“Learning to live with your biology?” you may ask. “What could that possibly mean?”
Before I had kids of my own, I didn’t know much about the brain, learning, and education. But then having my kids led me down this path to learning more about those subjects, and I learned something surprising:
The way your physical body is made has a lot to do with how your brain works.
Maybe that just sounds obvious to you, but it was pretty surprising to me. Once I learned that your physical body has a lot to do with how your brain works, it occurred to me that each one of us has an opportunity to do the best we can to make sure our brain works as well as possible.
So what does that mean? Here are some things that you can do to make sure your body is doing its best to help your brain:
Outside time
Did you know that kids are spending so little time outside these days that they had to invent a new disorder to describe it? It’s called “Nature Deficit Disorder,” and it’s real. If humans don’t spend enough time outside, our brains stop working as well as they could.
If you have an anxious type of brain that worries a lot, spending time outside will help you be calmer.
If you have an active brain that spins out of control, or maybe you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, spending time outside will help you focus more.
If you have a brain that tends to think too much about all the sad things that happen in the world, spending time in nature can help you focus on the beauty of life.
Exercise
People used to think that the brain—or what they called the mind—was one thing, and the body was something completely separate. They were so wrong!
Human bodies need exercise to be healthy, and it turns out that our brains need it, too. For one thing, when you exercise, the blood pumps harder and goes into all parts of your body more quickly. Blood brings oxygen, which your muscles and your brain need to function.
Another thing about exercise is that it makes different parts of the brain exercise.
- Walking for more than a minute or two is very calming and helps your brain focus and relax.
- Doing sports that require hand/eye coordination—especially sports that use a ball or other moving object—develops other important brain function.
- Activities that require both sides of your body to move also turn out to be really important for developing your brain.
Feed yourself well
I bet lots of you reading this blog would raise your hand if I said, “Who here has parents that nag them about their eating habits?”
Parents worry all the time about what kids eat, and for good reason.
OK, I know you think it’s not worth worrying about quite so much!
But here’s what you should know: What you eat affects your brain.
Here’s the most important thing you should know: Simple carbohydrates turn right into sugar in your stomach, and you need more than sugar to feed your hungry brain.
What are simple carbs? Short answer: All that stuff you probably love. White bread. Goldfish crackers (even the ones labeled “whole grain”). White rice. Candy. Fruit leathers. Juice.
Am I telling you never to eat simple carbs? No! They’re great. They taste wonderful and they make our brains say, “Yay! Sugar!”
But the best thing for your body, and for your brain, is a mix of good foods. That mix should include lots of protein (meat, fish, tofu, dried beans, eggs, nuts) and fresh vegetables.
No, ketchup is not a fresh vegetable! (But I agree that it’s pretty darn tasty.)
I’ll write another time about why you should eat these things. But my message for today is this:
You are what you eat.
Don’t be a goldfish—be a healthy, happy kid!