Brain Power

MINDSET

  1. Adopt a “growth” mindset, not a “fixed” mindset. Check out work by Carol Dweck.
  2. Avoid email first thing in the morning; it makes you reactive to other people’s agenda, and not your own.
  3. See yourself as a thermostat, not a thermometer. A thermometer reacts to the environment, but a thermostat sets a goal and the environment adjusts to it.
  4. Learn something new every single day. Commit to lifelong learning.
  5. Can’t get yourself to work or workout? Watch my 5 “kwik tips” video on how to overcome procrastination.
  6. Tap into more of your mind power, brain strength, thinking speed and mental agility with any online memory improvement and speed-reading programs. (Editor’s note: You can get started at www.KwikLearning.com.)

MOVEMENT

  1. Your brain’s primary function is to control your body’s movement. Schedule and make movement a priority, daily. As your body moves, your brain grooves.
  2. New research suggests sitting down all day may be as harmful as smoking. If you do most of your work sitting, consider getting a standing or treadmill desk. Or try these 25 tips to stand more.
  3. Schedule breaks every hour to get up, move and stretch.
  4. Your brain is about 2 percent to 3 percent of your body weight, but utilizes 20 percent of the oxygen you take in. The lower 1/3 of your lungs absorbs the majority of the oxygen. Remember to breathe deeply.
  5. Read Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
  6. Read Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness.

NOURISHMENT/NUTRITION

  1. The old adage is true: you are what you eat. If you want to be alive, eat live (raw and/or nutrient-dense) foods.
  2. Remember portion control. Here are 8 tips to control your portions.
  3. When it comes to healthy eating, start somewhere — anywhere — and keep it simple. Replace one good food for one bad food. Need help? Get tips on hacking habits at www.Start1Stop1.com.
  4. Research suggests we can only make a limited number of good decisions, and after those are made we suffer from what is called “decision fatigue.” You can save your decision power and time by planning your meals in advance.
  5. Keep a food journal. People who kept one lost double the weight of those who didn’t, according to one study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
  6. For an easy to read and practical health book that’s both incredibly helpful and entertaining, check out Kale and Coffee.

REGENERATION

  1. Sleep deprivation can have long-term negative effects that you can’t fix with a nap or a Red Bull. Know the top 9 reasons to get more sleep so you make it a priority.
  2. Here are 10 superhero tips to get a better night’s sleep tonight.
  3. New technology can help you relax and meditate.
  4. Stressed? Try this quick Release Meditation Technique.
  5. Give your mind a rest. Get off the digital grid, ditch your smart phone.
  6. Unleash your superpowers. Here are 10 superhero steps I learned from working with the X-Men of film fame.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jim Kwik, founder of Kwik Learning and SuperheroYou, is a world expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, brain performance and accelerated learning. For two decades he has served as a leading mental coach and advisor to many of the world’s leading CEOs and celebrities in entertainment, technology, education and business.

After a childhood brain injury left him learning challenged, Jim created strategies to dramatically enhance his mental performance. He has since dedicated his life to helping others unleash their true genius and brainpower to learn anything faster and live a life of greater power, productivity and purpose. Jim has a gift for friends of 24Life: Get special speed-reading and memory training at www.JimKwik.com/24life.