10 Easy And Low-Cost Ways To Boost Your Brainpower

Introduction to Brain Fog 0:00

Welcome to today's rushing lineup of speakers on the Mitochondria Energy Summit. I'm your host, Laura Frontiero. Today, I'm going to kick us off with a quick talk on the ten easy and low cost ways to boost your brainpower. Now I know that you might be feeling like your brain is stuck in a fog or struggling to remember things, to stay focused on your daily tasks. And what I want to say is, don't worry, you're not alone, because this is actually a widespread problem that is happening to more people than, you know.

And it's because humans have this thing where we tend to keep quiet about this when it's happening, because there's a lot of shame and frustration associated with it. So chances are your friends are experiencing it, too, but they're not talking about it. So in this quick talk, I'm going to give you ten easy and low cost ways to help your brain and to kick that fog away. So let's jump in. And first, I want to start with, you know, signs of brain fog. So the first would be slow word and name recall.

So, for example, you walk into a party, you know everyone, but you can't remember their names. Are you trying to, you know, introduce to people? But it's embarrassing because excuse me, what's her name again? And you've done things with this person. You know each other. So that's the first thing. The second thing is forgetting tasks or missing appointments. So you uninvite essentially start to let people down and have to play catch up because things are stacking up. The next one would be not remembering why you're doing something.

So you know, we've all done this, but if it's happening to you repeatedly where you walk into a room, you can't remember why you're there. You sit at your desk to do something, you know, open your phone, open your computer, whatever. And you're like, Why am I here again? What am I supposed to be doing with those 1000, 2003 windows? Oh, that's right. That's what I'm doing. The next thing would be missing exits to routine destinations.

What Causes Brain Fog 2:01

So you're driving along and you find yourself taking a wrong turn or missing your exit while driving. This would be if you were, like, focused and driving. And this happens not if you're distracted talking on the phone or a la and miss your exit. That's a little bit different. It's if you're focused on missing your exit. Okay. So brain fog and low energy often show up together and it's because they have similar causes. On a cellular level, you're dealing with impaired mitochondria function due to prolonged inflammation, chronic invisible infections like mold and parasites and Lyme or environmental toxins, poor diet stress, leaky gut, lack of sleep.

But the good news is that brain fog can be reversed. So did you know your brain has the most mitochondria? Purcell It's around 10,000. Purcell And I mean, I want to give you, you know, wrap your brain around how tiny a cell is. So something that we all can understand because we can see it is an ant. So think of how small the bug an ant is now put 10,000 little living things inside of that ant. That's a crazy to wrap your mind around that that little tiny thing could have 10,000 other living things inside of it.

And that's what each cell in your body is like with mitochondria. So second thing to understand is your brain is full of neurons that generate communication signals and neurotransmitters that carry the messages around your body. So you can think of your neurons like journalist sites or writers of a newspaper generating the copy in the paper. While the neurotransmitters neurotransmitters are like paper buoys delivering the news all over the city. So it's a signal delivery system. And hopefully, you know, I know there's people on here probably thinking, what paper buoys do we even get papers anymore?

But hopefully all of us remember a time when papers used to be delivered in paper. Boys were necessary. I like that analogy. I'm going to keep using it. So when the neurons get damaged or dysfunctional, or if the neurotransmitters become disrupted and imbalanced, then your brain can't send or deliver the right signals for energy production. And this leads to fatigue and low energy. There's also a big link between mitochondria dysfunction and brain symptoms, including brain fatigue or exhaustion or sleepiness and, you know, brain fog with memory problems, poor concentration, lacking mental clarity, clouded thoughts, low thinking, you know, poor focus.

And then most brain problems are length of what we call a neuroinflammation and a leaky blood brain barrier. So this barrier actually protects you from everything that shouldn't get into your brain, like toxins, pathogens and foreign particles. Well, 1/2. Let me just I just want to make sure I thought my camera flicked off, but it's on. We're good. Okay. So at the same time that the barrier needs to let in good things. Good things, meaning glucose, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, ketones, vitamins, minerals, immune cells, hormones.

The barrier becomes leaky over time due to chronic stress. Poor diet. You know, low, low, smoldering, hidden infections in your body like bacteria and parasites and and fungus, environmental toxins, the leaking is starts to allow neurotoxic molecules to enter the brain. And this causes neuroinflammation and neuronal injury loss, the clearance of metabolic waste and toxic you know, toxic and metabolic waste products is no longer efficient in your body. So the analogy is it's kind of like having a bathroom with leaky pipes under the sink, a clogged drain, and a toilet that will flush all at the same time.

That's and that's a mess. So waste stacks up, which causes neurons to fire more slowly. And brain communication and cognitive performance is slowed down, and then your brain cells become sluggish and exhaust it. And the cascade causes mitochondria dysfunction. And then you can't make brain energy or body energy. So remember I said that people who have low brain energy usually also have low body energy. So the result is not being able to focus on your tasks, feeling scatterbrained, forgetful, anxious, depressed, tired, frustrated.

Any combination of that. So now let's talk about some simple strategies to help solve this. Okay. So the first one and let me back up 1/2 and just say on this summit, you are listening to many,

Exercise and Sleep for Brain Health 6:31

many experts that are teaching you about all kinds of things. You can do that or, you know, fancy devices and supplements and, you know, all kinds of things that testing all kinds of cool stuff you can do. My goal in this talk right here is to have you pick up the things that are laying around you already and start doing them. This is the simplistic things that are already at your fingertips that in most cases cost no money or low money or maybe a little bit of money that you've got easy access to.

All you have to do is, is just start doing it. So here we go. So first strategy, strategy number one is exercise. And I can I mean, I can't see you, but I can see your eyes rolling at me right now. So you're thinking, I hate exercising, and I bet one more person tells me to exercise. But here's the thing. Just 10 minutes of high impact exercise a day can help improve blood flow to your brain and grow new brain cells. So do you think you could do something you hate for just 10 minutes a day when the payoff is so good?

Because I promise you, after a while you won't hate it anymore. So we have some people on this summit talking about exercise. Catch the talk with Gabrielle. Gabrielle on Lion because she talks about the importance of exercise for our mitochondria. Okay. Number two, it's about getting enough sleep and I can see your eyes rolling again, even though I can't see you because I know, I know. I know that you've tried to get sleep and you've got issues with falling asleep, issues with waking up, issues with maybe sleeping all night but waking up feeling tired, waking up all night insomnia not getting to bed on time.

All these things. The thing is, you got to figure out what's underlying the problem with your sleep. Is it a blood sugar dysregulation problem? Is it a parasite? Is it a hormone problem? Is it a toxin problem? Is it an environment problem? Is it you're getting woke up by the dog, the cat and your partner sleeping next to you? Problem? Or is it a post-traumatic stress type problem where you're waking up at night? Are you having nightmares? I mean, there's so much that can be underlying this. But here's the thing.

It must be prioritized and you must set yourself up to win. And I know some of you are busy and you feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day. But getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night is essential for optimal brain function. And this is why your brain clears out waste and debris while you're sleeping, and that takes a few extra hours. So you must give yourself permission to go to bed early and maybe allow yourself to sleep a few extra days per week and work on breaking old cyclical habits.

Because for a lot of us, it's habits that are keeping us from getting sleep and it's our environment that's keeping us from getting sleep and our loved ones and our pets that are keeping us from getting sleep. And even if you don't feel and for some of us it's a medical problem, so don't want to discount that. But for those of you where you know that's the problem, then that's something to work on. If you don't know what the problem is yet, then you to keep working to figure

Brain-Healthy Diet and Stress Management 9:39

that out. So even if you don't feel tired or ready to go to bed, you must force yourself to start rewiring your habits and get the sleep you need. So if you have a spike of cortisol and you get a second wind that night, you're going to have to break that and start doing things that help wind you down and make yourself get into a you know, I'm going to sleep now kind of mentality. Okay. Next up, strategy number three is eat a brain healthy diet. Now there's certain nutrients and antioxidants that are important for your brain health.

So I'm going to cover some of those right now. But what I want you to think about doing is skipping the pre-made convenience food, grab some, you know, good, healthy fatty fish like salmon, get some berries, leafy greens instead. We have several talks on this summit outlining healthy eating and nutrition, including talks by Dr. Michael Murray and Mark Mattson. So make sure you tune into those. But here's some good brain healthy foods. So first off, green vegetables, green leafy vegetables and egg yolks, they contain gluten, which is a carotenoid and it's an antioch's sun and protects against DHEA.

Sorry, DHEA oxidation inside your brain. So DHEA can DHEA can oxidize. So higher levels of gluten are connected with higher cognitive function and aging better. The next is high quality protein. So high quality protein supplies, the dopamine, precursor tyrosine and the serotonin precursor tryptophan. Now without protein, we won't have the building blocks to make the neurotransmitters, dopamine or serotonin. And without these, we feel depressed, fatigued and apathetic. Okay, next is seafood. It contains DHEA and EPA fatty acids.

And the good news is you don't need a lot about 500 milligrams to a thousand milligrams per day. And if you don't like seafood, then take a high quality fish oil supplement or, you know, omega three supplement doesn't have to be fish oil, but it could be another source like krill oil or something else in some a nuts are high in omega threes as well, like walnuts, for example. But here's the thing about fish oil. Take it from a reputable practitioner, great supplement company that third party tests for metals and that guarantees that you're getting purity and that your product isn't rancid.

So most fish oil goes rancid in the bottle before you even bring it home from the store. So I don't recommend that you buy your fish oil at you know, drugstores, big box stores, Costco, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, don't buy your fish oils there. You need to get something that's not going to harm you because taking an ox and a rancid oxidized product is just going to cause more problem. You know, other foods, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, poultry, olive oil. All good for your brain. Okay. Strategy number four is all about managing stress.

And I want you to be really honest with yourself here and be kind to yourself and gentle to yourself. And and, you know, don't be mad that I'm saying bringing up stress again, don't kill the messenger. But stress is a known carcinogen. It's a known toxin. It's a known problem that decreases our lifespan and our life quality. So be really honest with yourself and take a look at the stress in your life. I mean, we all have stress in our lives. That's the one constant. We know for sure that the next stressful thing is coming.

But did you know that chronic stress shrinks your brain function? So here's another reason to really think about handling the stress or putting yourself in a less stressful situation. So some of the stressors that are in your life, you can't change, right? So I'll give you an example. Taking care of a loved one who's sick or with health problems or, you know, being in a a living situation where you're living with somebody who's toxic and you can't there's not a way out of that at this time, at this moment, or working in a job where you don't have an alternate way to get out of that at this moment, at this time.

So in notice that I say that because I do believe that everything is possible, that getting out of something like that is possible,

Mental Stimulation and Supplements 13:59

but you have to be open to possibility. So take control of the things you can control of it if you're in one of those situations. So take a deep breath, get outside for a few minutes every day, download a meditation app, or maybe just indulge in a little weekend getaway. And if you think your stress is linked to trauma, be sure to catch the talk with Dr. Amy opinion on this summit as well, because strategy number five is all about challenging your brain. This one is really fun. So neurologists know that engaging in mentally stimulating activities like puzzles or learning a new skill can help improve brain function and prevent cognitive decline.

So this is your hall pass to go pick up that Sudoku book that's collecting dust over in the magazine rack or on the on the on the coffee table and learn how to play an instrument or start studying a foreign language. It's easier than ever to study foreign languages. Now there's apps for that. Take a dance class, sign up for something fun, like a pottery or cooking class. Your brain will start to create new pathways and rewire. You need to stimulate it like this. So go do it. Go have fun doing it.

Okay. Moving on to strategy number six and this is consider taking nutritional supplements. So while it's always important to consult with a health care professional before taking any new supplements, there are certain ones like fish oil that I just mentioned reishi, mushrooms, ashwagandha, ginkgo biloba. They may have benefits for brain functions. So absolutely something that you can do positive for your brain and low cost as well. It doesn't have to be a really expensive thing. So strategy number seven is staying socially connected.

I love this one. So did you know that people who are connected with a community of other people actually live longer? Social interaction is proven to have positive effects on brain function, so stay connected with friends and family. Join a new clever organization in your area. Go volunteer at the senior center. Go hang out at the soup kitchen, you know, go join Toastmasters, if that makes sense for you. I mean, not if you have a deathly fear of public speaking. I don't want to increase your stress, but get involved, create community, get involved with your church, join a connection group in your church.

You know, there's so many things that you can do. Go volunteer for your kids or grandkids. School OC Strategy number eight can be a tough one, but it's important and it's cutting out alcohol. So depending on your genetics, your liver function and your current toxic load, alcohol can really have a negative effect on brain function and overall health. So try getting rid of it for three months and see how you feel. I'll tell you a quick story. So this happened to me. So I generally drink very little, a couple of glasses of wine per month, maybe socially.

Social Connection and Cutting Alcohol 16:48

And when I do drink wine, I try to make it dry farm wines. And this is like a biodynamic, organic, you know, low pesticide, low website, beautiful wine from around the world. If you don't know what this is, go to my website, Laura from TerraCom, click on the Trusted Partners page and look for the link for dry farm wines. It's, it's beautiful wine and guilt free, low sugar, low alcohol. I'm not a fan of, you know, telling people to go drink, but if you are going to drink something, this would be what I would recommend anyhow.

Long story, short hand drink anything for probably six weeks, eight weeks or so. And I went to dinner with a girlfriend and we got this beautiful bottle of Pinot Noir. It was a Russian River Valley Pino, and it was just amazing. It wasn't a dry farm wine. It was a regular conventional wine. And I drink two glasses of it. And the next day I had brain fog so bad there was a combination likely of alcohol and whatever, you know, toxins were in that wine. But definitely the alcohol is a huge piece of it.

And I didn't get my brain function back until about 6:00 that night. It was noticeably bad. And so two things. Number one, I can't drink more than one glass of wine. And number two, I need to make sure it's an organic wine. But two glasses of alcohol really do me in. And it has to do with my genetics and processing of toxins through my body, you know, my liver function, all of that. So I can't say enough about cutting that out. Okay. It's really helpful for your brain. Okay. Strategy number nine is all about practicing mindfulness.

So what does that word mindfulness mean anyway? And you know, this is a question that, you know, it's it's hard to answer because it's different for different people. So for some people, maybe it's, you know, reading scripture every morning before you start your day or every night before you go to bed. Or maybe it's journaling what you're grateful for morning or evening or for others. It's meditation or breathing exercise or or for some it's going out in nature and gardening or working on a project or whatever that mindful behavior is for you.

It's been shown to improve brain function and reduce stress. So my invitation to you is to take a deep breath and find your peace and find the thing that you call mindful activity. So for me, most meditation is very difficult. I, my brain races and I have a hard time. I'm constantly scattered. I have not gotten very good at meditation yet and goals. So for me I like to sit between my red lights. If you watched the red light talk that Ari and I did on day one, you will see us demonstrating my red lights.

Mindfulness and Getting Professional Help 19:38

Now, I highly recommend you go watch that video. If you have not seen it on day one, it is so good it's going to teach you everything you ever wanted to know about red light. But anyways, what I do is I get my two red lights and they're, you know, five feet apart from each other. And I sit on a big, giant yoga ball, gigantic one bounce ball. They sit on that. So I'm habit stacking here. I'm engaging my core while I sit on that boss, I'm getting a little bit of core exercise. I'm getting red light shining on my back, my my chest, my face, my legs.

And then I'll sit there with either either a devotional daily devotional book scripture, my Bible, maybe it's a self-help book, maybe it's the latest book I'm reading on, you know, thyroid health or, you know, mitochondrial energy production or whatever it is. I happen to be reading at the time because reading is mindfulness to me and I will sit there for my 10 minutes per day and my red lights, my balance form and my reading, and that is my mindfulness for me. So it doesn't have to look the same for everyone.

Okay, last but not least, strategy number ten, I am going to invite you to seek professional help. So if you haven't already done this, then I encourage you to do so. Did you know that every doctor has a doctor and every coach has a coach? And even I see a functional medicine specialist at least every six months, and I go to somebody special to help me with bioidentical hormones. And I hire a physical trainer to help me stay on target and on task with my exercise. So every coach has a coach, every practitioner has a practitioner.

If you're experiencing significant cognitive decline, low energy or other symptoms, do not hesitate to seek help from a practitioner who specializes in helping you find the root cause of your symptoms because it could be different for everyone. So am I. Encouragement to you is to stop DIY and do it yourself in your health and trying to piece it together on your own because you get to have help to just like I get to help, help. And everybody who is on the summit, we do help. We do hire people to help us because we don't know it all.

So there you have it. My ten ways to boost your brainpower and Improve Your Overall Wellness. Get in touch with me. You know, after the summit so we can continue to support you and you can continue to learn from me or find somebody on this summit who you resonate with. Get in contact with one of our practitioners. You're hearing from experts all over the world who have the ability to help you. So while you're viewing the summit, look for the people who resonate with you and be sure to connect with them afterwards.

To get the help you need, I'll be hosting a Live Easy Energy Reset three week journey in a few weeks. I'll be going live on Zoom with participants each week. We'll be doing a deep dove into toxins, gut health and more easy energy reset is available for you to purchase when you get your all access pass to the summit. When you purchase summit access for long term viewing, forever viewing. If you want more information on how to get either the summit or the easy energy reset, just email support at Dr.

Talk WSJ.com and the Help team will get you all sorted out. Also, stay tuned after the summit finishes airing because I'll be hosting a series of masterclasses to get you more information on your favorite topics from the summit, including how to get functional lab testing to look for toxins in your body, and also how to work with me from nearly anywhere in the world. You can find me at Laura from TerraCom. There's a clickable link to my Web site near the bottom of the page where you're watching this video.

And until next time, take good care. By now.