Boost Your Brain Power

by Paul Joseph

Co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel

We all know the importance of maintaining a healthy body, but do we know how to keep a healthy mind? It is essential to stimulate your mind, by enhancing creativity and memory performance. However, it's normal to forget things and as we age this will happen more, some people have better memories and recall information faster than others. At school I used to be terrible at maths, but I improved by practising every day, showing the importance of challenging your mind to change by learning different techniques and exercises.

by Lucy Miller

A Fitness and Nutrition Expert

Working out not only keeps you happy, trim and fit but also can boost those brain cells. Just one 30-minute workout session is enough to pump extra blood to your brain, delivering the oxygen and nutrients it needs to perform at max efficiency. Cardio also floods the brain with chemicals that enhance functions such as memory, problem solving, and decision-making. And new research has found that this kind of exercise may even cause permanent structural changes to the brain itself.

But what else can you do to help boost your brain?

by Maureen Cromey

An Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Expert

Do you ever walk into a room and wonder why you went in there? Have you driven home and have no recollection of the route you took? Have you been introduced to a couple of new people and then completely forgotten their names? Are you just not feeling sharp or bright, lacking the recall you had in your youth?

by Toby Maguire

A Taoist Master

Is it possible to develop our concentration so that we can work more efficiently and prevent our mind from being distracted? Is it possible to control our thoughts rather than let our thoughts control us? Is it possible to learn how to let go of negative emotions such as depression, fear, anxiety, stress and anger?  Is it possible to improve our memory, learn things more quickly and become a more calm, friendly and confident person?

by Angie Newson

A Yoga and Pilates Expert

We all know Suduko and crosswords can help boost our brain power, improving our focus and memory and enhancing our concentration, but did you know practising yoga for just 20 minutes a  day can do wonders for our brain too? A recent study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health showed that 20 minutes of being on the mat can in fact be better for our brains than jogging like crazy on a treadmill for 20 minutes. In cognitive tests, those who did yoga for this period performed faster and more correctly than the sweaty bunch. 

by Dr. Sarah Brewer

A Nutritionist and Doctor

Memory - your ability to store, retain and retrieve information – is vital to function properly in your social life and at work. But when you're stressed, some memories can become harder to retrieve – especially those that were most recently laid down. 

Following a healthy diet and lifestyle is just as important for your brain as it is for your heart. Keeping mentally active is also vital to maintain the connections between brain cells – those that are not used frequently are automatically pruned away.