Day 7

I skimmed the self-help book. I'll admit it. Not skimming like internet skimming, but I went through and found the parts that actually applied to brain improvement. I FINALLY have a list of things I can do to improve my brain. A real, written down list. After taking a survey to figure out which areas of my brain need to be improved most, which for me is the area in charge of anxiety, self-image, worrying, and motivation, I have a list of things that will help. MEDITATION is the biggest thing. To meditate every day will benefit me more than anything else. It relaxes your brain and allows you to look inside yourself to fix problems. I started last night. It was really quite pleasant. Time literally flies by, and you can just let your mind be completely free. Something else on the list is drinking a lot of water. I already drink quite a bit for cross country, but I'll be the first to admit that I could drink more. Water clears out your system of toxins, and it's one of the only drinks that is healthy to drink in large amounts. Even fruit juices are loaded with unnecessary sugar (even though it's natural.) Antioxidants are big too. Berries, pomegranates, dark chocolate... They don't only help your brain but help keep your whole body feeling good. Fish and fish oil have recently been shown to help improve brain function. Omega 3 fatty acids might sound like they're bad for you, but 1 fish oil supplement a day can help a lot. PING PONG is the ultimate brain sport. It improves hand-eye coordination and doesn't require much in the way of actual physical strength. It has as much strategy as it does skill, just like regular tennis. Unfortunately, I no longer have a ping pong table. The one I've been using recently belongs to someone who won't be around for any of this experiment. I guess I could go to my running coach's house... That'd be interesting. He's a ping pong master. Anyway... There are a bunch of recipies in this book for "brain food." I'll have to try some of them. They don't sound that bad. Lotsa veggies and poultry. There's a chicken omelette that sounds pretty fantastic. Apparently I'm supposed to learn a new sport. I hope dancing counts, because I'm going to learn to ballroom dance. I also have to learn a new fact every day, and spend at least 30 minutes taking in new information. I hope school counts. They say foreign languages are good. Yay, French! Unfortunately I'm still sick. I'm actually leaving school at lunch today. Sickness really affects you psychologically. I feel like I can't focus and I have no motivation. Everything really does start in your brain, doesn't it? It's interesting. Well, that's all I've got. I'll tell you how everything goes.

Isabella