Is intelligence a function of nature or nurture? Are people born smart or do they become smart? The safest answers are it depends or all of the above. Many search for explanations for differences in people, yet the challenge is to search for ways to maximize your own personal potential. There are some key habits, exercises, and ways of thinking that can help you increase your memory, make more strategic decisions, increase understanding, and enhance mental clarity. This workshop will expose you to simple things that you can do on a regularly basis to challenge your mind engage your thinking to access greater creativity and intellectual focus. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: a. Identify habits to increase memory and thinking b. Explore strategies to increase creativity c. Play brain teasing games to enhance focus

1. October 17–19, 2013
TEN WAYS TO BOOST
BRAIN POWER
Sally Hanna

2. Brain Quiz
Question 1
Question 2
People who
meditate for 30
minutes a day for
8 weeks show
changes in parts
of the brain
associated with
memory, sense of
self, empathy and
stress?
Human brains are
the most complex
of any living
organism on
earth?
Answer: True
Answer: True
Question 3
Question 4
The brain
accounts for 2%
of the body’s
mass and burns
what % of the
body’s energy?
What percentage
of the brain is
made up of
water?
Answer: 20%
Answer: 80%

3. Brain Quiz
Question 5
Question 6
How much does
your brain weigh?
At what age does
your brain stop
growing and
changing?
Answer: 3 lbs.
Answer: Late
teens and early
twenties, but
continues to
change your
whole life
Question 7
Using your brain
can strengthen
the trillions of
connections
between brain
synapses?
Answer: True
Question 8
Your brain
generates enough
watts of power
when you are
awake to
illuminate a 25
watt light bulb?
Answer: True

4. Commit to Act

5. #1 POWER OF EATING RIGHT,
POWER NAPS, AND EXERCISE
ON THE BRAIN

6. Eating Right for Maximum Brain Power

7. Eating Right for Maximum Brain Power

8. Eating Right for Maximum Brain Power

9. Eating Right for Maximum Brain Power
Nourish – Carbohydrates
Fuel Your Brain
• Glucose is the only fuel normally
used by brain cells
• Neurons cannot store glucose, they
depend on the bloodstream to
deliver a constant supply of this
precious fuel
• This blood sugar (glucose) is
obtained from carbohydrates:
Glucose from carbohydrates is the fuel
your brain uses to product the energy
that moves and motivates you.
Fatty Acids
Micronutrients
Amino
Acids
– grains
– legumes
– fruits
– vegetables
– dairy products
• Too much sugar or refined
carbohydrates can actually
deprive your brain of glucose.
Glucose
Source: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/carbs.html

10. Question – What Nutrient Gives You
Omega-3
• Extra Boost to Brain Power
• Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

11. Sleep Boosts Brain Cell Numbers
Myelin Ensheaths Nerves to Protect Them and Speed Up Their Signaling
Necessary for Our Nervous System to Properly Work

12. Power of Quick Naps
• Caffeine Can Decrease Memory Performance
• Nap on a Regular Schedule
30-60 Minutes Helps Boost Memory and Enhances Creativity

13. Exercise
Boosts Brain
Testosterone
Levels, Builds
New Brain Cells

14. Word About Exercise
• Increases Oxygen to Your Brain
• Reduces Risk of Disorders that Lead to
Memory Loss
• Enhances Production of Brain Chemicals –
Protects Brain Cells
• Testosterone Surge After Exercise
– Production of New Brain Cells Takes Place
• Increases Dopamine Released
– Dopamine Helps Your Brain Improve Concentration

15. #2 POWER OF NEGATIVE/
POSITIVE SELF TALK
ON THE BRAIN

16. Power of Negative Self Talk
I’m Not
Qualified
for this Job
I Can’t
Do This
I’m Not
Supposed
to Be Here
I’m Not
Smart
Enough
I’m Not
Good
Enough

17. Power of Positive Self Talk
I am
Qualified
I Can Do
This
I Belong
Here
I am Smart
Enough
I am Good
Enough

18. #3 POWER OF STRESS
ON THE BRAIN

19. De-Stressing
STRESS is One of the Brain’s Worst Enemies
• Destroys Brain Cells
• Damages a Region of the Brain Involved in the
Formation of New Memories and the Retrieval
of Old Ones

20. Hot Buttons
are things that annoy, irritate, and/or
frustrate you.
I get extremely irritated, frustrated, or annoyed if a person:
Misses deadlines
Talks but doesn’t listen
Does not share information
with team members
Only thinks about his or her needs
or interests
Is derogatory
Thinks he or she knows it all

21. Exercise
Identify Your Own

22. Hot Buttons
What You Can Do When a
Hot Button is Pushed
• Don’t React
• Practice De-stressing Techniques
–
–
–
–
Deep Breathing
Visualization
Take a Walk
What Else?

23. #4 POWER OF BODY POSTURE
ON THE BRAIN

24. Two Hormones Effects on the Brain
• Testosterone – Effect on Key Cognitive Functions
– Attention, Memory, and Social Ability
• Cortisol – Stress Hormone Increased Levels Lead
to Memory Impairment and a Smaller
Hippocampus

25. Closed Body Posture

26. Powerful Body Posture

27. #5 POWER OF MEDITATION
ON THE BRAIN

28. Power of Meditation on the Brain
• Meditation Changes Actual Brain
– Regular Meditators have More Activity in the Left
Pre-frontal Cortex
• Associated with Feelings of Joy
– Increases the Thickness of the Cerebral Cortex
• Encourages More Connections Between Brain
Cells
Increases Mental Sharpness and Memory Ability

29. Power of Meditation on the Brain

30. Power of
Meditation
on the Brain

31. #6 POWER OF LEARNING
SOMETHING NEW
ON THE BRAIN

32. Power of New Learning
“Use It or
Lose It”
Working Out Your Brain, Increases the Process to Remember Information

33. How Do You Get a Brain Workout
• Visit New Places
• Different Kinds of Books
• Challenging Hand-Eye Coordination
Pick Something New, Challenging and Fun!

34. #7 POWER OF HAVING FOCUSED
CONVERSATIONS ON THE
BRAIN

35. Focused
Conversation
Activity

36. #8 POWER OF LAUGHTER AND
SOCIAL CONNECTONS ON
THE BRAIN

37. Effects of Laughter
Laughter Engages Multiple Regions Across the Whole Brain

38. Effects of Laughter
“Bummer of
a birthmark,
Ha!”
Laughter Engages Multiple Regions Across the Whole Brain

39. Social Connections
Relationships Stimulate Our Brain
• Interacting with Others is the Best Kind of Brain
Exercise
• Vital for Brain Health
Exercise
How Can I Build More Social Connections?

40. #9 POWER OF TRICKS TO
MEMORY RETENTION
ON THE BRAIN

41. Tricks to Memory Retention
• Pay Attention
• Involve as Many Senses as Possible
• Relate Information to What You Already Know
• Rehearse in Your Mind

42. Use Mnemonic Devices to Make Memorization Easier
1836

43. Chunking With

44. Method of Loci
Place Items You Want to Remember Along a Route You Know Well

45. #10
FOSTERING CREATIVITY
AND INNOVATION

46. Creativity
2-4 Years – 95% Test Very Creative
7 Years – 4% Creative

47. A Way of Improving Already Existing Products
Innovation is Not Limited by IQ, Intelligence, or Degrees

48. A Way of Improving Already Existing Products

49. The 3M Example

50. Increase Innovation By . . .

51. Questions