6 Things Great Leaders Train Their Brains To Do

Think of your brain as a computer waiting to be programmed. Planning ahead gives focus and helps you use their limited mental power effectively. In this post, I shared with you the 6 things great leaders train their brains to do.

The brain is a three-pound supercomputer. It is the command and control center running your life. It is involved in absolutely everything you do. Your brain determines how you think, how you feel, how you act and how well you get along with other people. Your brain even determines the kind of person you are. It determines how thoughtful you are; how polite or how rude you are.

Your brain is more complicated than any computer we can imagine. Did you know that you have one hundred billion nerve cells in our brains, and every nerve cell has many connections to other nerve cells? In fact, your brain has more connections in it than there are stars in the universe! Optimizing your brain’s function is essential to being the best you can be, whether at work, in leisure or in your relationships.

Here are 6 things great leaders train their brains to do:

1. Exercise

Consistent aerobic exercise (e.g. jogging or biking) can generate new cells and blood vessels in the brain and increase the brain’s volume principally in the frontal and temporal areas. These are the areas of the brain involved in executive control such as planning and working memory. It is recommended to have at least 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week along with a mix of weight training, balance drills and speed/agility components such as jumping rope.

2. Protect Your Brain

Protecting the brain from injury, pollution, sleep deprivation and stress is the first step to optimizing its function. The brain is very soft while the skull is really hard. Inside the skull, there are many sharp bony ridges. Several brain areas are especially vulnerable to trauma, especially the parts involved in memory, learning and mood stability. In order to be your best, it is essential to protect your brain from injury.

3. Adopt Daily Practices That Prime Your Brain

Sleep well, exercise, drink plenty of water, consume foods with omega-3 fatty acids and remember to practice gratitude. It seems simple because it is just that simple. The key is to create regular routines designed to help you create healthy lifestyle habits so you can optimize the brain.

4. Manage Stress And Meditate

The stress hormone cortisol can kill brain cells and chronic stress can cause memory loss. Any form of stress management is good. Meditation offers a brain boost. In addition to lowering stress, it has been shown to increase cerebral blood flow and activate certain parts of the brain to improve concentration, focus and mood.

5. Feed Your Brain

The fuel you feed your brain has a profound effect on how it functions. Lean protein, complex carbohydrates and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids (large cold water fish, such as tuna and salmon, walnuts, Brazil nuts, olive oil, and canola oil) are essential to brain function. Unfortunately, the average American diet is filled with simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, causing many people to feel emotional, sluggish, spacey and distracted.

6. Work Your Brain

Your brain works just like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets over time. Every time you learn something new, your brain makes a new connection. Learning enhances blood flow and activity in the brain. If you go for long periods without learning something new, you start to lose some of the connections in the brain and you begin to struggle more with memory and learning.

Conclusion

Think of your brain as a computer waiting to be programmed. Planning ahead gives focus and helps you use their limited mental power effectively. In this post, I shared with you the 6 things great leaders train their brains to do.