Some lucky people wake up in the morning and jump right out of bed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (so to speak).
I am not one of those folks! Frankly, I prefer to creep into the day slowly.
Therefore, waking up my brain to optimal functioning has become just as an important part of my morning practice as gently waking up my body to the demands of the day.
To do this, I am indebted to my therapist and holistic health coach, Kelly Hale of Inspired Wellness, for introducing me to Brain Gym.
The first item on the Brain Gym agenda is to drink some water, which is estimated to comprise up to 90% of the brain. (No wonder we feel woozy when we are out in the sun too long without drinking sufficient water.)
So simply drinking enough water during the day to keep well hydrated can improve your brain function.
The general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces a day. The old admonition to drink eight glasses a day somehow doesn’t seem to work for both Tom Brady and me.
The four basic Brain Gym exercises (which many students, including my grandchildren, are now taught in school) are called Pace (for Positive, Active, Clear and Energetic). They take only a few minutes to do, and make for a great start to the day.
Click here for a short YouTube video from Kelly’s YouTube channel showing all the parts of Pace and how quickly and easily you can fit it into your day, especially before crucial times in your day. Kelly shares plenty of other videos with her special brand of healing information as well.
Doing Brain Gym, not just in the morning, but before any important undertaking, such as writing, making an important phone call, or giving a talk; not only makes the job easier, it also helps to reduce stress before taking on these responsibilities.
So plan to do Pace before your next presentation or act of creation, and get the benefits of a better functioning brain to help you succeed at your task.
Please let me know on the Comment section below if you are also a Brain Gym devotee, or if this blog post inspires you to become one.
I watched the PACE YouTube presentation and like that Brain Gym is used in schools. I used to teach and could have used it with my 6th graders. PACE is just so simple to do. It is easy to start with and then add other exercises and activities once the brain is in the right place. Even I, at 83, might be able to Master the process and use it without having to refer to a recording before starting. Maybe using it every day will help me remember better. Worth a try!.
Actually I use PACE more than once a day, whenever I feel brain drain setting in. It’s especially useful to do right before you start on some project to make sure you are operating at top level.
Even if you don’t have time to do the full PACE, just drinking the water is a gift you can give your brain as the brain.
It’s important to remember that the brain is 77-78% water; and if it gets even a little dehydrated, this has a negative affect on how well you perform any task.