摘錄：想要保持敏銳，最重要的是要鍛煉你的大腦。我們思考得越少，它就會變得越遲鈍。

　　In order to stay sharp, it is important that you exercise your brain. The less we use our minds, the duller they become. There is a lot of emphasis these days on staying physically healthy, but we should also be concerned for our mental well-being. Our brains continue to expand and adapt to the stimuli they receive throughout our lives. The more we take care of our brains, the better thinkers we become. Here are twenty ways that you can develop a training regimen for your brain!

　　1. Read a good book.

　　Reading a book stimulates the imagination. Your brain can’t keep from drawing mental pictures when you read. Reading gets your mind off its butt and to work. I love to let a book carry me away. I always have a book that I’m reading and sometimes I have 3 or 4! I get most of my books from the library to avoid the cost of buying each one. This also allows me to try a wide variety of books without risk.

　　2. Big Brain Academy.

　　Video games have a bad reputation for causing brain rot, but there are some that will actually help you strengthen your mind. I like Big Brain Academy for the Wii. It is a collection of brain teasers that tests your mental acuity. The tests are entertaining and addicting. You can even compete with others which makes for some great family fun.

　　3. Practice meditation.

　　Don’t worry, I’m not going off the new age deep-end here. There are a lot of different forms of meditation. To me, in its most simple form, meditation is about spending a little time alone to relax and center your thoughts. It is amazingly therapeutic. If you haven’t tried meditation before, I would highly recommend reading this guide to meditation.

　　想要保持敏銳，最重要的是要鍛煉你的大腦。我們思考得越少，它就會變得越遲鈍。如今我們越來越注重保持生理健康，但我們也應該關注我們的精神健康。在一生中，我們的大腦都在持續(xù)擴張和適應受到的刺激。我們更關心我們的大腦，我們會變得更有智慧。這里有20個訓練大腦的方案。

　　1)讀一本好書。

　　讀書會激發(fā)想象力。當你讀書時，你的大腦不能持續(xù)在反映畫面。讀書讓你的頭腦開始工作。我喜歡讓書本帶著我走。我總是帶著一本書，有時甚至三至四本書在讀!大部分書是從圖書館里借來的，這樣就不用花錢買每一本書了。這也使我能夠毫無風險地廣泛閱讀各種書籍。

　　2)大腦學院。

　　視頻游戲不好的一面是讓腦袋“生銹”，但實際上有些也會幫助你增強思維。我喜歡大腦學院游戲(Big Brain Academy for the Wii) 。這是一款用頭腦玩笑測試頭腦敏銳性的合集。這些測試都非常有趣。你甚至可以和別人進行比賽，所以也可以讓全家人一起來玩。

　　3)練習冥想。

　　不要擔心，我不是要在這里離開新時代的最深端。冥想的方式有很多種。對我而言，最簡單的形式，冥想是花一點時間獨處達到放松和集中思考的方式。它是神奇的治療。

　　4. Get plenty of rest.

　　A lack of sleep can interfere with your ability to assimilate new information. This means those all-nighters you pulled back in college were much less effective than you thought. Your brain needs rest to operate at its peak performance. This may be why things always seem clearer and brighter after a good night’s sleep.

　　5. Exercise regularly.

　　You didn’t think you were going to get away without a little time on the treadmill did you? Cardiovascular exercise improves blood flow to the brain which improves brain functioning. One study found that physical exercise actually helped to increase the volume of the brain. So, if you want a bigger, better brain, then get to exercising!

　　6. Eat a good breakfast.

　　It is not a myth. Eating a good breakfast does get you off to a better start. You should eat a breakfast high in protein and good carbohydrates. A couple of pieces of whole-grain toast with peanut butter will fit the bill. Eggs are also an excellent source of protein. Nuts, milk, and fresh fruit are also great ways to feed your brain.

　　7. Think positive thoughts.

　　Encourage yourself. I am convinced that positive thinking increases the effectiveness of the brain and helps to avoid things like depression. I like to say that your brain works much like a computer, garbage-in, garbage-out. Find positive, encouraging people to hang around, read material that jazzes you up, do whatever it is that makes you feel good about yourself. These things will also help you be more mentally productive.

　　8. Be a continual learner.

　　Never stop being curious about your world. Seek out new experiences, skills, and knowledge. Think of something that you’ve always wanted to learn to do and then get started. A now famous study, showed that certain areas of the brains of London cab drivers were more developed compared to the average citizen. This was due to their need to learn how to navigate the maze of downtown streets. We can use this technique of challenging our brains to improve our abilities.

　　9. Lay off the alcohol.

　　Alcohol is of course a depressant. It slows down mental functions. The effects of alcohol on a person’s cognitive ability is well-documented. If you need peak mental performance, then stop drinking alcohol. In addition to its obvious effects, it also decreases the restfulness of one’s sleep which, as we have already discussed, impedes your ability to think clearly.

　　4)獲得大量的休息。

　　缺少睡眠能夠影響你吸收新信息的能力。這意味著大學里通宵達旦地補習的效率比你想象的要低得多。你的大腦需要休息，使工作在其最佳效能。這可能是為什么事情總是在睡了好覺后變得更加清晰明朗。

　　5)規(guī)律地鍛煉。

　　你難道想沒一會就從跑步機上下來嗎?心血管運動通過改善血液到大腦的流動從而改善大腦功能。一份研究發(fā)現(xiàn)體育鍛煉實際上幫助擴大大腦的體積。所以，如果你想要一個更大、更好的大腦，那么就去運動吧!

　　6)吃一頓好早餐。

　　這并不是不切實際的。吃一頓好早餐確實令你有個更好的開始。你應該吃高蛋白和優(yōu)質碳水化合物的的早餐。兩片夾著花生牛油的全麥吐司就符合這一條了。雞蛋同樣是蛋白質的好來源。堅果、牛奶和新鮮水果都能為大腦提供良好的營養(yǎng)。

　　7)積極地思考。

　　鼓勵自己。我相信積極思考會提供大腦效能和幫助避免失望。我想說你的大腦就像電腦一樣，把“垃圾”丟進來、又丟出去。發(fā)現(xiàn)積極，鼓勵人們閑逛、能夠使你地快樂閱讀材料，做所有能夠使你感覺良好的事情。這些事情將會幫助你的精神變得更有生產力。

　　8)不斷地學習。

　　不要停止懷疑你的世界。尋找新的體驗、技能和知識。想寫你總是想學著去做的事并且開始去做。一份非常著名的研究表明倫敦出租車司機大腦的確定領域比一般的市民得到更大的開發(fā)。這是由于他們需要學習懂得如何在迷宮般的城市街道上導航。我們能夠運用此項挑戰(zhàn)我們大腦的技術來增進我們的能力。

　　9)戒酒。

　　酒精是抑郁的原因。它降低精神功能。酒能亂性是有充分證據(jù)的。如果你想要有頂尖的精神表現(xiàn)，那么停止喝酒吧。除了一些明顯的影響之外，它也減弱人的睡眠，這是我們已經討論過的，阻礙你清晰思考的能力。

　　10. Get romantic (especially if you’re a woman).

　　Studies have shown that there may be a link between regular sex and improved brain performance in women. Love-making increases a woman’s estrogen levels and higher estrogen levels are tied to better mental performance. Of course, the mental benefits probably do not outweigh the risks, unless you are in a faithful, monogamous relationship.

　　11. Break your routines.

　　Drive a new way to work. Try writing with your less dominant hand. Mix things up a little. This perks up your brain because it requires you to think more. You aren’t just running on auto-pilot. Challenge your brain by getting out of your routines and it will respond. This is a great way to get your mental juices flowing.

　　12. Stop watching so much television.

　　Researchers have found that too much television between the ages of 1 and 3 leads to attention problems later in childhood. Let’s face it, TV is mind-numbing. Get up off the couch and away from the television. Sure, there is some good educational stuff for children and adults, but the average American watches way too much TV. If you want peak mental performance, then turn off the boob tube.

　　13. Work with numbers.

　　Do math problems in your head instead of on a calculator. For many of us, it is use it or lose it. We have become mentally lazy. We rely on our gadgets instead of thinking for ourselves. Working with and memorizing numbers is a great way to get your brain back in shape. This could pay off big dividends down the road!

　　14. Stop relying on your GPS to tell you where to go.

　　Remember the cab drivers in #8 above? Using your brain to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B is good mental exercise. You have to use your brain’s ability to determine spatial relationships to effectively read a map and navigate a city. Traveling in an unfamiliar area is even better!

　　15. Recall old memories.

　　Get out those old picture albums and start thumbing through them. This taps into your brains memory banks. Pictures will help you recall things that you thought you forgot. Dig deep to see just what all you remember. If you have other ways to stimulate your memory, like old letters or home movies, then by all means use those too.

　　16. Make beautiful music.

　　Learning to play a musical instrument is a great way to super-charge your brain. It requires a number of different parts of your brain to work together to make the melodies that you desire. Of course, if you are already a musician, then learn a new piece. Push yourself to learn new techniques. Music is a great workout for the mind.

　　17. Speak a new tongue.

　　Many people agree that learning to speak a new language is a powerful way to give the mind a stretch. If you’ve ever tried to learn even a few new words, then you know this can be difficult. Of course, the harder something is for the brain, the better! You have so much more mental capacity than you might imagine. Give it a try!

　　18. Memorize a song.

　　Many of us have lots of old songs stored in our heads, but why not expand your memory by learning a few new tunes? It may take awhile at first, but if you keep at it, you will find it gets easier. This is your brain getting back in shape.

　　19. Walk around the house blindfolded.

　　It might seem like a strange activity, but your brain can handle it. Once you try it a few times, you will probably find it fun and challenging. Again, this one draws on your memory, motor skills, and reasoning abilities. What a workout!

　　20. Expand your vocabulary.

　　Decide to learn one new word a day. There are several websites out there that can help you with this endeavor. You’ll not only be expanding your mind, but you’ll also be able to impress your friends and co-workers when you work one of your new words into a conversation.

　　Get started today and be smarter tomorrow!

　　There you have it! I have just given you 20 very practical ways to sharpen your mind. These suggestions will have your brain back in tip-top shape in no time. Why are you waiting? It is time to start exercising your mental muscles!

　　10)擁有浪漫(特別是女性)。

　　研究表明定期性生活和大腦活動提高對女性或許有著直接聯(lián)系。性影響著女性荷爾蒙分泌。而出于較高水平的荷爾蒙又能提高精神活動。當然，精神方面的愉悅并不是沒有一絲風險，除非你所在的關系式一段忠誠的一夫一妻關系。

　　11)打破常規(guī)。

　　選擇一條新路開車去工作。試著用另外一只手去寫字。將一點不同的東西摻雜在一起。這將使你的大腦得到鍛煉，因為它需要你思考更多。你不能只是自動駕駛。離開你的定式來挑戰(zhàn)你的大腦，它將有所反應。這是使你“腦漿”流動的好方法。

　　12)不要看太多電視。

　　研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)在1-3歲時看太多電視會導致兒童注意力問題。也就是說，電視使心態(tài)麻木。從沙發(fā)上起來，離開電視機。當然，也有一些好的教育節(jié)目給孩子和大人們，但是整體上美國人看太多電視了。如果你想要高效的精神表現(xiàn)就關掉電視吧。

　　13)處理數(shù)字問題。

　　心算而不是用計算器計算。對我們多數(shù)人而言，要么使用它，要么失去它。我們已經變得精神懶惰了。我們依賴工具而不是自己思考。處理和記憶數(shù)字是使大腦恢復狀態(tài)的好途徑。這一路上能夠償還大量股息。

　　14)停止依靠GPS走路。

　　記住第8條里所講的出租車司機。用你的大腦去指出如何從點A到點B是很好的思維體操。你必須用你大腦的能力來決定空間關系，提高讀地圖的效率和穿梭城市。在一個陌生的地方旅行就更好了!

　　15)喚起遠久的記憶。

　　找出老照片并且開始翻閱。這將進入你頭腦中的記憶銀行。圖像將幫助你想起你已經忘記的東西。深入挖掘就是所有你記得的東西。如果你有別的方法來喚醒你的記憶，就像以前的信件和家庭電影，那么也盡可能得利用它們。

　　16)創(chuàng)造優(yōu)美的音樂。

　　學習演奏一件樂器是超級改變你的大腦的方法。它需要你大腦的多個不同部分協(xié)調工作來創(chuàng)作出你想要的旋律。當然，如果你已經是一個音樂家了，學習一件新的東西。迫使你自己學習新技術。音樂是思想偉大的鍛煉。

　　17)說一種新語言。許多人同意學習一門新語言是使思想延伸的一種有力途徑。如果你曾經嘗試學習即使是幾個新單詞，那么你知道這會很難。當然，給大腦越難的東西越好!你有比你想象的要多得多的思維能力。讓它試一下吧!

　　18)記憶一首歌。

　　我們很多人頭腦中都儲存有許多老歌，但為什么不通過學習一些新的調子來擴充我們的記憶?它將在開始的時候花費一點時間，但如果你堅持怎么做，你將發(fā)現(xiàn)會越來越簡單。這是你的大腦恢復狀態(tài)了。

　　19)遮住你的雙眼繞你的屋子走。

　　這看起來是一種陌生的活動，但你的大腦能夠處理它。一旦你試了幾次，你就可能發(fā)現(xiàn)它很有趣和有挑戰(zhàn)性。另外，這會應用你的記憶、運動技能和推理能力。多么好的鍛煉!

　　20)擴大你的詞匯量。

　　決定每天學習一個新單詞。有許多能夠幫你做這項努力的網站。你將不止擴大你的思想，而且當你在談話中引入一個新詞匯時能夠使你的朋友和同事印象深刻。

　　今天就開始行動，明天將更聰明!

　　你都知道了!我剛剛已經給了你20條非常實用的能使你的思維敏銳的方法。這些建議將馬上使你的大腦回到最佳狀態(tài)。你為什么還在等待?是時候鍛煉你的思想神經了。