Want to Be Healthy? Keep Using Your Brain

In everyday work, there are some people who use more brains than muscles. Such people have no choice but to maintain the health of the only vital organ. Hopefully not only to maintain, but also to optimize it.

"For him, give much rice please, ma'am. He's a porter, right." Said Yanto to the restaurant owner while pointing at Joko.

Remarks at a restaurant was immediately refreshing the very hot atmosphere. Joko, a creative designer at a print media, was only able to smile through. It was not unusual for him ridiculed like that.

Ridiculed? Yes, of course. Clearly, he was not a porter. Fortunately, he was not upset because it had become his habit, lunch with an excess portion.

For Joko, both a porter whose the connotation was only to work relying on physics, or a creative artisan like him, should still be eaten in sufficient quantities. If intake was less, a porter would not have the strength to carry the load, while Joko, his brain did not want to compromise.

The chat indeed represented the views of many people during this time of the two types of work, working with muscles and brains. Both are different, even arguably contradictory. Just think, which one you belong.

Wendy, the author of the blog being away from home, wrote on her blog post, "In term of prestige, working using brain sounds cooler, because it's identical with neat clothes, computers, perfume, air conditioning, and a tie, while working with muscle is synonymous with sweat, conveyor belts, machinery, and routines."

Is it true?

A bit different, Nugroho, MM, ACS, CL, a visionary and energetic young educational leader, tried to dissect the brain versus the muscle. According to him, the muscle and the brain resulted in the success and the failure, the happy and the suffering. Wow!

It's like this. If a person lived his life with a more dominant to rely on muscles, he would get different results than those more dominant in relying on his brain. People who rely on muscle is a type of self-employed people, while the person who works with his brain will work by involving other people while building a team work.

People who rely on the muscles tend to have no time for themselves, while "the brains" are more flexible in setting time. Why? It is because self-employed people do not dare, or even may not know, how to delegate work to others, while those working in teams tend to help each other in performing their duties.

However, this paper will not be protracted in polemic of differences in working with muscles and brain. Let's explore how, if we are people relying on the working of the brain. What should we be prepared so that the brain is always ready to work, if you need to overtime?

Brain until now still holds many mysteries. Sigmund Freud, the psychoanalysis expert, theorized the human brain was everything. While in the book Use Your Head, Tony Buzan said the brain was like a sleeping giant. Why? It is because a lot of things having not been disclosed scientifically.

So far, we often hear the brain is divided into two main parts, the right brain and the left brain.

"The left brain is for the things rational, real, linear thinking while the right brain is to do with imagination, music, art, happiness, construction." Said Dr. Samino, Sp.S.(K), a neurologist from Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital.

In fact, so far, mostly only the left brain is empowered. But since the advent of the term of emotional intelligence, right brain began much discussed. Tricks and methods to optimize the right brain began to appear.

Both "brains" had to be used in a balanced manner, because memory built by the left brain will be long-term memory stored in the right brain. So, between the left and right brain had some sort of bridge.

In the analogy, brain is like computer. Perhaps this is why, in China, computer is termed with jun ye, the immediate meaning is "electric brain", or brain working electrically. The entire activity of the body is a reflection of the programs existing in the brain.

The brain's chips are neurons or nerve cells. Neurons are cells having overhung-panhandle delivering stimulation. Panhandle delivering stimuli to the cell body containing the nucleus in it is called dendrites, while panhandle delivering stimuli out of the cell body is called the axon.

Nerve cells related to each other form a wiring mesh. The relationship between one nerve cell to others is called synapses. The denser the relationship between nerve cells, the higher the intelligence. Thus, the level of intelligence is not associated with large or heavy brain.

The more and better the intake of programs occurred in the learning process, the more the overhung branches of the nerve cells occurred. This means memory power increased. Thus, memories are manifested as overhung branches of the nerve cells with the synapses.

But the thing is, the number of nerve cells can not grow. In fact, it could shrink as age-added. Brain cell death had even been started since birth.

Because brain cells were not updated since we were born, the total would begin to decrease. The branches can indeed form continually until old age. It's just, same as tool if it was rarely used would be a trouble, so does the brain. If it is rarely used, the brain will be wrinkled. Panhandle branching of nerve cells is also damaged and dry.

"So, if you fit the brain, use it continually!" Suggested Samino, concluded all the hassle of innervation in the head.

In order to fully use the potential of the brain, we must learn to view it as part of our body. Just like muscles and joints becoming stiff when not in use, the brain will lose the ability if not utilized. As well as stretching and exercise to maintain physical condition, we also need to stretch and train the brain to maintain and develop our "brain condition".

There are many ways to treat brain.

"The important is to notice any lifestyle. Lifestyle includes diet, exercise, and sleep patterns." Said Samino.

Pay attention to diet, including to avoid smoking habits and eat foods leading to the occurrence of vascular sclerosis. The mindset is also important to note, because when the brain works, it produces garbage substances that would interfere with its metabolism.

"So, it needs to recover. Otherwise, the brain will be tired." Added Samino.

To keep the brain not tired, then the body needs to sleep an average of six hours a day. However, despite the body's sleep, the brain is actually not completely break.

"It still works even in basal conditions, the minimum work to provide regulation for the systems of the body." Said Samino.

Regarding sleep duration, Samino asserted, "Not depending on age. Good sleep is, yeah, that much. Indeed, the parents slept less. Some just did for four hours or even two, but that's because there is a problem. Many brain cells are dead so disrupting sleep patterns. Increased ages, indeed, will make body wrinkled. It will be a setback both physically and physiologically, graying hair, loss bone, and so is the brain."

Because the brain is associated with any other part of the body, physical exercise is also an integral part in maintaining the brain to keep it in peak condition. Intellectual activity, kind of debate and playing strategy games such as chess and "go", is a very good brain exercise.

Learning is also one way to maintain. It can even improve the ability of the brain. Do not settle for an achievable career today. If it's possible, Samino suggested for continuing to improve. The principle is no time for loose because brain cells only recognize one law, "Use it or loose it."

To optimize the brain, in his book Intelligence Management, Taufiq Pasiak, a lecturer of anatomy of the central nervous system at Sam Ratulangi University in Manado, outlined six ways: securing, physical exercise, nutritional information, relaxation, socialization, love.

What is the purpose of it all? Let's take a deeper peel.

Securing, that is always to protect the brain. Although guarded by multilayered structures including the presence of fluid serving as a shock absorber, the brain is very susceptible to disease and physical trauma. Beware of minor ailments, kind of flu, which could potentially damage the brain if not anticipated properly. Birth trauma can also damage the brain and inhibit the development, including undue infant care.

Physical exercise is important, but not the only way to make the brain become stronger as echoed by those not training the brain. Physical exercise is only training a little area of the sensory brain and all motor areas.

Physical exercise is best when it involves two parts of the body, left and right, in a balanced way, especially if the fingers were involved intensely. Of all the motor parts of the body, the fingers and the tongue has the greatest area of regulation in the brain.

All the information, especially the new and unique as well as nutritious food, has an important role in the synaptic formation and enrichment in nerve cells. Nutrients such as omega-3 and omega-6 can enhance the function of nerve cells as an amplifier for themselves. Far more importantly, give milk to the baby because the DHA content is better and more than formula.

The brain does not know the rest, but memory consolidation between nerve cells is optimal when the muscles restfully sleep. That's when the brain is relaxed. There are many ways for relaxing the brain, such as listening to music, writing poetry, watching naturalistic painting, or more technically: meditation. The relaxed brain can be a tool for self-therapy.

Socialization makes all the peripheral organs of the brain, such as the senses, always stimulated. The central part, especially the brain skin and the limbic system, can work well. With chat, flavors and ratios can be aroused. Socialization will train the power of emotions, the spiritual stability, and the intelligence of ratio.

Love is very good for the brain. Human's innate needs in his daily life are, among others, need of affection and love. Love is best to give than to receive. Many brain studies proved that the stress hormone expenditure can be inhibited by feelings of love and affection. Three very potent properties damaging brain are envious, greedy, and arrogant.

Well, with these, hopefully those doing the brain work can better optimize the brain.

The key to a better body, in shape, energized, and youthful, is a healthy brain. Based on the latest medical research, as well as on Dr. Amen's two decades of clinical practice at the renowned Amen Clinics, where Dr. Amen and his associates pioneered the use of the most advanced brain imaging technology, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body shows you how to take the very best care of your brain.

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Whether you're just coming to realize that it's time to get your body into shape, or are already fit and want to take it to the next level, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body is all you need to start putting the power of the brain-body connection to work for you today.

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