I recently mentioned that I’ve been on a healthier diet again. I thought I would write a little bit more about improving my health. It’s a little bit off-topic, but since we’re talking about fitness and nutrition in the forum, I thought it might be interesting. Read more
This post isn’t directly about memory techniques, but I mentioned in the forum that I’ve switched back to a strict way of eating, so I thought I would write about it here in the blog. I am not an expert on nutrition, and I do not make any recommendations — in this post I’m only sharing my own self-experiments. Some of my previous food experiments can be found here and here.
I’m always looking for new information and ideas about food, so feel free to leave comments below. Read more
I came across an interesting study about researchers who tried using a memory technique called the method of loci to help subjects counter depression.
Depressed people tend to recall negative memories more than positive ones, so the researchers asked people to place positive memories into memory palaces. On a surprise test a week later, the newly-trained mnemonists were able to recall the positive memories, while the other group had more trouble with the recall.
Here’s the abstract: Read more
My life has been a bit crazy for a while. I had some health problems and went to a doctor who told me that my bad cholesterol and triglycerides were too high, and that if I didn’t lower them I might have to go on medication. This isn’t really a surprise, considering that there isn’t much cheap, healthy food available in Vienna, and I’ve been eating complete junk. Read more
I’ve been dealing with a lot of exhaustion lately and have been experimenting with 10 and 20 minute power naps to try to counter the problem. I’m finding them to be very helpful. Longer naps would be ideal, but I don’t have time. A 10-minute nap is faster than finding a cup of coffee and drinking it. Read more
Sorry for the lack of blog posting recently. I’m working out my plans for the future, which is a time-consuming process.
I’m in the Cyclades at the moment and am looking online for a job. I’m going to close my current business down and work for another company. If anyone knows of any job availabilities in the memory field, please let me know.
Otherwise, I will take a regular, full-time job in the hostel industry that leaves me enough time in the day to train on memory. With my current business taking up 10 to 16 hours per day, I don’t have enough free time to seriously train.
Cycladian village, Greece
If no job opportunities appear right away, I may go up to Albania or Macedonia for a few weeks. Read more
If you drink caffeine, check out the Lifehacker article, What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain.
The article suggests that caffeine doesn’t actually give you a boost, but just stops the brain from inhibiting other stimulants like dopamine and glutamate: Read more
The New York Times has an interesting article about how meditation may change the brain.
The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress…
M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.
The hippocampus is involved in the formation of new memories, and has to do with spatial memory which is what many memory techniques depend on. Read more
I’m still trying to figure out an ideal diet for the brain. I’m guessing that it’s probably similar to an ideal diet for any other part of the body.
Related: see Foods to Improve Memory and Natural Ways to Improve Memory.
At the moment, I think my current diet is fairly good. For breakfast, I have oatmeal with dried fruits and nuts, including prunes “dried plums” which have very high levels of antioxidants [PDF]. I also have a small glass of carrot juice. Read more
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