Your Brain And Your Ability To Focus

I’d like to broach the topic of brain overload and how we often tend to take on far more than we are capable of handling.

It’s tempting to have several tasks on the go at the same time. We’ve no doubt all experienced pushing ourselves to the limits, juggling and occasionally failing miserably, because we pushed our brains into overload.

After an accident during his childhood, Jim experienced learning difficulties. This had a huge negative impact on his education. He is an example of true grit, and in early adulthood, he was able to devise his own method to improve his own learning, memory, reading ability, and focus. A method that not only helped himself, but also many people who have followed his methods since.

Jim often talks about our attention span being limited to 25 minutes.

He encourages people to take a break after 25 minutes and do some physical movements: stand up, have a stretch, take a walk.

Juggling

He even promotes ‘juggling’ as an activity, as this has been proved to stimulate the brain. He underlines that starting in small steps, even with one ball is important. Like any activity we do, this helps us to master a basic movement, before going onto the next step: two balls…..and so on. Have to admit that two balls is a struggle for me, but what the heck!

This is a fun way to stimulate the brain, without much effort. There is no such thing as failure if you drop the ball. Just rinse, adjust, try again and you’ll get better.

Here’s a link to discover some of the programs that Jim Kwik offers. He’s got a great Youtube channel and I believe he has a calm and soothing voice and oozes kindness and goodwill.

Check him out here.

1. The number of neurons in the Human Brain is close to 100 billion
2. On average, an adult brain weighs about 3 pounds (Lb) or 1.2-1.3 kg
3. The Latin word for brain is ‘Cerebrum’, in French ‘le cerveau’, in German ‘das Gehirn’
4. It only takes about five minutes for the brain to start to suffer damage when starved of oxygen
5. The brain is made up of approximately 77% of water
6. If the brain loses but 2% in water content, this can lead to problems in focusing and short-term memory loss.
7. It is essential to start the day by drinking at least the equivalent of two glasses or half a litre of water. Don’t forget, that your body has gone 8 hours without water during sleep
8. The brain can be divided up into several parts: Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, Temporal Lobe, and Cerebellum, just above the brain stem which itself is connected to the spinal cord
9. The Temporal Lobe is where sound is interpreted and processed
10. The Broca’s Area is the part of the brain found to be the most active during speech. This is situated in the front part of the left hemisphere
11. A problem speaking or understanding speech is called aphasia.
12. Certain foods are good for the brain. Some examples are:

Oily fish with omega-3s

Turmeric to ease depression

Broccoli for the vitamin K

Pumpkin seeds for Zinc, Magnesium, Copper, Iron

Berries (strawberries, mulberries, blueberries, blackberries) which are oxidant-rich and help reduce inflammation and improve communication between brain cells

Nuts and seeds are a great source for the antioxidant vitamin-E: almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds

Whole grains also a source of vitamin-E: brown rice, whole-grain pasta, barley, bulghur wheat are just some examples

Avocados are a source of unsaturated fats

Soy products

ENJOY!

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Resources:

Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/what-part-of-the-brain-controls-speech#parts-of-the-brain

The Jim Kwik Challenge To Boost Your Focus

Aphasia Definitions (2022)

Soy Health Benefits

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We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how to maintain your focus on a goal and of course and dietary tips you may have to improve that focus.

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