Last Updated on January 12, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
The food you eat does more than fill your stomach or add to your weight. It can also directly affect the way you think. Reasoning, memory, concentration and even advanced problem solving skills can all be relational to your overall fitness. Although you might not turn yourself into a savant by eating right and exercising, it will improve your capacity to think.
Keeping the Mind In Prime Condition
Your brain is affected by many factors. Various foods and oxygen are the primary components that play into the power of your mind. With the right foods and regular exercise, you can enhance your cognitive abilities. This can help in everything from managing your home lifestyle to advancing in your career. It’s not just a matter of how much you weigh as fitness can greatly alter your life for the better.
Enhancing Memory
Foods such as berries offer memory enhancing vitamins and minerals. The antioxidants within these foods helps scrub free radicals in your blood stream while strengthening the connections between the neurons in your brain. In fact, many berries have been linked to reducing the risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
Enhancing Blood Flow
When you exercise regularly, your brain receives more oxygen. This is a vital component to the brain’s ability to remain functional, and it can improve cognitive functions. This is one of the reasons why so many people prefer to exercise in the morning. It can help create focus and get you ready for the day from a mental perspective. Personally, I find that it’s easier for me to write as a freelancer after I exercise.
Keeping your arteries clear of plaque build-up through healthy practices can also contribute to higher brain function. The amount of blood your brain receives in any given day can affect everything from the simplest of decisions to deep concentration. Plaque build-up restricts this blood flow, which leads to a decrease in mental acuity. Eating right and keeping the heart strong is one of the best ways to avoid this situation.
Keeping Yourself Saturated
According to studies, the use of water is directly related to cognitive abilities. It was found that students who drank wanter during exams performed better than those who didn’t. This leads experts to believe that keeping your cells hydrated can improve everything from retaining new information to memory recall.
Dehydration can also affect concentration, as found in various studies for both adults and children. It’s believed that the water itself is the key because of our genetic structure. Humans are carbon-based life forms and require a certain level of water in order to remain functional in every regard. Since water plays such a profound role in the maintenance of the human body, it’s wise to drink enough of it to promote physical and mental fitness.
Avoiding Certain Foods for Improved Thought
Foods that you’re allergic to can have an impact in how your brain functions. It’s been discovered that allergies to things like gluten, tuna and other foods simulate conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder. Once these foods were removed, the person afflicted would return to a normal way of processing information. Some experts believe that this is the cause of many misdiagnosed cases of ADHD. The behaviors are so similar that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. It was primarily discovered by parents who suspected food to blame and removed the items from the child’s menu.
While you may not find yourself doing advanced mathematics or having a photographic memory by keeping yourself fit, it will contribute to your ability to think. Every thought, memory and emotion is controlled by your brain. Proper fitness only gives the brain the tools to maximize your abilities. Everything from your love life to career could be affected in a positive way with better fitness practices.