After decades of education, perhaps one of the most valuable lessons I've learned which I'd like to share with you is the best way to get smarter.
I'm going to unlock this secret with one statement which I'd like you to keep in mind.
Stimulate and challenge many areas of your brain while adhering to a healthy diet and sleeping habits.
Let me elaborate. It is a fact that everyone has their own distinct brain structure (ie. number of neurons, size of brain, etc.) and brain activity. Some may have a more developed left brain closely linked to logic, whereas others may have a more developed right brain for arts and creativity. Also, we all have different levels of intelligence as measured by IQ tests for instance. While there may be some genetic predetermination for how smart you are (whatever metrics you use), it is up to us to maintain and enhance our cognitive ability throughout our lifetime so that we meet up to our expectations, produce results, succeed in life and increase our quality of life. So, what I want to discourage you from doing is to give up on working hard when you think you aren't smart enough or to stop working hard just because you think you are smart. I hope the statement I just shared with you sticks with you all the way to old age.
Now, I believe the best way to stimulate and challenge your brain is to engage in a physical activity that meets these three criteria, and you can refer to Harvard Research for more info on this topic.
a) fun - as it encourages long-term commitment
b) challenging - not only in the physical sense, but also one that requires thinking and attention to details (e.g. strategizing, striving for best form, technique-sensitive etc.)
c) difficult to reach mastery - again as it encourages long-term commitment and hard work.
The reason why I chose a challenging physical activity as one of the best ways to stimulate your brain is because you've got lots going on both physically and mentally. Think about tennis for instance. Not only are you moving your entire body running intensely on the court, but you are also paying attention to the ball, the net, the lines, your opponent, and your position on court while strategizing and preparing for your next hit. Imagine just how many areas of your brain would be activated by playing the sport. What current literature seems to be showing is that these challenging physical activities significantly improve your memory and overall cognitive ability long-term. So if you want to get smarter, find a couple challenging physical activities and start them if you haven't already.
Surely, I'm not a licenced dietitian but I know at least what foods to avoid. First, I know to avoid foods with a high amount of sugar. These include our favourite snacks and desserts like cake, chips, macarons, croissants, chocolate, ice cream, etc. We also know to cut down on instant and processed foods such as burgers, fries, pizza, chicken wings, etc. The simple reasons are it messes with your important organ systems in the body like your GI system, pancreas, heart and more. And obviously as everything in our body is interconnected, this habit will have long-term consequences for your brain health as well. So, you want to avoid unhealthy foods as much as you can and develop healthy diet plans to maintain or improve your cognitive ability.
Finally, one of the most important factors for improving your cognitive ability is good sleep. There is ample evidence on the web you can refer to with regards to how it improves your mood, mental capacity, memory and more. What good sleep essentially does is it recuperates and reenergizes your brain. It is our ultimate healing technique closely linked with optimal brain health and good quality of life. So, try your best to optimize both your quality and quantity of sleep!
All in all, physical activity, solid diet and good sleep work synergistically to improve your cognitive ability. There are also other ways to improve your cognitive ability, a few examples of which are prayer & meditation and social interactions. But the important thing to take away from this post is to find activities that continue to challenge you both physically and mentally. If you've found mastery in the activities of your choice, you may move onto next set of new activities that will put you up for challenge.
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