3114: The Best Way To Think More Clearly by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Enhancing Cognitive Clarity

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[00:00:59] This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 31-14.

[00:01:03] The best way to think more clearly by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. Jenny Brockis.com.

[00:01:09] And we're nearerator Justin Malik, the guy that reads blogs or articles to you every single

[00:01:13] day of the year to hopefully make your and my days even just a tiny bit better.

[00:01:19] So with that let's get right to our next post as we optimize your life.

[00:01:27] The best way to think more clearly by Dr. Jenny Brockis of Dr. Jenny Brockis.com.

[00:01:34] Move.

[00:01:36] It's long been said that we think better on our feet, but it's true.

[00:01:40] Kids given standing desks were found to ask or answer more questions and contribute

[00:01:45] more to class discussion.

[00:01:47] This was equivalent to an increase in engagement of 12% or an extra 7 minutes of effective learning

[00:01:52] in a lesson.

[00:01:54] It might not sound like a lot, but over the course of an eight lesson day that adds up

[00:01:58] to an extra 54 minutes.

[00:02:01] Think of all that extra potential waiting to be tapped.

[00:02:04] Let's not forget either that our brain's plasticity is available to us across our lifespan.

[00:02:10] We are lifelong learners, meaning keeping physically active is a fantastic, simple and cost effective

[00:02:16] way of keeping our minds sharp and thinking hot.

[00:02:20] But we have been evolving into an increasingly sedentary society, making it harder for ourselves

[00:02:25] to retain clarity of thought, make good decisions and solve problems easily.

[00:02:30] The solution has been long staring us in the face.

[00:02:33] It's time to get off our bottoms and move more.

[00:02:37] Which is why there has been a move towards providing more stand-up or variable height

[00:02:41] desks at work.

[00:02:43] One recent article debated the validity of such a move citing a potential conflict of

[00:02:47] interest in the recently published guidelines for sitting and moving at work, because one

[00:02:52] of the contributing authors had a commercial link to these types of desks.

[00:02:56] But this doesn't mean we should ignore the evidence that standing and moving helps us

[00:03:00] to think better.

[00:03:01] The increased blood flow to the brain supplying extra oxygen and nutrients supports better

[00:03:06] brain function and stimulates the release of trophic factors that work to support neuronal

[00:03:11] health and neuroplasticity.

[00:03:14] This primes a brain for better performance.

[00:03:17] Harvard professor John Radiant's book Spark revealed how exercise gets us ready to learn,

[00:03:23] elevate some mood and reduces stress.

[00:03:26] The best exercise for brain function is always going to be the exercise you do.

[00:03:31] For years, the public health message has been to find 30, the gold standard of 30 minutes

[00:03:35] of huff and puff or aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up and makes you puff

[00:03:40] a bit.

[00:03:41] For kids, this could be something as simple as running around the school oval before

[00:03:45] class.

[00:03:46] We could join them of course or do our own thing by scheduling time to get to the gym,

[00:03:51] go for a jog, walk, swim, or cycle ride.

[00:03:55] But there are a couple of stumbling blocks.

[00:03:58] What if you haven't been blessed with a 11 exercise gene or allergic or our exercise intolerant?

[00:04:04] And what if your overstuffed and ridiculously busy schedule simply doesn't cater for

[00:04:08] that time out for you yourself to indulge in extra physical activity?

[00:04:14] Help appears to be at the hand and it's pure gold.

[00:04:18] The pure study looked at the effect of physical activity on mortality, death, and heart disease

[00:04:24] in 130,000 people from 17 high middle and low income countries and concluded no prizes

[00:04:31] for guessing the outcome.

[00:04:33] That physical activity counts as much as going to the gym.

[00:04:37] The main difference being that the time required for sufficient aerobic exercise is 30 minutes

[00:04:42] daily five times a week versus one to two hours of physical activity.

[00:04:48] Moving more in your day can be achieved by choosing to number one, stand more.

[00:04:53] This might look like standing for five to ten minutes after sitting for an hour, choosing

[00:04:57] to stand in meetings while on the phone or when having a face-to-face conversation with

[00:05:02] both parties standing, or persuading your boss or yourself to try all a stand up or variable

[00:05:07] height desk.

[00:05:08] Number two, move more during the day.

[00:05:12] Look for the opportunity to walk to speak to a colleague rather than texting or emailing

[00:05:16] them.

[00:05:17] Arrange a walking meeting.

[00:05:19] Get outside at lunchtime for a walk, jog or stretch and take the stairs instead of

[00:05:24] the lift.

[00:05:25] And number three, review how you get to and from work to see whether you can get off

[00:05:30] the bus or train one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way or choose to cycle into

[00:05:35] work several times a week.

[00:05:37] While the pure study looked at the impact of physical activity on mortality and heart

[00:05:41] disease, what's good for the heart is often very good for the brain.

[00:05:46] Exercise changes the brain.

[00:05:49] Walking that activity requiring us to use our legs to propel us from one place to another

[00:05:54] has been shown to be the ideal activity to get us thinking better and remembering more.

[00:06:00] Another aerobic, huff and puff exercise has been shown to boost the size of the hippocampus

[00:06:05] in women at least that part of the brain used in learning and verbal memory.

[00:06:10] It reduces inflammation and insulin resistance, both factors for a cognitive decline and

[00:06:15] improved sleep patterns also vital for better thinking and mental energy.

[00:06:20] For those of you interested in brain conservation, regular exercise has been shown to help us to

[00:06:24] retain more gray and white matter.

[00:06:27] The brain shrinkage is a normal phenomenon associated with aging, keeping physically

[00:06:31] active with exercise can reduce or put a halt to that brain shrinkage, assisting the

[00:06:37] development of what is called cognitive reserve.

[00:06:40] We are born with a marvelous brain working to your true potential starts with giving

[00:06:45] your brain the attention it deserves to work at its very best.

[00:06:49] It's time to start doing more of the one thing that will make the biggest difference

[00:06:53] to how well you think, learn and remember.

[00:06:57] Move more.

[00:06:58] As Sornakirka Gartraminza says, above all, do not lose your desire to walk.

[00:07:05] Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.

[00:07:10] I have walked myself into my best thoughts and I know of no thought so burdensome that

[00:07:14] one cannot walk away from it.

[00:07:16] But by sitting still and the more ones that still, the closer one comes to feeling ill.

[00:07:23] Because if one just keeps on walking, everything will be alright.

[00:07:31] You just listen to the post titled The Best Way To Think More Clearly by Dr. Jenny Brockis

[00:07:37] of Dr. JennyBrockis.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:18] Take it to Dr. Jenny, one habit that I personally have from this list that I thought was odd,

[00:09:23] but I find more and more people have also is when talking on the phone, I can't be sitting.

[00:09:29] I find it's very distracting so I get a lot of my steps in on days where I have long

[00:09:34] phone calls with my business partner Lee.

[00:09:37] More reason to get on that phone.

[00:09:39] It's an easy way for me to get steps in.

[00:09:40] I don't even realize how many I got until I check later through my phone or smartwatch.

[00:09:46] I got a smartwatch as a gift recently and other than tracking steps, I actually do find

[00:09:51] a little reminder that it sends to stand up.

[00:09:54] Actually really helpful.

[00:09:56] Somehow it knows when I'm sitting and it will tell me it's time to stand up.

[00:10:00] If I do, it congratulates me and I feel good about doing it.

[00:10:04] It's such a small simple thing and a tiny feature in smartwatches, but I really think it

[00:10:09] helps.

[00:10:10] I also record this podcast standing up so that's not quite moving, but at least I'm not

[00:10:15] sitting even more.

[00:10:16] Maybe there's something like that in your life that you do every single day where you

[00:10:21] could think maybe I can stand instead of sit and you wouldn't really notice a difference.

[00:10:26] Your body would though, and that's important.

[00:10:29] See what you come up with?

[00:10:30] Have a great rest of your day and weekend on your feet and I'll see you tomorrow as usual

[00:10:35] where you're after my life.

[00:10:36] Aways.