Life Hacks

How using your non-dominant hand changes your brain.

If you’re doing anything that requires willpower – like dieting or cutting back on spending – try using your non-dominant hand more often. 

So if you’re a righty, stir your coffee with your left hand – and hold the cup in your left hand. Reach for door handles with your left – et cetera. 

That’s because willpower is like a muscle, we need to exercise it to make it stronger. And using our non-dominant hand takes our brain off auto-pilot, forcing us to focus and think more. That comes from psychologist Roy Baumeister, the author of “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength.” 

He says, by overriding habits that we don’t even think about – it’ll make it easier to override bad habits.  so it’s best if we start our day by brushing our teeth with our non-dominant hand. That wakes up the brain and starts increasing willpower right away 

The study involved nearly two-thousand adults.

Most kids have a strict bedtime – so they get the sleep they need and stay healthy and can better manage their emotions. But research from Duke University shows that ADULTS benefit the most from having a strict bedtime. 

The study involved nearly two-thousand adults who wore a device that tracked how long they slept each night-down to the minute. 

And they found that people with irregular sleep patterns typically weighed more, had higher blood sugar, higher blood pressure and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than those who kept a consistent sleep schedule. 

In addition, people whose sleep and wake times varied were also the most likely to be tired during the day and less active than those who had a consistent bedtime. 

Why every time we hug a loved one, we give our immune system a powerful boost.

When it comes to staying healthy, there’s been an increased focus on boosting our immune system. But you don’t need supplements – or a special diet……

What you need to strengthen your immune system is a daily hug. According to the journal Psychological Science, every time we hug a loved one, we give our immune system a powerful boost. 

In a study, people were purposely exposed to a cold virus……but those who got the most hugs were significantly less likely to get sick. That’s because, when we’re stressed out, our immune function is suppressed and we’re more vulnerable to infection. 

But a hug – and the emotional support we feel through that physical contact – dials down our stress, bolstering our immune system, and our ability to fight off infections.

Study subjects burned more calories while sleeping.

The standard weight management advice is to resist eating before bed because it leads to weight gain. Here’s an exception: Snack on a little protein from a whole food source. 

A clinical trial conducted by Florida State University found that eating 30 grams of protein, 30 minutes before bed led to a healthier metabolism, enhanced muscle growth, and did NOT result in weight gain! 

And a similar study backs that up. It showed an 18% increase in muscle strength among study subjects who ate straight-up protein before bed. These results came from whole-food protein……Like eating a chicken breast, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. 

So why does protein before bed fire up the metabolism? Because it helps muscles grow and become stronger – and stronger muscles equal a faster and healthier metabolism. So study subjects burned more calories while sleeping – AND the next morning.

Loma Linda University: laughing makes your brain process memories more effectively. 

Here’s an amazing memory booster. If you’ve been more forgetful than usual these days, you just need more laughs! A new study from Loma Linda University has found that laughing makes your brain process memories more effectively. 

For the research, one group of study subjects watched a short, funny video……while another group just sat calmly in the study room with no video to watch. Afterward, all the participants were given memory tests and had their stress levels measured. 

The result:  Those who watched the funny video scored far better on the memory test and had experienced less stress during the test. The researchers confirmed what other studies have proved…. that the less stress you have, the better your memory will function. 

So here’s the way it works.

When we laugh or even just smile….those actions reduce stress hormones, lower our blood pressure and send more feel-good dopamine to our brain. That’s a chain reaction that alters our brainwaves, and increases gamma wave activity. And the scientists conclude that those brain waves improve our memory and recall. 

Bottom-lining this; We now have a terrific reason to watch standup comedies or hang out with our funniest friends.  Because it’s a fact that laughing causes our brain to process memories more effectively. 

Here’s how to activate your brain’s “chill out” circuit

How can you calm down when an issue arises and you start freaking out? Here’s how to activate your brain’s “chill out” circuit, according to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg: 

First: Watch what comes out of your mouth.  M-R-I studies show positive words light up the brain’s reward system……While complaints will activate the pain centers in your brain. 

Also Dr. Newberg says this tip is incredibly effective during a freak out.  Name your emotions.  Right now I’m feeling x or y. And then state why. And if you can, do it out loud.  

Newberg says that will immediately reduce the intensity of your emotions. That’s because naming your emotions transfers brain activity from the emotional part of the brain – to the rational part of the brain. And the freakout will be neutralized.

A new study is now telling us that Extending your life is as easy as going for a brisk walk! 

And we’re talking about an extra 16 YEARS of life!

This is according to brand new research from the University of Leicester that discovered a strong link between a person’s walking pace and the rate at which they age.

To break it down, brisk walking leads to longer telomeres. Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of our DNA strands…….similar to the plastic caps on shoelaces, which keep them from fraying at the end. And the longer a person’s telomeres are, the younger a person is in terms of biological age – which is how well your body is functioning relative to your actual calendar age.

And don’t miss this:  When the scientists analyzed the genetic data of over 400-thousand adults, they found that a faster walking pace can lead to a person being 16 years younger in terms of biological age. 

So here’s the burning question: how much brisk walking do you need to get the longevity benefits? 

The scientists say just 10 minutes a day!

Again this new study is now telling us that Extending our life by 16 years is as easy as going for a brisk walk!