Do you ever feel you need to live up to your full potential? Are you looking for ways to boost your brain power and enhance your quality of life? If so, you’re in luck! In this article, we’ll share five powerful brain hacks that can help you achieve greater success and happiness in all areas of your life. It will take some practice and patience, but these five powerful brain hacks will change your life.

 

Five Powerful Brain Hacks

1. Meditation and Mindfulness
2. Exercise
3. Sleep
4. Eating Quality Foods
5. Brain Training/Mindset Training

 

Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness are two practices that can profoundly impact your brain function and overall well-being. Meditation involves focusing on a specific object, such as your breath or a mantra. In contrast, mindfulness involves paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in a non-judgmental way. Regularly practicing these techniques can help reduce stress, improve memory and focus, and boost creativity.

 

To incorporate meditation and mindfulness into your daily routine, try starting with just a few minutes each day and gradually increasing the time as you become more comfortable with the practice. One of my favorite types of meditation is walking meditation. Doing a meditation where you are sitting is good sometimes, but I would rather be mobile or in a yoga class going through the poses. Also note that though this is Hack one, there are better ones you should follow.

 

The hacks that work best for you will be dependent on many factors. For example, I had a friend in college whom I tried to do some sitting meditation with, and after five minutes, she said she couldn’t go on. She said that she could not stop the thoughts from flowing in her head and quieting her mind. I told her that our thoughts were like the leaves on a river. They will come and go, and we must allow them to do so.

 

Even for myself, mediation took me many years to master. Though I say master, there is always room for improvement regarding meditation. I enjoy meditation most because every session produces a different result and challenge. Sometimes I am energetic and ready to go after a meditation session, while other times, I am ready to sleep. Regardless of the effect, I feel better after being more mindful of my day, body, and goals.

 

Exercise

Exercise has to be my favorite hack on this list, and for a good reason. Regular exercise is another powerful tool for enhancing brain function and quality of life. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, stimulates the growth of new brain cells, and releases endorphins that can improve mood and reduce stress. In addition, exercise can also improve physical health and help you maintain a healthy weight.

 

As you can imagine, exercising is a two-for-one special. Not only are you getting your body in order, but your mind also benefits from this brain hack. Even when I do not feel like working out or going to the gym, I do it regardless because that is my mindset; I am always happy that I went and got my workout in, rather than skipping it. I understand that working out can be challenging for everyone, but working out can differ from what you see in the movies and magazines.

 

To incorporate exercise into your daily routine, find an activity you enjoy and try it for at least 30 minutes daily. This could be anything from walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, weightlifting, playing sports, practicing martial arts, or yoga. The important thing is to find an activity that you enjoy and can stick with over the long term. I have found that even if people do not love working out, they can learn to love it.

 

A great example of this is my wife. When we first met, she loved the idea of working out but wanted to avoid the actual act. The reason was a set of limiting beliefs and the understanding that she had to output massive energy to reach her goal weight. I am proud to say she got a body she was proud of through my training program, but it didn’t come easy.

 

When working with clients, the greatest obstacle is not the working out aspects but the mental aspect that is necessary when working out. The brain does a good job of keeping us safe, but it cannot tell the difference between a workout and a situation where our life depends on our physical prowess. After years of working out, that emergency signal the brain sends when you are running at top speed becomes quieter and easy to ignore and push past our comfort to create growth.

 

My top secret hack for exercise is to work out in groups. This can be a yoga, cycling, or CrossFit-style class that will get you around people. When you see other people working out, it will be easier for you to work out because other people are doing it, so it tricks your subconscious mind. The other benefit of working out with a partner or in a group is having someone who will push you when you are less motivated.

 

Sleep

If everyone could have a best friend, I would want their best friend to be sleep. The reason is that healthy sleep cycles will lead to better actions and mindset. Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining good brain health and overall well-being. During sleep, the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and restores energy. I know many people try to get away with less sleep, but when you do that, you break down your body because it doesn’t have time to heal appropriately each day.

 

Chronic sleep deprivation can impair cognitive function, cause mood disturbances, and even cause physical health problems. I am a victim of lack of sleep at times. You can even check the podcast and see bags under my eyes, especially from the past year. There is a reason, but never an excuse, for my lack of sleep. As you may know, I had my first child last year, and when you have a child, puppy, or sick family member, you will be missing some beauty rest whether you like it or not.

 

I can recall when I was a kid, and I would tell my mom that taking naps is for babies. Now that I am an adult, I take naps as often as possible (I guess I am a baby, ha ha). How I built my schedule since starting a family is extremely different from when I was younger and in college. Though I had many long nights cramming or doing papers, I always was able to get my sleep cycle after the “push.” Today, it is more difficult when we do not have much help, and you have a toddler needing either mom or dad.

 

My situation made me think I needed to get more sleep, but I also had a business to run. This gave me the idea that if I cannot get my 8 hours of sleep at once, I get it in spaces in the day. This means that I will take naps during parts of the day when there is downtime in the business in between the family’s schedules. For me, movie night is nap time. It sounds crazy, but many parents will relate to my sentiment. However, only some have the flexibility to sleep like me, so we have to figure out how a regular person can enhance their sleep.

 

To enhance the quality of your sleep, try to establish a regular sleep schedule. You will also want to create a comfortable sleep environment and avoid caffeine and electronic devices before bedtime. A rule in our house is no television in our room. You can bring your phone in if you have to, but even that is lowkey breaking the rules. Although it is great, technology harms good sleep.

 

I want you to try to implement a no-technology in-room rule for one week. Leave your phone in the living room, and if you are too cheap to buy an alarm clock, you can leave your phone outside of your door. That will force you to get up and not hit the snooze button. I have found this to be extremely helpful not only to get me out of bed but by helping me not grab my phone and start combing through all the emails and messages I received while I was in dreamland.

 

A secret brain hack I will share with you is to turn off the snooze option or to set your alarm for the exact time you have no more time to sleep. For example, if you have work at 7 am and set your alarm for 5:30 am, calculate your travel time and morning routine and subtract that. The time you get will be when you have to wake up or be late. You may have to calculate other factors like kids or traffic, but the trick will get you out of bed sooner because you have no time to procrastinate.

 

If you’re having trouble sleeping, many resources are available online, such as sleep meditation and relaxation exercises, that can help you improve the quality of your sleep. You can also invest in better bedding to ensure the most comfortable setup. Some rules to follow are not eating three hours before bed and not having a screen on one hour before bed. Though you might be doing that right now and getting away with some decent sleep, you need to understand how good of sleep you will get if you follow these tips.

 

Brain-Boosting Foods

You know that consuming certain foods will affect your energy levels and mindset. Looking back at the darkest moments, I find I was not eating the foods I should be. I opted for fast, greasy foods over a nutritious and balanced diet. It took me time to realize that my poor mental state and performance were caused by the foods I was eating. Once I got on a plan, I saw my life shift toward the positive.

 

Realizing that the foods you eat can significantly impact your brain function and overall well-being was enough for me to make better food decisions. I understand that eating healthy can cost more, but when you eat well, you feel good, and I would rather feel like a million bucks than have a million bucks. This is a concept many people learn the hard way because they do not realize how important their health is until it is gone.

 

We want to gravitate towards certain nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, because they are essential for maintaining healthy brain function. If you did not learn this in high school, you would want to work with a nutritionist to learn what foods your body excels in. Yes, your body will not like every food you give, so the only two options are to work with a professional and get the work and assessment you need or do trial and error.

 

The key is to find the foods that your body can maximize energy and brain power. It might sound crazy, but your food does more than fill your stomach. Your food choice will determine how much energy you will have today and tomorrow and how many good choices you can make daily. You will want to fill your day with as many brain-boosting foods, such as nuts, fruits, and vegetables, and make that the new normal in your life. It is time to get away from the old meat and potato diet.

Brain Training, A.K.A Mindset Training

Finally, engaging in brain training activities can help to enhance cognitive function and improve mental clarity. I knew this growing up, but I only sought the full benefits of brain training in my late 20s. The secret is that you must engage and practice and digest new content daily. It sounds like a lot because it is, but it is easy to do.

 

When I began this brain training and mindset hack, I read for an hour each night before bed. I read real books with pages, no Kindles or audio books because there is a power that comes from reading a book that doesn’t come from a Kindle or an audio book. The ratio I found for effectiveness is 3-5 Kindle books, and audio books will equate to reading one book with papers where you have to turn the page.

 

What happens mentally is that your brain can transition into a learning phase much quicker due to your conditioning in the school system. I cannot even tell you how many pages I turned growing up. I fear that with technology in schools today, more children will lose this building block to create a powerful brain hack. However, it is possible that new conditioning will be formed from reading off of screens and laptops, but the trend I am seeing now is that there is less focus, which means fewer data is retained.

 

Though we must be aware of changing times, we must also know what people can do to strengthen their brains and elevate their mindsets. Some simple things a person can incorporate beyond reading include puzzles, playing games, and daily memory exercises. These activities can increase focus, improve memory, and enhance problem-solving skills.

 

Moving past the physical aspect of learning, we must look at the mental aspect of fortifying the mind to become stronger. In a way, it is almost by brute force, but the process is simple. A great example of brain training is by doing things like martial arts that help not only the body but also the mind. These athletes must create a mindset to break past their limits, which is brain training.

 

Another secret people can do to train their brains is to shock the body. The easiest and most popular way to give your body this shock is to take a cold shower or an ice bath. When I was younger, we didn’t have a working furnace, so we didn’t have hot water. Sometimes we had a working stove to boil water and bring it upstairs to run a bath, but many nights were cold showers. That shock would make us jump, but it was normal for us growing up to take cold showers. Fast forward to today, I take cold showers to relieve stress and strengthen my mindset.

 

This next story about brain training will be in my parenting book because I was unaware of it until my wife started to do it. My wife started to douse our first child with cold water. The baby would cry because of the water, and I almost said something to her, but we have an agreement not to get in the way of how we want to raise our child as long as the value remains consistent. Surprisingly, he eventually stopped crying when she bathed him in cold water. Today, he is one year old and has immense pain tolerance and a fighter mindset.

 

The last brain hack is something I used when I was going through the greatest mindset shift in my 20s. I learned about the “5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins, who discovered that our brain has about five seconds before it gets in the way of our actions. This is why hitting the snooze button is a bad idea. The five-second rule states that if you start counting up to five or down from five and take action within those seconds, the chance you will succeed in your desired action increases exponentially. However, if you do not do it within the allotted five-second time, the chance you will do it decreases.

 

The Drawbacks

As with anything, there will be drawbacks that will render these brain hacks ineffective. I already gave some examples like obligations like work, school, and parenting, but other factors like time and money have to be calculated into the mix. The reason is that most people in the world trade time for money and have no time because they need more money. This cycle will leave you feeling drained in these areas. At that point, this is when you have to enhance your quality of life not only with hacks but with results.

 

Living paycheck to paycheck without time to exercise, meditate, sleep, or eat healthy is a great place to begin. One of the services we provide for our clients is we give Health and Wellness Coaching. Fitness is also an aspect of the service any client can take full advantage of in our monthly subscriptions. Being flexible and getting help is the best way to combat outside and circumstantial factors.

 

Incorporating these five powerful brain hacks into your daily routine can enhance your brain function, reduce stress, improve your mood, and achieve tremendous success and happiness in all areas of your life. If you struggle to incorporate more than one of these brain hack areas, I recommend getting a Coach. A Coach will help you create the habits, routines, and mindset you need to gain a deeper understanding of your potential, which will help you increase the quality of your life.

 

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts