Step 1
The first step to improving your memory and focus is to make sure that your diet is conducive to the overall health and functioning of your body. It is necessary to seriously start avoiding sugar, as it is a leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, scientists have found Alzheimer’s disease is a combination of diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2, and they may even change the name of Alzheimer’s disease to diabetes type 3. It is also important to take your diet into your own hands and start cooking your own food. Avoid processed foods, natural or artificial flavors, food dyes, fast food, junk food, and pretty much any food in boxes, bags, or cans. Also, the brain loves healthy fat, so eat a lot of avocado, olives, fish, nuts, and seeds. The healthiest oils to eat are coconut oil and olive oil, and the healthiest oils to cook with are avocado oil and grapeseed oil.
Step 2
The next step to improving memory and focus is to avoid sitting. Many doctors are calling sitting the new smoking. Do you remember the “Rule of 20”? Never sit for more than 20 minutes straight. Every 20 minutes, stand up for at least 20 seconds, walk 20 feet, and look at something 20 feet away. So take that 20-second stretch or movement break, and then return to what you were doing. The brain can only hold 3 major concepts at a time, so frequent breaks will improve production at work, as well as retention for school. Sedentary life is not good for metabolic processes and brain function, so start exercising and moving ASAP!
Step 3
The third step to improve your memory and focus is to maintain proper hydration. What happens to a grape when it is dehydrated? It shrivels up to a small raisin. Would you want your brain to be dehydrated and shrivel up as well? Therefore it is absolutely vital to be drinking plenty of well-filtered water. You can optimize your hydration by drinking lemon water or pouring it over a pink Himalayan salt crystal. The lemon alkalizes the water and the salt adds many minerals. Remember the formula – you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day, at least.
Step 4
The fourth step is breathing. Breathing is extremely important for brain function. Most people breathe shallowly, into the chest and raise their shoulders, but you should aim to breathe deeply, into the abdomen and push your diaphragm down and out during your inhale. Your exhalations should be twice the duration of your inhalations. So you can practice inhaling for 3 seconds and exhaling for 6 seconds, then increasing it to inhaling for 4 seconds and exhaling for 8 seconds. Keep adding one second every week until you work up to inhaling for 8 seconds and exhaling for 16 seconds. When you exhale, make sure you breath out every last breath of carbon dioxide because the more carbon dioxide you leave in your lungs, the more acidic your brain and body become. Your carbon dioxide helps give the trees, plants, and bushes the life they need, so not only are you helping yourself, but you are providing for the environment, as well.
Step 5
The fifth step is that you should engage in new activities frequently. Diversify your workouts, your after-work activities, and the routes you take to different places such as the grocery store. If you do the crossword in the newspaper every day, consider changing it up like trying sudoku, the word jumble, doing a puzzle, or finishing a maze. Doing the same activities stimulates the same areas of the brain, but neglects others. Try a physical activity that challenges the brain, like memorizing dance steps or going to a yoga class. There are also many simple things you can do on a regular basis such as brushing your teeth or your hair with the opposite hand, taking a new route to work, reading a book, putting your feet in the grass, dirt, or sand, meeting new people, visiting a new place, playing a sport, drawing a picture, putting something together, gardening in the yard, cooking a new dish, or teaching someone something new.
Step 6
Finally, the last step to improve your memory and focus is with a process called neuroplasticity which is where you can actually rewire your brain to make it stronger. Do not let anyone ever tell you that your memory just gets worse with age, or your memory decline is typical as you get older. That is simply not true, you just have to work harder as you get older. Maybe you need a brain Bootcamp of functional neurology exercises. Think about it like if you were out of shape and hired a personal trainer to make your muscles stronger. However, instead of making your muscles stronger with weights and exercise machines, we make your brain stronger with neurological exercises such as balance exercises, eye exercise, memory exercise, breathing exercises, and posture exercises. We also perform activities to increase reaction times, improve coordination, challenge your motor skills, and add sensory sensations like touch, smell, light, sound, and taste to maximize the brain’s potential. It is all non-invasive, we do not use any medications, and perform no surgeries. It is safe and it is effective.