Aim for 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep every night to improve willingness to tackle difficult tasks, enhance persistence, and ensure your brain works better for overall cognitive function.
Engage in regular cardiovascular exercise, aiming for 30-45 minutes daily, or as frequently as possible, to release neurochemicals and BDNF, which improves mood, attention, and promotes the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus.
Perform your exercise early in the day, ideally right before you need to engage in important cognitive work, to maximize immediate benefits like improved mood, prefrontal function, and reaction time for up to two hours.
Practice a 10-12 minute guided body scan meditation daily to significantly decrease stress response, improve mood, and enhance cognitive performance by training focus on the present moment.
Dissolve one packet of Element electrolytes in 16-32 ounces of water and drink it first thing in the morning, and also during physical exercise, to ensure proper hydration and adequate electrolytes vital for optimal brain and body function.
Take an all-in-one vitamin-mineral probiotic drink (like Athletic Greens) once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs, address deficiencies, and support microbiome health, which is crucial for immune system, brain, and mood regulation.
Finish every morning shower with a big blast of cold water to increase adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine, leading to improved mood, alertness, and a lasting feeling of awakenedness.
To enhance memory formation, leverage novelty (newness), repetition, association (linking to known information), and emotional resonance (making it funny, surprising, happy, or sad).
If currently exercising less than 30 minutes per week, start with 2-3 times a week of 45-minute cardiovascular exercise (e.g., spin class) to improve mood, body image, motivation, attention, and hippocampal-dependent memory.
If already exercising 2-3 times a week, increase cardiovascular exercise frequency up to seven times a week if possible, as every additional session improves mood (lower depression/anxiety) and hippocampal function.
Learn about the positive effects of behaviors like stress and exercise to cultivate a positive mindset, as your beliefs about a behavior can physiologically impact its outcomes and lead to greater benefits.
Regularly practice positive self-affirmations, ideally spoken aloud (e.g., ‘I’m strong,’ ‘I’m inspired’), to counteract negative inner dialogue, improve mood, and build a positive self-image.
Engage in a 45-minute tea meditation, meditating over the brewing and drinking of tea, as a specific practice for focus and mindfulness.
Leverage free online resources like YouTube for guided meditations or exercise routines if you don’t want to join classes or prefer self-guided practice.