健康生活:訓練頂尖頭腦的20種方法(1)
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!
想要保持敏銳，最重要的是要鍛鍊你的大腦。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。這裏有20個訓練大腦的方案。
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.
1. 讀一本好書。
讀書會激發想象力。當你讀書時，你的大腦不能持續在反映畫面。讀書讓你的頭腦開始工作。我喜歡讓書本帶着我走。我總是帶着一本書，有時甚至三至四本書在讀！大部分書是從圖書館裏借來的，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. 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.
2. 大腦學院。
視頻遊戲不好的一面是讓腦袋“生鏽”，但實際上有些也會幫助你增強思維。我喜歡大腦學院遊戲(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. 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.
3. 練習冥想。
不要擔心，我不是要在這裏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鬆和集中思考的方式。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.
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。這意味着大學裏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。這可能是爲什麼事情總是在睡了好覺後變得更加清晰明朗。
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!
5. 規律地鍛鍊。
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。一份研究發現體育鍛鍊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，那麼就去運動吧！
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.
6. 吃一頓好早餐。
這並不是不切實際的。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質碳水化合物的的早餐。兩片夾着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爲大腦提供良好的營養。
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.
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。發現積極，鼓勵人們閒逛、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. 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.
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。想寫你總是想學着去做的事並且開始去做。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。這是由於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我們大腦的技術來增進我們的能力。
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.
9. 戒酒。
酒精是抑鬱的原因。它降低精神功能。酒能亂性是有充分證據的。如果你想要有頂尖的精神表現，那麼停止喝酒吧。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.
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着直接聯繫。性影響着女性荷爾蒙分泌。而出於較高水平的荷爾蒙又能提高精神活動。當然，精神方面的愉悅並不是沒有一絲風險，除非你所在的關係式一段忠誠的一夫一妻關係。
