Today, I want to share with you how to do one of the most important things you can do for your brain…
In my recent posts, I have been covering 7 cheap, simple ways to boost your brain performance. Eating healthy, exercising, getting better sleep – these activities are foundational to your brain’s wellness.
But just as important as what you fuel your brain, how you refresh it, and how you move so that it stays fit, is how you hydrate your brain.
It is one of the best things you can do for your cognitive functioning.
The nerve cells in your brain communicate with each other to make you work – sending signals throughout you that make possible everything from conscious actions, like driving your car and going for a jog, to unconscious actions, like breathing and blinking.
Every day, your brain uses (and loses) 80 fluid ounces of water facilitating that communication, as well as transporting nutrients and disposing of waste… even a 1% decrease in your hydration can result in short-term cognitive decline.
Yeah, it’s pretty important to stay hydrated!
But I’m not just here to tell you how important it is to do something – I always want to leave you with steps you can take to actually do it. Here are 6 ways to add more water to your daily routine.
1. Start small and build up.
Trying to do everything at once is one of the easiest ways to sabotage yourself. We have lofty aspirations but because we have made such drastic changes, we cannot sustain the behavior long enough to turn it into a new habit.
(This is one reason most New Year’s resolutions fail by February – right now is a great time to start making changes so that 2023 is your best year yet!)
Start creating healthy habits one small piece at a time. Set an attainable goal for one week. Gradually start increasing the amount you drink until, over the course of several weeks or whatever timeline is manageable for you, you are drinking enough to be properly hydrated.
Unsure how much water you need to drink? This hydration calculator from the Mayo Clinic will help you find out.
2. Put it on your to-do list.
Anything important enough to remember, we write down. We start the process of completing it by moving it from our minds to the paper. Not only is it an easy thing to cross off the list – creating productivity momentum – but the hydration will give you a brain boost for completing the rest of the items on your list.
3. Hydrate every time you do a regular task, like going to the bathroom, eating, or feeding a pet.
This tip takes advantage of association, when your mind correlates two unrelated things because they occur together. After a while of drinking water with each meal, sitting down to eat will remind you to hydrate.
3. Add fruit to your water.
When asked why they don’t drink water, many people blame one thing: the taste. Among all the sugary and powerfully flavored beverage options we have in 2022, water is often left behind because it lacks an interesting taste.
But it doesn’t have to!
Fruit can add a subtle sweetness to your water, as well as certain health benefits. Add fresh fruit for a more potent flavor, or frozen fruit to help keep your water cold.
4. Keep your water nearby.
“Out of sight, out of mind.” Be honest – the quote rings true, doesn’t it? Like Tony Robbins says, “Proximity is power.” Keeping water nearby and filling up the bottle as soon as it is empty keeps hydration top-of-mind.
As you go through your week, keep in mind the things that are most important to you. Remember that your days determine the direction of your life. You have the power to create it one day – one decision – at a time.
Make today your masterpiece!
Florina
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