Every year I try to communicate to students how important it is to their success to eat well, drink water, and get some exercise every day ( even if it’s just walking part of the way to school).
Unfortunately, over the years nutritional habits have declined! So much of this is habit that young people tend to close their ears to the scientific facts about how body and mind work together.
The programs at Max the Mutt are rigorous. The dedication has to be there, which means doing everything possible to help yourself succeed. This includes good organizational skills, and a real love for what you are studying, but all of that can be sabotaged by poor nutrition. Junk food lowers resistance to disease, can lead to mood swings (the sugar blues), and denies the brain what it needs to be creative.
I’ve cut and pasted the articles below in the hope that you’ll read them and take them to heart.
From a post by Peter Moore on EduBlog:
Nutrition and Creativity
Nutrition and creativity? This might sound like an odd fit, but just logically think about it for a moment. If you are in poor health, how creative do you think you will feel? In order to be creative you must have a sharp mind and body. If you are filling your body full of chemicals and pesticides you are not going to be performing at optimal levels.
If, for some reason, you doubt this, look at it from a different perspective. Would you eat two large steaks just before running a marathon? How about four cheeseburgers? You get the point; you need the right fuel for the job. Your brain is largely fat, but healthy fat. Omega-3 fatty acid foods such as flaxseeds, flaxseed oils, sardines and Alaskan wild salmon are brain foods. Many of us are lacking omega-3 in our diets, and so this is one way to jump-start your brain.
Eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible is another way to make sure that your brain and body is at optimal performance. With many fruits and vegetables it is only slightly more money to buy organic, which means that you are drastically reducing your exposure to harmful pesticides. You are paying more, but you are also getting more. Numerous studies have shown that organic food is higher in nutrients. Smart shopping will also allow you to find many organic foods that are only slightly more expensive than their non-organic counterparts.
Exercise and Creativity
Exercise, in any form, increases blood flow to the brain. The more blood flowing to your brain, the better it works. A simple brisk walk can be enough to get the job done and it’s an easy way to help you be at an optimal setting to be creative.
Feed Your Brain; Increase Your Creativity
http://www.writingnag.blogspot.com
Science tells us that every person with a healthy brain has the ability to be creative. And while there are many self-help books on the market on increasing creativity, the art of creativity and the creative brain many do not address the science of the creative brain. There are many ways to increase your creativity if you have the tools; good nutrition and foods for your brain, enough water, the desire to increase your creativity and for some people supplements will increase your creativity. Feed your brain!
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
- A healthy brain
- Good nutrition
- Water
- Desire to increase creativity
- Ask yourself if you are taking care of your brain by getting enough sleep, eating good nutritious food, adequate water and getting exercise. Often when we are stressed many of the things we know to do for proper self-care fall out the window. The brain needs glucose and oxygen to function properly. If you are on a low-carbohydrate diet you may experience a fuzzy feeling in the brain. Eating protein with a healthy carbohydrate provides much needed glucose and will help you think clearly and create.
- Although drinking 8-glasses of water a day is suggested, you probably know what the proper amount is for your body. If you’re exercising or drinking a lot of caffeine you will probably need more. Water is needed by the brain to help lubricate the brain tissue and is essential to brain function. It is been proven that adequate water will make you more alert and capable of learning.
- Get more exercise. We have become a sedentary nation. Exercise floods the brain with oxygen, so if you’re sitting at your desk uninspired, consider taking a brisk walk, run or even use your Wii. Recent scientific studies have shown that exercise also keeps your brain young and may prevent degenerative brain diseases.Eat brain food on a regular basis. There are foods that are known to keep your brain healthier. They include cold water fish, blueberries, and walnuts. Also don’t skimp on the carbohydrates. While carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap, carbohydrates provide fuel for the brain. For optimum brain nutrition eat smaller nutritious meals every few hours.
- Eat brain food on a regular basis. There are foods that are known to keep your brain healthier. They include cold water fish, blueberries, and walnuts. Also don’t skimp on the carbohydrates. While carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap, carbohydrates provide fuel for the brain. For optimum brain nutrition eat smaller nutritious meals every few hour
This entry was posted on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 and is filed under Max the Mutt, Maxine's Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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