OH! Magazine - Australian Version January 2014 (Australian Version) | Page 13

PAUL
TAYLOR

THE 80/20 LIFESTYLE:

www.bodybrainperformance.com

( Body / Brain Performance )

Paul Taylor explains how to reprogram your genes
for health, happiness and vitality.

PART 4:

ENGAGE YOUR BRAIN
f you want to optimise your brain, two key areas to get
familiar with are neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. The
former is about creating new brain cells, where the latter is
about changing, or adapting your brain. In this regard the
brain, essentially, acts like a muscle in that it changes
depending on what stimulation you give it.
To optimise neurogenesis, regular exercise (especially
vigorous) and good nutrition (see next month’s article) are critical,
as is dealing effectively with stress (see last month’s article).
For neuroplasticity, we need to give the brain a reason to
adapt. In this sense, routine is not a good thing for your brain
– rewiring your brain is all about novelty. Here are some top
tips for optimising neuroplasticity as well as enhancing mood
and overall brain function:

I

Get learning – a new language or a musical instrument
are two of the best ways to future-proof your brain, but
you could also enrol in a TAFE or University course, or scout
around for some of the brilliant free short courses that are
available online (www.coursera.com).

1

Novelty – get a new job, visit new places, go to work
different ways and just introduce a whole heap of
novelty into your life. Every little bit helps to build new
networks in the brain.

2

Meditation – far from being the preserve of monks and
tree-hugging
hippies,
meditation
(especially
mindfulness) is now a firmly established way to improve your
brain. The last decade has shown that mindfulness meditation
can improve mood and emotional regulation, reduce stress
and even increase brain volume. Recent research has even
shown it actually changes gene expression.

3

Gratitude ritual – get a piece of paper and write down all
the things you are grateful for in your life. Martin
Seligman has shown that if you spend two minutes a day
being grateful, your mood will improve for 24 hours. Ideally,
make this part of your daily morning routine.

4

Kind acts – research has shown that when we do kind
acts for others (this can be random or structured as in
joining a volunteer group), it improves our mood and outlook
on life – so get giving!

5

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