8 Ways to Train Your Brain to Learn Faster and Remember More

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". Wor% your memory. Ty!a Tharp& a 'Y(-based renoned choreo)rapher has come up ith the fo!!oin)
memory or%out: hen she atches one of her performances& she tries to remember the first te!*e to fourteen
corrections she ants to discuss ith her cast ithout ritin) them don. +f you thin% this is anythin) !ess than a feat&
then thin% a)ain. +n her boo% The (reati*e ,abit she says that most peop!e cannot remember more than three. The
practice of both rememberin) e*ents or thin)s and then discussin) them ith others has actua!!y been supported by
brain fitness studies. Memory acti*ities that en)a)e a!! !e*e!s of brain operation-recei*in)& rememberin) and thin%in)-
he!p to impro*e the function of the brain. 'o& you may not ha*e dancers to correct& but you may be re.uired to )i*e
feedbac% on a presentation& or your friends may as% you hat interestin) thin)s you sa at the museum. These are )reat
opportunities to practica!!y train your brain by f!e/in) your memory musc!es. What is the simp!est ay to he!p yourse!f
remember hat you see0 Repetition. For e/amp!e& say you 1ust met someone ne. 2,i& my name is 3eor)e4 5on6t 1ust
respond ith& 2'ice to meet you4. +nstead& say& 2'ice to meet you 3eor)e.4 3ot it0 3ood. 7. 5o somethin) different
repeated!y. By actua!!y doin) somethin) ne o*er and o*er a)ain& your brain ires ne pathays that he!p you do this
ne thin) better and faster. Thin% bac% to hen you ere three years o!d. You sure!y ere stron) enou)h to ho!d a %nife
and a for% 1ust fine. Yet& hen you ere eatin) a!! by yourse!f& you ere creatin) a mess. +t as not a matter of
stren)th& you see. +t as a matter of cu!ti*atin) more and better neura! pathays that ou!d he!p you eat by yourse!f
1ust !i%e an adu!t does. 8nd )uess hat0 With enou)h repetition you made that happen9 But ho does this app!y to your
!ife ri)ht no0 :ay you are a procrastinator. The more you don6t procrastinate& the more you teach your brain not to ait
for the !ast minute to ma%e thin)s happen. 'o& you mi)ht be thin%in) 25uh& if on!y not procrastinatin) cou!d be that
easy94 We!!& it can be. By doin) somethin) rea!!y sma!!& that you ou!dn6t norma!!y do& but is in the direction of )ettin)
that tas% done& you i!! start creatin) those ne precious neura! pathays. :o if you ha*e been postponin) or)ani;in)
your des%& 1ust ta%e one paper and put in its ri)ht p!ace. <r& you can )o e*en sma!!er. Loo% at one piece of paper and
decide here to put it: Trash0 Ri)ht cabinet0 8nother room0 3i*e it to someone0 You don6t actua!!y need to c!ean up that
paper= you on!y need to decide hat you need to do ith it. That6s ho sma!! you can start. 8nd yet& those neura!
pathays are sti!! bein) bui!t. 3radua!!y& you i!! transform yourse!f from a procrastinator to an in-the-moment action
ta%er. >. Learn somethin) ne. +t mi)ht sound ob*ious& but the more you use your brain& the better its )oin) to perform
for you. For e/amp!e& !earnin) a ne instrument impro*es your s%i!! of trans!atin) somethin) you see ?sheet music@ to
somethin) you actua!!y do ?p!ayin) the instrument@. Learnin) a ne !an)ua)e e/poses your brain to a different ay of
thin%in)& a different ay of e/pressin) yourse!f. You can e*en !itera!!y ta%e it a step further& and !earn ho to dance.
:tudies indicate that !earnin) to dance he!ps seniors a*oid 8!;heimer6s. 'ot bad& huh0 A. Fo!!o a brain trainin) pro)ram.
The +nternet or!d can he!p you impro*e your brain function hi!e !a;i!y sittin) on your couch. 8 c!inica!!y pro*en
pro)ram !i%e Brain,B can he!p you impro*e your memory& or thin% faster& by 1ust fo!!oin) their brain trainin) e/ercises.
C. Wor% your body. You %ne this one as comin) didn6t you0 Yes indeed& e/ercise does not 1ust or% your body= it a!so
impro*es the fitness of your brain. D*en brief!y e/ercisin) for 7E minutes faci!itates information processin) and memory
functions. But it6s not 1ust thatFe/ercise actua!!y he!ps your brain create those ne neura! connections faster. You i!!
!earn faster& your a!ertness !e*e! i!! increase& and you )et a!! that by mo*in) your body. 'o& if you are not a!ready a
re)u!ar e/erciser& and a!ready fee! )ui!ty that you are not he!pin) your brain by e/ercisin) more& try a brain trainin)
e/ercise pro)ram !i%e D/ercise B!iss. Remember& 1ust !i%e e discussed in G7& by trainin) your brain to do somethin) ne
repeated!y& you are actua!!y chan)in) yourse!f permanent!y. H. :pend time ith your !o*ed ones. +f you ant optima!
co)niti*e abi!ities& then you6*e )ot to ha*e meanin)fu! re!ationships in your !ife. Ta!%in) ith others and en)a)in) ith
your !o*ed ones he!ps you thin% more c!ear!y& and it can a!so !ift your mood. +f you are an e/tro*ert& this ho!ds e*en more
ei)ht for you. 8t a c!ass at :tanford Ini*ersity& + !earned that e/tro*erts actua!!y use ta!%in) to other peop!e as a ay
to understand and process their on thou)hts. + remember that the teacher to!d us that after a persona!ity test said she
as an e/tro*ert& she as surprised. :he had a!ays thou)ht of herse!f as an intro*ert. But then& she rea!i;ed ho much
ta!%in) to others he!ped her frame her on thou)hts& so she accepted her ne-found status as an e/tro*ert. #. 8*oid
crossord pu;;!es. Many of us& hen e thin% of brain fitness& thin% of crossord pu;;!es. 8nd it6s trueFcrossord
pu;;!es do impro*e our f!uency& yet studies sho they are not enou)h by themse!*es. 8re they fun0 Yes. 5o they sharpen
your brain0 'ot rea!!y. <f course& if you are doin) this for fun& then by a!! means )o ahead. +f you are doin) it for brain
fitness& then you mi)ht ant to choose another acti*ity 8. Dat ri)htFand ma%e sure dar% choco!ate is inc!uded. Foods !i%e
fish& fruits& and *e)etab!es he!p your brain perform optima!!y. Yet& you mi)ht not %no that dar% choco!ate )i*es your
brain a )ood boost as e!!. When you eat choco!ate& your brain produces dopamine. 8nd dopamine he!ps you !earn faster
and remember better. 'ot to mention& choco!ate contains f!a*ono!s& antio/idants& hich a!so impro*e your brain
functions. :o ne/t time you ha*e somethin) difficu!t to do& ma%e sure you )rab a bite or to of dar% choco!ate9 'o that
you %no ho to train your brain& it6s actua!!y time to start doin). 5on6t 1ust consume this content and then )o on ith
your !ife as if nothin) has chan)ed. Jut this %no!ed)e into action and become smarter than e*er9
Read more at: http://forum.facmedicine.com/threads/8-ays-to-train-your-brain-to-!earn-faster-and-remember-
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