental disorders, irritability, impulsivity, increased depression, and cardiovascular disease.

e.      According to the National Institute of Health, Sleep actually functions as a laundry cycle for the brain, doing cellular repair and flushing out buildup from the day.

f.       For better focus, you need sleep;

g.     For clearer thinking, you need sleep;

h.     To make better decisions, you need sleep;

i.       For better memory, you need sleep.

j.       Sleep affects how our nerve cells, or neurons, communicate with each other, and with the food we eat;

k.     Sleep helps us learn, and helps us create new memories.

l.       Jim Kwik was known in his youth, as “the boy with the broken brain”.  His book is a good resource for overcoming problems with brain health.

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There’s a lot of information here about sleep.  I have a couple of side notes that also are connected to sleep.

Side Note #1.  Aerobic exercise is proven to help improve our sleep.  Dr. Christopher E. Cline, University of Pittsburg, recommends 2 ½ hours per week of aerobic exercise plus adding some resistance work. 

The exercise goal is to increase your heart rate—but not so much that you’ll be out of breath, just good simple movement that pushes you a little bit.

Side Note #2.  Turn off your Mind.  Having trouble with that?  There just so happens to be a tool available.  It’s Meditation.  There is much research, and lots of books about the good that meditation can do.

Since I’ve been coaching people into health, I’ve learned a lot in so many areas.  One thing I’ve learned is how valuable meditation can be.  It has helped me be more calm, and to think more clearly.

I never was aware of much about meditation until I went to the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, where I learned all the good that it can do.  I had to actually meditate for my class credit, so I did.  I’m a believer that it is good.  Also, the Bible encourages us to meditate in several scriptures. 

Some helpful apps are Calm, Abide, Headspace, Muse, and a Christian  app, Soultime.  Plus many, many more.  They give you calm music, calm stories, or it can guide you through specific types of meditation.

Research has shown that meditation boosts your immune system.  It increases your brain function.  It helps with insomnia, with reducing stress, and so much more.

Ariel Gartin, inventor and co-founder of Muse Meditation system, says some people think Meditation is about “emptying the mind”, but in reality it’s about training the mind to be aware in the present moment.

In this busy and distracted world we’re living in, do you feel our minds need any training on being able to “focus”?  I believe, for sure, we do need help with that.  Our brains were not meant to be so “scattered”.

You can meditate at any time, in any place.  If you take 3 minutes with your eyes closed, and take deep breaths, counting your breaths (paying attention to your breaths), your attention will be focused, and even if you only spend 3 minutes, it will calm your system down.

Put all your focus on your breathing; when your mind wanders, just notice it, and bring it back to your breathing.  It’s a natural thing for your thoughts to drift away.  It’s not a bad thing.  Just calmly bring your thoughts back to your breath.

When this happens, this is You, learning to observe your thinking.  Soon you’ll begin to notice that you can have more control over your thoughts.

A good source for learning more about meditation is Emily Fletcher, in her book, Stress Less, Concentrate More, and in her online program at ZivaMeditation.com.

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Again, there’s a lot here about sleep, and some extra focus on meditation, but it all goes together to improve your brain energy, your health, and your life.

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So, I repeat the question… Why can’t we reach our goals?  

It may not be as simple as we think.  Lots of people think it’s their lack of self-discipline, lack of time management, or laziness.  When maybe… just maybe it’s that your brain just doesn’t have the energy to help you mentally push through to it.

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This article can help you have more energy.  It can help you think better, feel better and be healthier. 

These changes are a lot to navigate on your own, tho.  If you’d like to have more energy, I can help you get there.  And while you’re at it, the byproduct will be better sleep, and feeling better.

My 4-week personalized coaching offer is $300.  Sometimes it takes longer than 4 weeks to reach your goal, according to where an individual is, in their life and their health. 

Our first visit is at no cost, so we can see where you are now, and where you want to be, and so you can see how coaching works.  Let’s work together to get you some brain energy, and to get you to your goals.  Sign up here!

Thank you for reading.

Sharon