Why does it seem like there are never enough hours in the day? From day to night, work to family, personal goals, and endless to-do lists, we’re a nation of on-the-go people. We all want to be more productive, which requires more focus and more energy. If you feel your focus and energy slipping, you’ll want to read on.
Below are four simple, scientifically proven strategies that will keep you sharp and focused— to get the important stuff done.
- Get Your Rest
Quality sleep is key to a better quality of life. In fact, sleep is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. How you feel during the day is directly related on how well you slept the night before. Not feeling your best during the day and struggling to sleep are normally caused by your daily routine, lifestyle choices, and sleep robbers. Shoot for 7-8 hours. Longer than 9 hours and you can feel more tired. If you have trouble falling asleep, avoid electronic gadgets 2 hours before bed, avoid going to bed worried or angry, keep it dark, limit noise and when it’s time to sleep, adjust the bedroom temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s the optimal sleeping temperature.
- Hydrate
Dehydration is guaranteed to make you feel tired. Being hydrated will increase physical power by up to 19%, and it improves cardiac output, which means your brain will get more oxygen. Two great tips to stay hydrated: never leave the house without a bottle of water and avoid drinks that dehydrate you like alcohol and soda.
- Eat Dark Chocolate
Yes, chocolate does have caffeine, but it also contains healthy flavonoids found in cocoa, which have been shown to boost cognitive skills and improve mood. Eating one piece of sugar-free dark chocolate a day is actually good for you! Chocolate can boost blood flow to your brain, help your mood, and decrease anxiety. In one study, seniors who ate more dark chocolate had a lower incidence of dementia.
- Get Moving
In head-to-head studies, exercise has been found to be as effective as antidepressant medication. Exercise is the quickest way to increase all of your feel-good neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. We recommend doing coordination exercises like table tennis, dance or martial arts to strengthen your cerebellum. This can improve your balance, processing speed, focus, and energy. The secret to exercise is to do something you love. Then it’s not work.
I know we said we were only going to give you four ways to ignite your focus and energy, but we want to give you one more. We just launch our new book— The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook — which contains over 100 recipes to boost your brain and eat to win!
