How I’m training my brain We are usually unaware of how food and physical activities can affect the way that we feel and perform. Sunlight, working out, and learning new things constitute a vital source of fuel for the brain and boost alertness, awareness, creativity, and productivity. The brain functions like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. However, doing things the same way, day after day, makes me feel like I lose brainpower. That’s why I take any chance to meet new people, to learn a foreign language, to rearrange my schedules and take different routes from time to time, or to provoke challenging discussions and succumb to adventurous vacations. There are endless choices. There are days I’m trying to dig into a topic I know very little about. I pick one that seems interesting to me and choose some books or articles on that topic. When I’ve learned what I need, I go on to choose something else. It could be some crosswords for a change. I like them a lot, despite the hard time the English ones usually give me. By turning this behavior into a habit, I manage to maintain a healthy memory and cultivate good judgment. Something else I like to do is to spend a day exploring some areas of my town that I am not so familiar with. The risk of getting lost, the new sights, people, sounds and smells, all mean a healthy wake-up call for my brain. What I don’t like to do at all, let alone to overdo it, is the multitasking thing. I need so much to focus on one thing at a time. And I run lots of errands and stuff during the day. It’s just that I don’t try to cook, check my emails, talk to people, and make my bed at the same time. The idea that multitasking saves you time is a myth. You end up finishing fewer chores than you’re supposed to. Plus, it’s scientifically proven that people carrying out many tasks at the same time definitely harm their brain. So, you’d better pay more attention to yourself and the people around you. Give anything and any one time. It’s healthier and more effective than you think. As for the best superfood ever, it’s called sunlight and it’s free and delicious. I’m really blessed to have been born in Greece, so I can enjoy many sunny days throughout the year. I love to wake up early in the morning and meditate outside as the sun is rising or to go out for a walk in the afternoon. Although climate change has affected Greece too, which makes me moody some days, the sun will be out there sooner or later to cheer me up. It always pays off.