brain hacks – The Movement Paradigm

Do you want to do my favorite neuroscience hacks that can help improve your memory, retention, and overall cognitive health? If you’re like me and you’re constantly trying to learn new things, these can be invaluable.

Rather watch or listen?

5 Neuroscience Hacks

1. Taking a 10 Second Pause

Studies have shown that taking a 10-second pause, interspersed with trying to retain new knowledge, can help you to get a 20-fold replay. In other words, whatever information you are trying to retain, you could learn that 20-fold by taking very intentional 10-second pauses. How does this happen? It’s will affect your hippocampus and your neocortex which is critical for memory and retention.

2. Listening to White Noise

Although some people may be distracted by white noise, many individuals that suffer from ADHD or ADD can benefit greatly too. White noise can help increase dopamine which can help with working memory. It can help tune out the background noise and help you to focus on the task at hand.

3. Wearing Blue Light Blockers

We are stimulated by blue light all day long. However, after seven o’clock when your circadian rhythm is beginning to shift and you plan to use electronics, blue light blockers can be very helpful. It is one of the simplest things that you could do that can improve the quality of your sleep, thereby improving memory and retention.

4. Crossing Midline

Crossing midline is a great way to connect the right and left hemispheres of our brain which is connected via the corpus callosum. When you cross midline, you’re improving coordination and communication between hemispheres, which can ultimately help you improve your learning. Something as simple as bringing your knee to your opposite elbow either in the sitting or standing position can be a great way to wake up your brain!

5. Movement

Movement is key for learning. Sitting all day while trying to learn something new is not the most ideal way to optimize your retention. Aim to move every 30 minutes and also try moving while simultaneously learning, like walking while listening to an audiobook.

Of course, that’s not all of the amazing things that you can do to help improve your cognitive health, memory, and retention. See what resonates with you and see if that can be integrated into your life.

We are happy to help, so please reach out. We do virtual and in-person consultations, so we’d love the opportunity to help you on your journey. If this was helpful, give it a share and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

Need help? Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

Other things that may interest you:

Vagus nerve hack | Diaphragmatic and Lymphatic Release

Vagus Nerve Hack | Pyloric valve release | visceral release

Top 5 Vagus Nerve Hacks to Help You Relax and Restore

Are you a person that sets a New Year’s resolution every year, but doesn’t quite follow through with it? Maybe you know a lot of friends and family members that set goals, but by the end of the year, you ask them if they’ve done them and they haven’t. Whether you’ve been successful in the past or not, this is a new year, and you absolutely can hack your brain through cognitive-behavioral processes to achieve success in your New Year’s resolutions. You can do this in three easy ways.

Setting SMART Goals.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Time-Oriented.

Specific: You want to be specific about your goal and map out how you’re going to be able to do that. For example, I want to learn steel mace this year. I know the basics, but this year I’m going to dedicate some time towards getting better and more proficient at steel mace. At the end of the year, I want to certify in that, so I have a very specific goal.

Measurable: How can you measure your goals? So my measure is going to be when I complete the certification. If that doesn’t happen this year that’s okay, but I’m going to work towards that, so that is my precise measurement.

Action-Oriented: Next is action-oriented, how exactly are you going to achieve that goal? So, I’m working with a coach and I’m going to practice two to three days a week on steel mace. I’ve signed up for the certification so that each month I’ll be working towards a specific goal. Essentially, how are you going to map out achieving that goal? If you don’t do that, you are not setting yourself up for success. For example, if you want to lose weight, but you don’t like to grocery shop, then that is not going to work out so well. You have to figure out how you can meal prep or maybe you need to hire a professional to help guide you because you’ve been doing the same thing over and over again.

Realistic: Is it realistic, is this possible, or is it too farfetched? For example, saying I’m going to lose 40 pounds in a month or I’m going to go to the gym five to seven days a week are not realistic goals. You need to give yourself time to adapt and work into a new habit as opposed to just going all in and then crashing come February.

Time: Lastly is the building in the time. So what are you measuring and then what is your timeline to achive it? For example, by June or sooner I am going to begin to work out three days a week or by February or sooner I am going to eat six servings of vegetables a day.

Take your time and go through this process. Make sure your goals are strong, realistic, and measurable so that you can be successful.

2. Hacking that habit loop, and rewarding yourself.

When you are setting a new goal, you want to try to reward yourself immediately after you’ve done something. For example, you wake up in the morning and exercise, right after you are done exercising you want to reward yourself. That could be something as simple as taking a hot shower or eating a piece of chocolate. Whatever is rewarding to you. Research shows that you should do it immediately after the activity to help reinforce that process and reprogram your subconscious mind.

3. Consistency.

You have to be consistent when trying to gain new habits. Even when it’s hard, you have to commit, perhaps for two minutes or five minutes. You have to be consistent and once you do, it becomes easier and easier. Sometimes you have to break through a lot of barriers and a lot of subconscious behaviors that have been working against you for so long. Remember your subconscious mind always likes what’s easy and likes to follow the path of least resistance so you have to work hard to break out of that.

This year, change things up. Don’t be the norm. Happy New Year!

If you’d like to schedule a free 15 minute virtual discovery session, please email drarianne@staging.movementparadigm.flywheelsites.com or text 302-373-2394 to schdule. We’d love to help you get healthy again!

For more content, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

Tag: brain hacks

Top 5 Neuroscience Hacks