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Even if you start with changing 1 step a day for 7 days or 1 a week for 7 weeks you will begin to see a difference. As your body and brain begin to notice the different ways you are taking care of you!
As this information gets through to your brain and body it often thanks you in ways you hadn't even noticed had been affected...
We've all experienced those moments from time to time — forgotten a name, had a hazy memory, misplaced our keys. After all, in today's age of multitasking madness, it's easy to lose track of a few details. But when these" moments" happen regularly, they become more than passing phenomena; they can signal a condition loosely referred to as brain fog.
A condition that has less to do with personal traits than with overall health.
The term "brain fog" describes the symptoms people feel, as if there is a thick fog dampening their mind.
While the medical and mental health establishments don't generally recognize brain fog as a condition, it's a surprisingly common affliction that affects people of all ages. Symptoms include pervasive absentmindedness, muddled thought processes, poor memory recall, difficulty processing information, disorientation, and fatigue.
& B.T.W.
Multitasking is just one culprit that has helped this phenomenon to become common in todays society. Multitasking (do not let any Employer, supervisor or Partner fool you) is as unhealthy for your brain as too much alcohol or sugar is to your overall general health.
The brain cannot truly process more than 1 thing at a time to optimum levels.
Check this out if you don't believe me...
Because the condition (Brain Fog) is loosely defined, the causes themselves have been quite murky.
Although we do now know that good cognitive function depends on numerous physical systems running smoothly: strong circulation, efficient digestion and detoxification, antioxidant activity, prolonged Stress and Overwhelm and more.
Impairments in these functions can deprive the brain of nutrition and damage neurons and brain cells.
Therefore by understanding and strengthening these complex interrelationships, we can help combat brain fog and improve overall health simultaneously.
Here's how with just a few simple improving actions you can start to alleviate brain fog:
1. Control stress.
There are a number of practices that have been shown to reduce stress and benefit the brain, especially yoga, tai chi, Nia and meditation. The breathing that is so essential to these disciplines increases oxygen throughout the body, which in turn increases energy. These exercises are also shown to reduce inflammation and help calm an overactive nervous system. Making a regular daily or a minimum of weekly time for yourself is a practice that would reap great rewards in our fast paced lives. Its also a wonderful practice to allow our children to see us doing as it shows them just how important it is.
Me Time is a time out for yourself, it's about doing exactly what you want for you for a period of time. optimum health comes from ensuring that you support all areas of your health and Me time is as important as making nutrition a priority.
Finding something that you enjoy doing on your own just for you is such a joy.
It's also important to take time to enjoy life. Meet up with friends, go to a show, get a massage. Enjoyment relaxes us and can have a powerful impact on both our mental and physical health.
2. Improve your diet and digestion.
A nutrient-dense diet and healthy digestion are at the core of long-term vitality.
Nutrition affects every system in the body, but especially the brain.
Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicines, for example, have long associated cognitive power with strong digestion.
More recently, researchers have found an abundance of neuropeptides (molecules that transmit brain signals) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and have also shown that the beneficial bacteria in our GI tracts influence brain health, mood, and much more.
Overall, healthy digestion is a complex process of assimilation and organization, much like the way the brain "digests" information.
One issue linked to both diet & brain fog is chronic inflammation.
Of all the factors that influence inflammation, diet has the most direct impact.
A number of nutrient-dense foods with specific anti-inflammatory qualities, such as leafy green vegetables, Pineapples, berries in particular Purple berries suck as Blue and Black berries, sprouted grains and legumes, healthy fats from Nuts , Seeds and Avocados, are all shown to support brain health and cognitive function.
On the other hand, Fast and Overly Processed foods high in sugars and trans fats fuel inflammation and impair cognitive function.
Worse, insulin dysfunction—usually related to chronically elevated blood sugar from an unhealthy diet—is a major risk factor in dementia and cognitive decline.
Also keep in mind adding these 9 Blood Sugar–Lowering Foods - into your diet as often as possible, like Garlic, Sour cherries, Apple cider vinegar, Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and chard, Chia seeds & Raw Cacao
In addition to a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet, certain spices, herbs and nutrients—cardamom, pomegranate, cinnamon, galangal, chromium, and zinc, for instance—support digestion and nutrient absorption and help reduce inflammation.
3. Detoxify.
Heavy metals and toxins like mercury and lead, pesticides, and pollutants can accumulate in the body, contributing to inflammation and deadening cognitive function over time.
A gentle detox program with natural cleansing supplements along with an anti-inflammatory diet can help improve brain function.
A major factor in brain fog is oxidative stress, caused by unstable molecules in the body called free radicals. Free radicals fuel inflammation and damage brain cells and DNA, so be sure to pack in antioxidants, which scavenge harmful free radicals, reduce inflammation, and help detoxify the body.
Berries and dark greens and other richly colored fruits and vegetables are good choices, as they contain powerful antioxidant compounds that defend against oxidative stress.
Please ensure you speak with an expert on this subject before starting to detoxify using supplements or over the counter products to ensure safe usage for you personally.
4. Support cell power. Cellular power plants called mitochondria use oxygen to create energy, and there are more mitochondria in brain cells than in other cells. So it's important to support mitochondrial function to improve oxygen utilization in the brain.
There are a number of supplements that enhance cellular energy production and support brain health, such as NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which is found in all living cells.
In addition, supplements like CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine, L-carnosine, and medicinal mushrooms all support mitochondrial function and reduce inflammation, while helping to combat free radicals. As such, they can offer important support for cognitive capacity, vital energy, and overall health.
5. Exercise. One of the underlying issues we see in brain fog is the inability to get oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Many times this comes down to a circulation issue, which can be related to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and other factors. Regular exercise also increases neural connections throughout your body, balances hormones, and supports numerous other aspects of health. Studies now show that one of the most important things you can do for your brain is to get up and move around—go for regular walks, take bike rides, get out in nature. If you find yourself stuck in a fog, get out and exercise, and notice the clarity you feel afterwards.
If brain fog persists, see your doctor. In serious cases, it can signal an underlying neurological or inflammatory condition, such as Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, or diabetes.
Most importantly, don't let brain fog become your normal state.
With the right support, you can stay sharp and protect brain health—at any age.
6. Education and Learning. By being open to updating your skills and keep abreast of new ideas will help your brain function to keep at it's optimum. However it also helps to keep your confidence high, your ability to pivot when needed or to adapt to changes as they arise. Personal development and reasessment can have a powerfully motivating effect on your clarity of whats going on around you.
By making personal develop and education a priority you will enable you little grey cells to work their way to health.👩🏿
One Harvard article explains how through research with mice and humans, "scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss."
The same article explains that
"Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy" which brings me on to point number 7.
7. Positive regular Social interaction.
Where do we spend most of our time, most of us spend more time at work with our colleagues, bosses, Clients and Customers than we do our Families sometime, so ensuring that this is a positive experience goes up there in importance as the food we eat, the movement we do, the lessons we learn and the sleep we get.
I actually think it is number 1 as if we get this one right the effects of the joy, the calm, the motivation that we receive by going to work each day will flow through to the other areas of our life and keeping points 1 - 6 in check will come easily for us all.
If our work place is not positive, not filled with joyful exchanges, personal development and healthy stimulation, what are we doing there!?
Taking a good look at our work environment, the actual tasks we do all day, the people we mix with, the job itself, it's ethos, community and practices, to see if they fit with our Personal Life values would be a positive step in the direction of clearing Brain Fog and other health issues "would it not?"
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