Amp Up Your Brain Image:brain amp.jpg Ancient Greek bards recited 10,000-line poems by heart. Their secret?

The Method of Loci. Here s how it works: To remember, say, a shopping list, imagine walking to the store. Use items on your list to construct incongruous visual images alon g the way a carton of milk perched atop a mailbox, bananas growing on a rosebush , and so on. Then, when you arrive at the store, mentally retrace your imagined steps to retrieve all the items on your list. Contents [hide] 1 Read better, faster 2 Think out loud 3 Brain age! 4 Sleep well 5 Eat well 6 Exercise 7 Downtime 8 Socialization 9 Fear is the mind killer Read better, faster Speed-reading courses preach a form of skimming that doesn t help comprehension or retention. The best way to pump up the pace is to read a lot for pleasure. In a 2001 study, subjects who read assigned texts increased their speed an average o f 18 percent and comprehension by 11 percent. Those who read texts of their own choosing improved speed by 87 percent and comprehension by 33 percent. Think out loud Ever notice how kids narrate what they're doing? ( Just one more Lego and my fortr ess is complete! ) In the book Mind Hacks, Tom Stafford and Matt Webb call this "s elf-instruction." According to a University of Maryland researcher, language hel ps us process multiple strands of information more efficiently. So go ahead, tal k to yourself and ignore the funny looks you get. Your results will speak for th emselves. Brain age! Drop $150 on a Nintendo DS and the Brain Age gamepak. It is universally fun and challenging, and it works. There are several exercises that improve a range of c ognitive functions. Some may argue that it only makes you better at the games th emselves and not real-world brain function. However playing the game (and workin g to improve your age) is also a great IQ confidence booster. Confidence alone m ay be enough for some to perform at "amped" levels. Sleep well 7 hours a day. Keep a regular schedule, even on weekends--this is important for your body's natural rhythm. Eat well Balanced meals, veggies and protein and carbs, minimize the alcohol and sugar an d artificial additives. Don't skip breakfast (but it can be light). Eat dinner n o less than 3 hours before bed. Eat slowly and only as much as you need. Carbohy drates tend to increase the "calmness" neurotransmitter serotonin. Proteins tend to increase the "alertness" neurotransmitter dopamine. Different cultures have their own models of how food affects our mental state,such as yin/yang foods(Chi nese)or tamasic/rajasic/sattvic foods (Indian).

Exercise That word sounds like "hit the gym" to me, which I'm not into, so you can also t hink of it as "physical activity." Even just walking for 20 or 30 minutes a day, consistently, does wonder. Walking around your neighborhood helps keep you conn ected to your neighbors and surroundings too. Doubt me? Try it. Yoga if you're a dventurous, it's great for both mind and body. Just be careful when doing things like driving after exercising hard,many chemicals,particularly nerve growth fac tors are released;and the body and mind are in a semi-resting state similar to t he dozes young children have while their nervous systems are rewiring after expl oration/play/learning. Downtime Take breaks at work -- it's OK! Your brain needs breaks. Minimize the sensory di stractions in your life. Don't watch TV for four hours; pick just one show and T ivo it or watch it online, or just watch a DVD movie. Cancel cable if you're bra ve. Fill up that time with reading, exercise, socializing instead. It's worth it . Socialization Be open and relaxed. Don't rush through your day so fast that you fail to recogn ize the other nice people you're interacting with, even the cashiers or the pers on you open a door for. Give a little of yourself. Smile. In turn, make somebody else smile. Builds self confidence which in turn builds happiness which in turn builds productivity in all areas of your life. Fear is the mind killer See challenges, not problems. Recognize when you're emotionally blocking yoursel f from productive action and sidestep the block. Got a complaint? Don't whine, j ust take action; don't wait for someone else to take care of it. Your brain will get used to this way of thinking and people will recognize your initiative and sense of ownership and reward you for it.