Mental HealthA Top Memory Coach Shares 3 Easy Hacks To Improve Brain Longevity
Author: Jason WachobJune 5, 2023mbg Founder & Co-CEOBy Jason Wachobmbg Founder & Co-CEOJason Wachob is the Founder and Co-CEO of mindbodygreen and the author of Wellth.Image by Jim Kwik / mbg CreativeJune 5, 2023Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.
When a childhood head injury left Jim Kwik struggling in school, he became known as "the boy with the broken brain." But through decades of discovering different learning habits, he was able to literally rebuild his brain.
Now, Jim is one of the top memory coaches in the country, a leading expert in brain optimization, memory improvement, and accelerated learning and the author Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life. "There's no such thing as a good or bad memory. There's a trained memory and an untrained memory," he shares on today's episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.
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Below, find Kwik's must-have memory hacks to kick-start your own brain training boot camp:
1.
Think positively
"Our brains are these incredible supercomputers, and our self-talk is the program that will run," says Kwik. Meaning, positive thoughts can totally influence your brainpower. "If you tell yourself, I'm not good at remembering names, you won't remember the name of the next person you meet because you program your supercomputer not to," Kwik adds.
Research backs him up, finding that self-talk can totally alter cognitive performance1. It's similar logic to manifesting; our minds are powerful, and you do have the ability to attract what you want. "If people truly understood how powerful their minds are, they wouldn't say or think something they didn't want to be true," Kwik adds.
Now, that doesn't mean you can't ever have one negative thought—just like indulging in sweets every now and then won't throw off your balanced eating plan. "But if you did consistently, a little becomes a lot, right?" Kwik adds. "Same with our thoughts."
The bottom line: If you want to have a better memory, start with a positive mindset. Don't sell yourself short by saying you have a short attention span or have the inability to recall certain details. Believe in yourself, says Kwik, and the behaviors will follow.
2.
Move while you learn
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According to Kiwk, "As your body moves, your brain grows." It's true: Aerobic exercise has been shown to generate new neurons in the hippocampus2, or the region of the brain associated with memory, learning, and emotions. Contracting your muscles via resistance training, on the other hand, releases certain myokines3, or muscle-based proteins, into the bloodstream—and some of these myokines have been shown to have neuroprotective properties4.
Aside from those neuroplasticity benefits, "research shows that when you listen to a podcast or an audiobook and you're going for a brisk walk, you're on an elliptical, or you're doing something rhythmic, you'll actually retain and understand that information better," Kwik says.
In fact, research shows that students perform better on academic tests5 when they participate in some kind of physical activity during the school day. In another study, researchers found physical activity can help people learn a second language6.
So if you'd like to learn new information, you may want to get that heart pumping. "What's good for your heart is going to be good for your head," adds Kwik.
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Declutter your space
"Your external world is a reflection of your internal world," says Kwik. "Anecdotally, when you make your bed, clean your desk, or put all the files on your [computer] screen in the right folders, then you have clarity of mind."
Research, too, has shown that stress can result in ritualized behavior7, such as repetitive movements (like cleaning). Sprucing up your space can literally take your mind off of what's bothering you and give you a sense of agency—you may not be able to control an uncertain event in your life, but you can control the clutter in your home.
"So I remind everybody to 'Marie Kondo' your mind by really optimizing your environment," Kwik says. You can find the tidying expert's cleaning routine here if you need some organizational inspiration.
The takeaway
Anyone has the ability to optimize their brainpower—all it takes is a few targeted training methods. Kwik has plenty more tricks where these came from (including a brain archetype quiz you can take for free here), so make sure to tune into the full episode to improve your memory, focus, and cognitive longevity at large. Ultimately, there is no magic pill you can take to have a perfect memory, but according to Kwik, "There is a process."
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We hope you enjoy this episode! And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube!
Jason Wachobmbg Founder & Co-CEO
Jason Wachob is the Founder and Co-CEO of mindbodygreen and the author of Wellth. He has been featured in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and Vogue, and has a B.A. in history from Columbia University, where he played varsity basketball for four years.
7 Sources
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-10985-003
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808288/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998961/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.649929/full
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266425/
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177624
- https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00652-1
