Do you ever feel like you can’t think clearly?
Some days things take longer for you to recall.
You feel like your thoughts are really disorganized and cloudy.
That’s brain fog.
We all get it! Brain fog can be really hard to shake off and it’s tempting to try to power through it, like mind over matter. Right?
But as with everything health-related, my motto is it’s not willpower, it’s skillpower. Unfortunately we can’t just willpower our way through brain fog (or through lifestyle changes or weight loss or anything like that).
How to get rid of brain fog
I’m going to talk today about an easy, feel-good way to get rid of brain fog.
Before we get into it, I want to lay a little background for you.
Think back to your high school days.
A lot of us had different cliques in our schools, right? They were jocks and nerds, drama club and goths – and a few kids crossed those clique boundaries (for the record, I was like a jock, nerd, hippie rolled into one).
But for the most part, the structure’s pretty set.
These rigid categories represent how we tend to think about our bodies: everything is a set structure with all of our different systems operating independently from each other.
When we follow this way of thinking, we start to believe that the things we feel are separate from everything else that’s going on in our bodies.
But that’s actually really far from the truth.
Everything in our bodies is connected to our brains – and they all have their part to play in it’s health.
How much you move has a major impact on your brain fog as well as your brain health.
Say goodbye to brain fog with exercise.
Do you ever notice how a quick walk or workout helps to clear your thinking?
You’re not imagining it.
Science backs it up. I came across a study from the University of British Columbia from 2014 that put people through tests to measure their thinking skills after they exercised.
Guess what? People who did aerobic exercises came in with cognitive scores 10 to 20 years younger than their actual age.
Crazy, right? People who did stretches or toning exercises did not get the same results. It’s pretty amazing.
So what we’re seeing here, there’s tons of research on this topic, is that regular cardio exercise, like walking, running or biking not only helps with stress reduction, but it can actually change your brain, especially the areas involved with thinking and memory.
Your brain is an amazing organ. It can grow in volume with new cells, and even new blood vessels, in new neural connections. Exercise helps speed this process up.
Exercise also improves our mood and sleep quality, reducing stress and anxiety – which also contribute to brain fog.
Aerobic exercise can improve your brain fog, your cognition, your mood, and it happens as quickly as the same day.
So, if you want to shake out the cobwebs associated with brain fog, do some cardio.
It could be something as simple as a short brisk walk, or try to squeeze in a quick workout during the day.
Here are some fun ideas that can help you clear that brain fog:
- Walk briskly for an hour, twice a week (start slow if you need, a few minutes a day is better than nothing at all. Increase by a few minutes every week.)
- Go swimming
- Walk up and down your stairs
- Call a friend and go for a game of tennis or squash
- Get your feet moving and go dancing
- Not keen on going out and exercising? Don’t forget that household activities count as well. Mop those floors, sweep and rake up leaves to get your heart pumping.
Even better, get a coach for guidance and accountability -, check out our Virtual Fitness Training with Cathy.
Not only will you get the blood flowing, you’ll probably return with a new perspective on whatever it is that you’re working on.
It’s up to you to take action and make it happen. Stop thinking you aren’t worth it. Show up for yourself and take control of your life.
If you want to hop on a life changing call to talk about your specific situation, schedule a Weight Wellness™ Breakthrough call today.