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When I was studying in college, I committed to various activities that allowed me to retain more information, improve focus, and ultimately make things easier for me.
Some of the more notable differences consisted of exercise and supplementing with nootropics.
So in this post, we are going to go over 7 ways to transform your mental fitness so that you perform your best - regardless of what you do.
Let's dive in!
Whether it's for studying, work, health, exercise, and more, cognitive performance is of utmost importance to all of us.
The following are some practical ways to improve our mental fitness.
Exercising is one of the best ways we can improve our mental or cognitive performance. Exercise has been shown to improve mental health through means of reducing anxiety, depression, and more.
In addition, exercise has been shown to improve cognitive power in the additional ways:
What I would propose to optimize your fitness for cognitive performance is the following:
Sleep can play a huge role in our mental fitness, as there is an inverse relationship when it comes to sleep and depression: with symptoms of depression, it is difficult to sleep, and sleep-deprivation has been shown to cause depression. In addition, poor sleep can impair alertness and concentration.
We need to consider sleep a restorative process. It takes out the waste our brains have accumulated, helps us recover, and helps us perform our best.
Here are some strategies we would recommend if you find difficulty getting a good night's rest:
Improving your nutrition through means of consuming less processed foods and more whole foods can not only improve your body composition, but your brainpower and focus as well!
For practical strategies around nutrition, I have listed some recommendations we should take to optimize our nutrition for cognitive performance.
There is a strong correlation between poor diets and mental health. For example, not having enough Iron in your body makes you more prone to depression and anxiety.
To get a proper nutrient intake, you should eat a diverse palate of fruits and vegetables per day. This can be easily achieved by eating about 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Here is what we mean by serving sizes:
In doing so, you not only get a great amount of vitamins & minerals, but you also get a good amount of fiber in your diet.
Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps us rebuild muscles, hair, skin, and brain neurotransmitters.
According to one study, protein has a large impact on cognitive performance because of its neurotransmitter production. As most neurotransmitters are amino acids, protein consumption produces neurotransmitters like dopamine.
What we recommend in getting the right amount of protein is the following:
For more on protein, you can read our article here.
According to Harvard Medical School, a survey of 6000 found that the individuals who consumed more monounsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, and avocados) performed best on cognitive performance tests.
Monounsaturated fats are fats that can aid to lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. To add to that, a recent study found that high levels of monounsaturated fat consumption are correlated to greater levels of intelligence.
This means that we should focus on including more monounsaturated fats in our diet.
Here are some recommendations in monounsaturated fat consumption:
Research has shown that individuals who committed to most ambitious goals led to higher performance levels. This is due to the fact that there is a correlation to goal-setting and the part of our brain that elicits emotion.
Another studyshowed that high-performance individuals reach their goals because they are emotionally-attached to them. The more emotionally-invested the individual was to their goals, the more you will perceive the obstacles you encounter to be less difficult than they appear.
So strive towards accomplishing big goals every day.
We recommend starting off with the following:
A 2013 study found that learning new skills helps aid in cognitive function as we age. As such, we should pursue knowledge in some form every day. For example, reading can facilitate cognitive improvements based on knowledge.
When it comes to pursuing knowledge daily, we recommend the following:
According to a Michigan State University study, childhood participation in arts and crafts led to more creativity and innovation as these children reached adulthood. This makes sense, as taking more risky endeavors can lead more creative opportunities.
Here are some recommendations to improve your mental fitness:
Nootropics are brain boosters that help improve mental performance, notably from memory, concentration, and more.
Believe it or not, many nootropics are found in various foods we consume, but in small amounts.
Supplementing with more potent amounts of nootropics, like N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine have been shown to aid in stress-induced memory and attention deficits.
Our Nootropic Energy Elixir, Impulse, is my go-to nootropic that I have been using pretty much everyday for the last two years.
There are only a few ingredients in Impulse, but each ingredient is efficaciously-dosed to provide you the cognitive focus necessary to grind through work, exercise, studying, and more.
You can get yours by clicking here, or the banner below.
To conclude, here is a simple breakdown, the TLDR of this post:
As you can see, many of these strategies can be implemented by simply adding or reinforcing current lifestyle habits. Organizing your life around multiple habits allows you to create a routine that automates your health & fitness - physically and mentally.
With that being said, I want to personally thank you for taking the time to read this post!
If you have any questions, comments, or insights, feel free to email us at support@reforgedperformance.com or follow us on Instagram!
Until next time, Reforged Legion!
Exercise can feel like a chore, and even if you know it’s good for your health, the motivation to get moving sometimes just isn’t there.
But it doesn’t have to be a burden - by making exercise meaningful to you, it can become something fun and rewarding!
Here are five ways to make exercise more meaningful!
Men, I know what it is like to be overweight and depressed.
Not having the energy to do anything but relax and sleep.
While relaxation and sleep are incredibly important, they can make us feel like we are not making progress in our lives.
And when depression hits, it’s very difficult to push through with exercise and weight loss.
But did you know that even though it takes time and some effort, you don’t need to get obsessively crazy over it?
In fact, with just a few small adjustments, you can lose weight, fight back against depression, and take your life back.
If you're serious about shedding pounds and pushing away those depression demons, here are five tips that can help get you started.
A few weeks ago, my buddy Grant and I talked about nutrition.
We talked about how he's lost over 120 pounds so far with the weight loss progress he's been making.
This is all because he has been making healthier decisions over time.
One of the newest challenges he's facing right now is he's got a new job. He's working 10 to 12 hour days with physical demanding labor.
And what's been happening for him is that he's been super exhausted, he's not motivated to meal prep, he's having trouble trying to sit down and cook foods doesn't have the energy doesn't have the time.
So what I propose is five tips that you can use to live a more on the go fast food healthy eating lifestyle.