The UltraMind Solution (104 page)

3.
Take fish oil just before meals to prevent any fish taste from coming up, or freeze the capsules. If you swallow them frozen, they will be in your intestines before they dissolve.

These supplements and the guidelines in this chapter are critical if you want to obtain optimal brain health and move toward an UltraMind. To make it as easy as possible to keep track of the supplements you are taking, I have included a “Supplement Checklist” in
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
. Please go to www.ultramind.com/guide and download the guide to acquire that checklist.

The next part of the program we need to discuss are the lifestyle changes that are an important part of the UltraMind Solution.

Exercise, Relax, Sleep, and Train Your Brain

——————

In addition to the dietary changes and supplements you take on the UltraMind Solution, there are four basic lifestyle changes I recommend you integrate as well. These are:

1.
Exercise

2.
Relaxation

3.
Improved sleep patterns

4.
Brain exercises

Each of these has been scientifically proven to improve mood and all brain functions.

In the checklists in chapter 19, I will outline when you should exercise, relax, and do your brain exercises.

When you do, choose from the options in this chapter to integrate these changes into your life.

In addition, you should institute the sleep program I have outlined here every day for the rest of your life. Sleep is your body’s and brain’s time to rebuild cells and recharge. Without optimal sleep you will have a dull, anxious, unhealthy brain and body.

While diet and supplementation are the heart of the program and the key to acquiring the nutrients you need for a healthy life, each one of these lifestyle changes is important as well. They are critical factors in obtaining an UltraMind.

While most of us accept the benefits of exercise on our bodies, perhaps its most powerful effect is on our brains. It helps rewire our circuits and
improve learning, memory, concentration, and focus. And it is the best antidepressant and antianxiety therapy available.

If it were in a pill it would be the biggest blockbuster drug of all time. Yet all you need to take advantage of it is a pair of shoes and not even that if you live near a beach.

Here is what exercise will do for your brain:

Strengthens your cardiovascular system.
Here the vascular part includes the blood vessels, which supply your brain. In fact, the most common source of cognitive decline as we age is not Alzheimer’s but hardening of the brain arteries, called vascular dementia.

Corrects and prevents insulin resistance
. This is how to stop the major source of brain aging, which occurs through blood sugar and insulin imbalances.

Erases the effects of stress
and improves your resistance to stress.

Improves mood and balances neurotransmitter function.
It is better than Prozac for depression. It increases GABA (the antianxiety neurotransmitter), serotonin (the happy neurotransmitter), and dopamine (the energizing neurotransmitter), and helps keep all the neurotransmitters in balance.

Reduces inflammation
and improves immune function.

Reduces pain
through increased endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.

Boosts overall motivation
and the ability to be fully engaged in life.

Increases neuroplasticity and neurogenesis.
It improves existing connections, makes new ones, and helps stimulate the production of new brain cells.

It does this through naturally
increasing BDNF,
or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is super fertilizer for the brain. It improves the function of neurons, helps them grow and sprout new connections, and protects them against cell death. It is the key link between thoughts, emotions, and movement.