News headlines make it sound like scientists are completely stumped by the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. While there’s still no cure for these devastating diseases, new discoveries are continually being made when it comes to improving the brain’s “plasticity”—perhaps the strongest known defense in protecting our memory and ability to think clearly.
Plasticity refers to the brain’s capacity to create new neural connections and networks in response to changes in one’s environment, including those in your body and your experiences. Simply put, how you live your life defines the anatomy of your brain. With positive changes, you can improve your memory, mood, attention and zest for life—while negative habits result in a “sluggish” brain.
My personal journey: A few years ago, I realized that my intense focus on my work as a neuroscientist, surprisingly, had left vast parts of my brain unused. At the same time, I constantly worried about possible negative outcomes—a thought pattern that causes the body to chronically pump out excessive levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which over time kills neurons and impairs memory. On top of that, my lack of physical movement in my lab led to a 25-pound weight gain!
Adding more movement in my life not only turned everything around for me but also led to my current research focus on the effects of exercise on brain function. To help people make the same transition I did from couch potato to regular exerciser/gym rat, I came up with a series of four-minute brain hacks. These allow anyone who is time-challenged to add little chunks of brain boosters throughout the day.
Step #1: Do brain-body exercise. Exercise is the mother lode for fortifying your body and your brain. Just one workout boosts your brain power by improving focus, attention, mood and reaction time. If you regularly do aerobic exercise that causes you to work up a sweat, over a period of weeks, months and years, you’ll gradually increase the brain-boosting effects, thanks to exercise-induced neurochemicals, such as growth factors that promote the survival and growth of neurons (neurogenesis).
These changes lead to new brain cells in the hippocampus, where new long-term memories are formed…and new synapses in the prefrontal cortex, critical for planning, problem-solving and decision-making. Strengthening these areas can help ward off dreaded cognitive decline.
For a greater brain boost: When exercise is physical and mental—for example, you’re fully engaged and/or feel passionately about it—you’ll improve your emotional health and self-confidence…and prime your brain for more plasticity. Inspired by high-energy movements from such disciplines as kickboxing and martial arts, I dubbed this “intentional exercise” because it requires deep focus combined with motivational affirmations spoken out loud.
Here are two powerful moves and affirmations that work for me—do each for one minute daily for a mental boost that fuels other positive habits…
Affirmation #1: As you punch your arms forward like a boxer (right and left), say, “I am strong now!”
Affirmation #2: This time, throw an uppercut alternating between your right and left arms and say, “I am inspired now!”
My own research shows that it takes three or four 30-minute workouts a week to achieve enhanced alertness and decision-making. My personal approach: Three weekly aerobic exercise sessions (such as spin, kickboxing and dance classes) and two yoga classes per week for mindfulness practice.
Four-minute exercise brain hacks…
Step #2: Get creative. The prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus are crucial to our creativity. Most people don’t realize that everyone has this ability and that there are two main ways to express creativity. Invention creates new ideas and finds solutions… and divergent thinking challenges you to bring novelty to the way you’ve been doing something for years.
Four-minute creativity brain hacks for invention…
Four-minute creativity brain hacks for divergent thinking…
Step #3: Try meditation. Long-term, meditation increases the size of various brain areas. The improvements are deeper for Buddhist monks who practice for hours a day than for the casual meditator. But you still can improve your brain by sitting quietly and focusing your mind on yourself or a mantra for just a few minutes. This practice will help enhance attention, working memory and recognition memory. For best results, it should be done daily.
Four-minute meditation brain hacks…
Step #4: Be generous. Giving and receiving stimulates dopamine, resets the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to reduce anxiety…and makes the world a little better.
Pick something you do really well that’s easy and enjoyable to do—and give it to someone else. One example for me is inviting my friends’ kids to my lab and introducing them to science. For my friend Cheryl, an expert baker, it’s making a pie for friends.
Four-minute generosity brain hacks…
