Your Brain's Role in Weight Loss with Dr. Rebecca Jackson [Ep. 144]

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This is the Eat Well Think Well Live Well podcast.

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I am Lisa Salisbury and this is episode 144, your Brain's Role in Weight Loss with Dr.

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Rebecca Jackson.

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Dr.

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Jackson is a brain health and development expert, author and researcher, and the Chief Programs Officer for Brain Balance, a holistic program designed to improve brain health development and connectivity to improve attention cognition.

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An emotional and behavioral regulation for all ages, as you'll hear, she is passionate about making neuroscience fun and applicable to everyday life, to improve how you feel and function.

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We will be discussing how to get your brain on board with your goals, how to stimulate it, and how to fuel it.

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You're not going to want to miss this one.

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Welcome to eat well.

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Well, the podcast for busy women who want to lose weight without constantly counting, tracking, or stressing over every bite.

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I'm Lisa Salsbury, a certified health weight loss and life coach, and most importantly, a recovered chronic dieter here.

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You'll learn to listen to your body and uncover the reasons you're reaching for food.

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When you're not truly hungry, freeing you to focus on a healthier, more fulfilling approach to eating.

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Before we get into this episode, I have a request with a reward.

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I did this about 18 months ago, but it's time again to get some fresh perspectives.

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I want to hear from you, my listeners, on topics that you are needing.

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What are you struggling with?

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What do you need inspiration on, and just generally what do you want to hear on the podcast?

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I've got a link to this survey in the show notes, and everyone that participates will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card.

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I'll be running this for about two weeks, so don't delay.

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Welcome back to the Eat Well Think Well Live Well podcast.

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I am so delighted to have Dr.

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Rebecca Jackson here.

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She's the Chief Programs Officer for Brain Balance and a Brain Health Cognition and Development expert.

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Welcome, Dr.

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Jackson.

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Thank you so much for being here.

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Why don't you give us a little bit more introduction to yourself, what you do, and then we'll jump into our conversation.

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Sounds good, and thank you for having me, Lisa.

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Um, I guess I would start by introducing myself as a big science nerd.

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I love the brain.

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Um, I love learning about.

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What makes us tick as humans and how can we impact how we feel and function on a daily basis at every age.

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Um, so that's really what's driven my motivation and interest.

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Um, and through that motivation and passion, um, I've been a part of brain balance where we design, um, and build programs to build stronger, faster, more connected brains for kids, teens and adults to impact how we feel and function.

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Um, I published research on improving cognition and attention, emotional wellbeing.

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And I'm the author of a book called Back on Track, A Practical Guide to Help Kids of All Ages Thrive.

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And then I'm also a mom and a wife, so that's a little bit about me.

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Perfect.

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Thank you.

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So we connected because I, as, as my listeners know.

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Part of my podcast is about thinking well, and we do a lot of changing our thinking, using thinking to help us with our, um, eating choices, our movement choices, and the, the cognition model that, um, I use.

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And so I really wanted to get.

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Dr.

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Jackson's opinion or, you know, expertise here on the neurology behind all of this.

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And we were talking before, she's like, I can tell you why all the stuff that you do works, which is so cool.

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So, um, let's start with the, um, kind of the neurology of goal setting.

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How, it impacts our nutrition choices.

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Kind of like how do we.

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You know, set a goal and stick to it.

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So like from the perspective of the brain, how can we like, understand the brain's role in this goal setting?

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arena,

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This is a topic that when I really started to learn about the neurology behind it resonated so much with me.

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And I'll give the story first, and then I'll, I'll give the science.

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Um, my husband has made fun of my sisters and I for years about many different things, but specifically I.

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I mean they do.

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Um, but specifically around signing up for running half marathons.

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So my sisters and I all now have kids.

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We do it less these days than we did years ago, but it was not unheard of for us to sign up for a marathon and then not train, and then we'd go have a sister weekend together.

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So in some ways it was an excuse for a sister's weekend, but on the other hand, we would get so excited.

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Right.

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You we'd set a goal of, you know, what?

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We're gonna pick a location.

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We're gonna do the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Marathon.

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We're gonna do the St.

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Patty's Day.

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And we would get so excited about this goal, and then sometimes we'd follow through on it and sometimes we wouldn't.

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Um, I'd like to say I think we ran more than we didn't.

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Um, but so then as I started reading about the neurology of goal setting and what's really happening in the brain, it gave me such aha moments about myself.

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So our brain loves setting a goal.

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When we set a goal.

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It's personal, it means a lot to us personally.

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We get a burst of dopamine.

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And what dopamine does for us is it gives us a burst of feel good energy.

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And so we're gonna feel motivated and excited.

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And for me, I love how I feel when I'm running consistently.

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Jeans also fit the best when I run consistently.

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So there's a vanity element to it.

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There's also a mental health.

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Um, and there's also that feeling of achievement when you do something so.

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That's why we loved setting the goal is because I knew that I would feel good accomplishing it, and it was a, a great excuse to have a sister's weekend, which we always love to do.

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But the challenge is dopamine doesn't stay active in our brain for long.

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And so we get that burst of excitement, like, we're gonna book the hotel, we're gonna book the flight.

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I'm gonna plan my running schedule and map out my training schedule.

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I'm maybe gonna go get a cute new running outfit.

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And, and then you get started and then life happens and you get sick.

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Or you know, something happens with the kids and the schedule changes, and before you know it, you're off track and the training doesn't happen.

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So.

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Really understanding.

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We need to break the goal down into smaller parts so that we can have, we've got a reengaged dopamine as often as possible.

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And going back to why did that goal mean a lot to you in the first place?

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What was it that motivated you about that goal and then trying to keep that personal motivation for you front and center, and then I think it's so important to understand that.

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Life is gonna derail you on your goal setting and goal achieving.

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And so you've gotta have a plan for that ahead of time.

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Um, and so, you know, one of the things for me is I, I travel a fair amount for work and it, it goes in waves and phases.

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But if I'm trying to run, you know, four or five times a week, that means I also need to run when I'm traveling.

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And so do I have a plan for that?

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Am I staying in a hotel where I can run outside from where I am?

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Am I packing the right clothes for, for inclement weather?

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Because otherwise it's really easy to wake up and say, uh, it's raining outside.

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I'm not gonna do it.

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Or I'm not familiar with this area.

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So when it comes to goal setting, identifying your hurdles ahead of time so that you can plan for it.

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So you've got a backup and a backup backup plan in place.

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Um, and then understanding how fatigue.

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Changes everything when, and one of the things that I say all the time that probably drives my kids nuts is a tired brain is a negative brain.

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And so when our brain runs out of the energy or fuel or resources it needs to do what we're asking it to do, we automatically go negative.

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And so if I'm feeling really tired and.

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I just wanna sleep in in the morning.

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I don't wanna go for a run.

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It's gonna be harder to do.

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And so I need to make sure that I'm giving my brain, excuse me, what it needs in order to be able to achieve that goal.

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So I need to make sure that I'm getting the rest I need to make sure that I'm getting the fuel, because that's gonna give my brain a better ability to be positive and stay positive, and to, to then be able to do the work that needs to go into achieving the goal.

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And then having those little micro goals.

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And so instead of, you know, setting up something that's three months long, you know, maybe your goal is, can I run three times this week?

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And then that's my goal.

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And then what, what can I do that I'm gonna feel really good about as a reward for achieving that goal?

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Maybe I'm gonna reward myself with.

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A fun yoga class that I enjoy, that I don't take the time to do, or maybe my reward's gonna be, you know, going out for dinner or going for a walk with a friend that I just love spending time with.

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What is, what is something that I can give myself to look forward to, so that we're just looking for those opportunities to, to release more dopamine in our system, to help us maintain that feeling of energy, positivity, and motivation to achieve the goal.

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Okay.

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That was a lot.

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I have questions.

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Okay.

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Um, so you kind of addressed it here at the end, but I wrote right at the beginning when you said we need to reengage dopamine as often as possible.

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So let me ask, do you mean by setting new mini goals?

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'cause that was how we first engaged it was by setting this big one.

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So do we, do we engage that dopamine or, um, get that dopamine hit by setting mini goals or by the rewards?

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Both.

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Both.

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And, and you know, when our brain is in a positive state, we're, we're gonna be more motivated to do hard things.

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And so you also, the dopamine also doesn't even need to be related to the reward.

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And so if you are keeping your brain and body.

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Feeling good, functioning well, then you are going to have more of the energy and resources to do the hard work and, you know, to, to relate it to eating.

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Eating is so habitual, right?

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There's so many things that we just do without even thinking about it.

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And, you know, maybe I'm working on reducing the number of added sugars and, and that's my goal.

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And, and that's something I'm prioritizing and working on.

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But then when I've got two minutes between meetings that I go run in the kitchen and grab something, it's so easy to, to grab the thing I always grab, you know, grab a handful of, of granola and just shovel it in my mouth when it's like, oh shoot.

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I was wanting to, to grab something different.

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I was wanting, you know, Hummer, hums some crackers instead, but I grabbed, the thing I always grabbed is, is when we're tired and we're running out of resources, we fall back on habits even more.

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Change requires energy and effort from the brain.

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It requires active thought and, and so does achieving a goal.

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And so we're not going to do the hard work to achieve the goal when we're on autopilot.

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And so in order to have the energy and resources.

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To put in the hard work, then we've gotta make sure that, that we're set up and equipped to do that.

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Mm-hmm.

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Okay.

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Yeah, yeah, totally.

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And I think, um, my listeners have heard me talk about a lot like getting your eating out of habit mode, bringing it back into the intentional brain so that we can make intentional choices.

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Because Yeah, when we're eating on autopilot, we.

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Tend to overeat because we're eating the same amount that we used to.

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And so it's not only just what we're grabbing but the amounts, um, you know, that we are always eating and, and we don't tend to question that when we're in autopilot.

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Um, another thing that you said was, having a plan for getting derailed, and I think this is probably the same concept, concept that I call obstacles and strategies where.

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Instead of thinking about all the things that you are gonna do, like absolutely buy the new running outfit, you know, download the app, the couch to 5K, whatever.

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You know, all of those like to do items.

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But then it's also the idea of like, and what are you going to do when.

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Fill in the blank.

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Terrible thing happens right when it's raining, when your cute outfit is in the, in the laundry, when you just don't feel like it.

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And so when we create a plan for when things don't go correctly, and I always relate this back to the, um, 2008 Olympics with Michael Phelps when his goggles started leaking.

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And he had a plan when my goggles leak, because that happens to swimmers, it's not an unusual setback.

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You know, it's not an unusual obstacle.

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if my goggles were to leak, I will count my strokes, and he knew how many strokes it was on the third length of that event.

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What, what that looked like.

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He had replayed that event so many times in his brain, the video tape in his brain that, you know, he of course won and, and got that gold medal.

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Um, but it's because he had a plan for when things he, he wasn't surprised by that negative thing happening.

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Like, nobody wants their goggles to leak.

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Nobody wants it to rain when it's running day, but when you're not surprised by the obstacle, I think that is, that's really helpful.

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Yeah, but I, I think of it in terms of life gives us hurdles and I can't always remove the hurdle, but what can I do to influence the hurdle?

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Like, can I make the hurdle a little bit shorter or can I push it off to the side a little bit?

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Or can I, you know, uh, and, and so.

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And you're exactly right where life life happens, and there's gonna be days where you have a really, really bad day at work where everything falls apart and you're exhausted.

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And you're stressed.

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Or a day when you have a really bad headache or an unexpected family emergency crops up and you've gotta drop everything and juggle 32 balls in addition to all the balls you juggle.

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That's life.

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It happens.

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And so.

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You're exactly right.

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Is, is just, it's when you set a goal, regardless of if the goal is physical activity or eating, or I wanna write a book, it, whatever the goal is, it's.

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Identify the hurdles ahead of time and what, what can you do?

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And so, um, I go back to the book example.

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That was, that was a life that was a just bucket list.

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Lifelong goal of mine was to write a book.

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I'm an avid reader and so I've always wanted to write a book and I started.

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Never finished one time and that I got as far as I signed with an agent and, and I, I just, I couldn't get it done.

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And that's always been just a disappointment I had in myself.

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And so when I set out to do it again, I needed to do it with a different plan.

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I needed to know that there was still gonna be travel hockey season and there was still gonna be work, and there are still gonna be all these demands.

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And so I had to build it into my schedule, and, and I needed flexibility within that.

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You know, I wasn't gonna be able to hit the number of dedicated hours every week.

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And so just again, having a plan for, those pieces to, to help keep me on track.

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Yeah, so good just to have, have a plan.

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And I think this probably relates to the next question I wanted to ask you, which is why is everything so much harder when we're tired?

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Uh, and obviously I talk about sleep a lot with my clients.

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Making good nutrition choices is so impacted by sleep, not just because the brain is tired, but because of the actual hormone, um, leptin, ghrelin influences that occur when we are fatigued.

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So, what can we do and why is it, from a brain perspective just so much harder?

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I'm gonna answer this by first talking about cognition and executive functions.

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So our executive functions.

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Are our ability to.

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Plan, prioritize, organize.

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It's our ability to be fluid and flexible to go with the flow when life happens and we've gotta change.

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It's our ability to regulate our mood and emotions.

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And so these are all the things that we need to be successful as an adult.

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These are the things that we watch for in our kids.

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If they're not going well, it's the why did you do your homework and not turn it in?

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You, you already did the work.

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It's the executive functions that allow us to execute on those tasks.

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But what our executive functions are is, is they're not just behaviors.

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They're the result of what's happening in our brain.

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So it's the behavior action that we see or don't see, but, but it all is stemming from the connectivity in our brain.

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So our executive functions rely on our cognitive abilities.

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And our cognitive abilities are our ability to direct and sustain our attention to process sensory information.

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So what I'm hearing and seeing our ability to block out distractions and have impulse control.

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And so when we have.

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A breakdown in what we're trying to do it, it's coming from our cognitive abilities, which stem from the brain.

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Our cognitive abilities, I think of as our precious resources.

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Our cognitive abilities are not abilities that we're born with.

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They are tied to our development.

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So, as you know, an infant's not born with the cognitive abilities.

00:16:56.384 --> 00:16:58.904
They need to thrive as an adult and to have executive functions.

00:16:59.085 --> 00:17:01.845
They develop over time through use and experience.

00:17:02.325 --> 00:17:05.984
But there are some of the last things to develop.

00:17:06.494 --> 00:17:08.414
They're some of the first things to decline.

00:17:08.414 --> 00:17:12.194
When we think about somebody aging, they lose auditory and visual processing.

00:17:12.194 --> 00:17:13.664
They start talking more slowly.

00:17:13.664 --> 00:17:16.244
They're missing this bits and pieces of information.

00:17:16.545 --> 00:17:19.035
Their attention starts to, to shorten.

00:17:19.244 --> 00:17:21.464
And so their, that impacts their memory.

00:17:22.125 --> 00:17:29.474
Um, so our cognitive resources are some of our most high demand resources in our brain.

00:17:29.865 --> 00:17:32.684
So they require a lot of support.

00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:33.809
To function.

00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:44.190
And so there's so many things that chip away at our cognitive abilities when we're stressed, it's diverting activation and energy from these high level brain functions.

00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:46.140
And now we're functioning in survival mode.

00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:48.059
How do I get through this next minute?

00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:51.569
How do I deal with the, the, you know, blow upper challenge?

00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:54.359
Rather than thinking about, okay, what do I need tomorrow?

00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:56.789
How do I plan for that project that's due next month?

00:17:57.359 --> 00:18:02.009
So stress chips away at our cognitive resources, which is gonna influence.

00:18:02.295 --> 00:18:05.265
Our executive functions, which are our choices and actions.

00:18:05.894 --> 00:18:07.454
Um, pain.

00:18:07.755 --> 00:18:13.875
So if you have chronic pain, if you're sick, those are all things that make it harder to function.

00:18:14.384 --> 00:18:17.924
So fatigue and fuel are also two big elements with that.

00:18:17.924 --> 00:18:18.974
And on the sleep piece.

00:18:19.005 --> 00:18:28.934
And there's a study that came out from Cambridge Brain Sciences several years ago, and they were looking at the impact of just very slight sleep deprivation on your cognitive functions.

00:18:28.994 --> 00:18:31.484
And they found just a couple nights of less.

00:18:32.055 --> 00:18:43.515
An adequate sleep and your brain, your cognitive abilities, functions as though you're mildly intoxicated, and so your ability to direct and sustain attention to to control your impulses.

00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:51.299
Goes down, we've, we've shifted the resources in your brain because the brain's prioritizing survival, not higher level thinking.

00:18:51.720 --> 00:19:00.109
And so, our cognitive abilities and our choices and actions and behaviors are high level functions that just require a lot to support.

00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:03.200
And a great way to understand this is, we all know the term hangry.

00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:06.200
You know, when you're hangry, when you're, you're so hungry.

00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:08.630
You can't concentrate.

00:19:08.809 --> 00:19:10.789
And I hit that point and my husband says, what do you want?

00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:13.369
I can't even make a decision on where we're going to eat.

00:19:13.369 --> 00:19:14.869
Or you know what?

00:19:14.930 --> 00:19:15.920
You can't think.

00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:19.670
You can't plan, you can't, again, you've run outta fuel and resources.

00:19:19.670 --> 00:19:22.700
So the brain is dropping down into survival mode.

00:19:22.730 --> 00:19:25.069
I know I need to eat right now and I'm cranky.

00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:26.210
And I'm irritable, irritable.

00:19:26.210 --> 00:19:28.640
I can't regulate my mood and emotions.

00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:33.329
but it doesn't just happen because of, of blood sugars and running out of fuel.

00:19:33.750 --> 00:19:34.859
Um, we, we.

00:19:35.595 --> 00:19:42.134
Divert the brain's resources through gaming and social media through stress and anxiety.

00:19:42.345 --> 00:19:45.315
Those are all things that that can chip away at the resources.

00:19:45.644 --> 00:19:54.795
And one of the things, um, that I think about often is our brain is constantly asking us the question, is the outcome worth the effort?

00:19:55.500 --> 00:20:00.240
So, um, when we're tired, I'm gonna go back to my going for a run example.

00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:21.269
I know I feel and function better when I, when I go for a run or a walk regularly, but when I'm really tired and my brain's always subconsciously asking myself that question when I'm really tired, the answer might be no, the effort's not worth the outcome because it's gonna require more energy and effort to put the gear on and go out and do it.

00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:22.829
Um, and so.

00:20:23.474 --> 00:20:27.825
In order to say, yes, the energy is, is worth it.

00:20:28.214 --> 00:20:33.210
Um, we've gotta provide our, our brain and body what it means to have the resources to do that.

00:20:35.134 --> 00:20:39.515
Sleep is so tricky because of course there's people that suffer from insomnia and they're like, yeah, I know.

00:20:39.515 --> 00:20:40.115
I get it.

00:20:40.535 --> 00:20:41.285
I always feel bad.

00:20:41.555 --> 00:20:43.234
My sister suffers from insomnia.

00:20:43.474 --> 00:20:47.884
And so every time she's like, when you, you know, these sleep episodes, like, that's great.

00:20:47.884 --> 00:20:49.984
I know I need sleep and it just makes me feel worse.

00:20:49.984 --> 00:20:54.785
And so I do wanna give a shout out to like, first of all, new parents.

00:20:54.845 --> 00:20:56.704
I'm sorry, you're just not gonna think well right now.

00:20:57.265 --> 00:20:58.434
Like, good luck.

00:20:59.125 --> 00:21:00.625
Um, that's a rough time.

00:21:00.984 --> 00:21:04.105
And also those with, you know, clinical insomnia.

00:21:04.105 --> 00:21:05.545
I, I always am like.

00:21:06.194 --> 00:21:07.755
I, I do hope you get the help.

00:21:07.845 --> 00:21:13.164
Most of the time my clients are just struggling with, I just don't get off the couch and go to bed.

00:21:13.555 --> 00:21:24.204
And that's what we can really make the difference with On, on Sleep is to just choose, make better choices is to just, you know, get into these habits of, going to bed.

00:21:24.204 --> 00:21:28.579
On time, whatever that looks like for you in order to get the number of hours that you want.

00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:39.109
And I will say we're coming off of, it's been about a week and a half since, um, spring forward and gosh, my husband and I really struggled this year.

00:21:39.589 --> 00:21:47.089
Like I ha just had a really hard time thinking last week and I just kept thinking, but I'm going to bet on time, but somehow I just could not.

00:21:47.654 --> 00:21:51.765
Catch up and it takes, it takes me a long time to adjust.

00:21:51.765 --> 00:21:59.684
And so I really did see this last week with like the feeling like I, you know, wasn't getting quite enough sleep.

00:21:59.684 --> 00:22:05.085
And I think it's probably because I wasn't falling asleep when I should have been because of the time change.

00:22:05.085 --> 00:22:06.525
And so anyway,

00:22:07.015 --> 00:22:12.115
Well, it, and I'm with you so much, so much credit and love and support to those that struggle with sleep.

00:22:12.414 --> 00:22:20.095
It you, it's something you cannot take for granted because having gone through periods where it's been a, a struggle and being in a good place now, it is real.

00:22:20.275 --> 00:22:28.644
But I just, I wanna give a couple just quick tips of, um, it doesn't, it doesn't negate the sleep deficit, but other ways to, to reengage the brain.

00:22:28.884 --> 00:22:31.164
It's just a quick, a short burst of exercise.

00:22:31.464 --> 00:22:35.244
There are so many different types of exercise that provide different.

00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:41.410
Outcomes and different benefits to the brain, but something as simple as one to three minutes of spiking the heart rate.

00:22:41.650 --> 00:22:42.484
So you know.

00:22:43.029 --> 00:22:47.529
Just running the stairs or doing squat jumps or jumping jacks or jump rope.

00:22:47.529 --> 00:22:57.309
Just a quick, a quick movement just gives your body a burst of, of energy and activation that's gonna help to reengage your attention and focus.

00:22:57.549 --> 00:23:00.400
Reengage your memory, reengage your energy.

00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:05.619
And so if you're at a point of fatigue and you can't sleep at night, or you don't have time to go take a nap.

00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:08.079
If you take a nap, it'll wreck your sleep at at night.

00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:13.450
Um, using physical to to reengage can, be just a quick tip that can help.

00:23:13.450 --> 00:23:22.660
It doesn't mean it's gonna make the rest of the day smooth sailing, but if you need to focus and not knock something out, just taking that couple minutes of movement before you sit down to to do the work can be helpful.

00:23:24.025 --> 00:23:27.684
I think I probably need to engage that in the afternoons.

00:23:27.684 --> 00:23:41.095
That's kind of my slump time because I'm really careful about, I, I usually have a little caffeine in the morning, but because of the half-life of caffeine, I am careful not to have it after 11, sometimes noon, and so.

00:23:41.470 --> 00:23:46.769
Then I sometimes will be tired at four or five when I need to, you know, finish up work.

00:23:46.769 --> 00:23:51.690
And so I think that would be a good time to kind of start in with that habit.

00:23:52.529 --> 00:23:57.450
And even if it's not one to three minutes of spiking the heart rate, just simply engaging your core muscles.

00:23:57.750 --> 00:24:01.200
The, the old saying of sit up to pay attention is true.

00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:05.029
When we engage our core muscles, it, Activates a part of the brain.

00:24:05.029 --> 00:24:07.099
It's called the reticular activating system.

00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:09.950
I always imagine it to be like a garage door.

00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:15.859
'cause when we engage our core muscles, it's like it opens that garage door to say, be alert, be engaged.

00:24:15.890 --> 00:24:24.680
And so just simply sitting up straight or taking a few minutes to just get up and go for a walk or stretch is also gonna reengage your brain.

00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:32.339
And so if you, you know, in that mid-afternoon slump, Just being aware of your posture or, or just, you know, standing up.

00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:40.380
I sit all day long at my computer for work and so just shifting to standing for a little bit or taking a few minutes to, to walk.

00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:45.450
Just anything that you can do to eng engage your core muscles is going to engage the brain.

00:24:45.450 --> 00:24:47.730
And a great way to remember this is, um.

00:24:48.974 --> 00:25:05.775
When we are not engaging the core muscles that garage door, taking in sensory information closes, that's what allows our brain to sleep at night when we're sleeping all of the same energy and all of the same sensory input is still surrounding us, but our brain's not taking it in.

00:25:06.015 --> 00:25:09.015
When we're laying down, we're not engaging any of our muscles.

00:25:09.255 --> 00:25:12.795
When your alarm goes off first thing in the morning, what we do is we stretch.

00:25:13.065 --> 00:25:16.664
When you're stretching, you're firing a muscle which fires input into the brain.

00:25:16.934 --> 00:25:22.424
So your muscles are telling your brain it's time to start to be awake and alert and engaged.

00:25:22.575 --> 00:25:24.974
So it's time to start to take in that input.

00:25:25.545 --> 00:25:30.734
So that's also why if you've got a day where you're just vegging out on the couch, that's why you feel tired and sluggish.

00:25:30.944 --> 00:25:36.105
It's because you haven't activated and engaged your muscles, so you haven't woken up and stimulated your brain.

00:25:36.896 --> 00:25:37.721
Is so good.

00:25:37.721 --> 00:25:41.999
I was just reading, um, some discharge information for my mom.

00:25:41.999 --> 00:25:44.088
I don't wanna throw her under the bus, but she's fairly de.

00:25:44.088 --> 00:25:48.251
Conditioned, that was kind of the, actual diagnosis that they sent her home with.

00:25:48.311 --> 00:25:53.261
And the first, the first symptom of being deconditioned is fatigue.

00:25:53.321 --> 00:25:59.531
And I talked to her about, okay, in order to recondition your muscles in order to like get stronger.

00:26:00.561 --> 00:26:04.642
We have to move the body, and it seems like it's the opposite.

00:26:04.642 --> 00:26:10.642
Like, I'm tired, I should rest, but actually we need to shift to I'm tired, I need to move my body.

00:26:11.122 --> 00:26:14.842
And this was like really kind of mind blowing for her.

00:26:14.842 --> 00:26:15.082
And.

00:26:15.582 --> 00:26:20.021
I mean, honestly for me too, as I was reading it, I was like, wow, this is, this is crazy.

00:26:20.021 --> 00:26:21.942
Like the way it's reading.

00:26:21.942 --> 00:26:31.182
And I think it's just the same for us when, for someone who is fairly conditioned, you know, not an an older person who is in that situation, but I, it was a good lesson for me to say.

00:26:31.682 --> 00:26:40.201
Sometimes what I need is rest, but most of the time what I need is movement, is movement to engage my brain and to wake up.

00:26:40.247 --> 00:26:42.541
I I am a morning exerciser for sure.

00:26:42.541 --> 00:26:49.261
I, I just enjoy moving my body in the morning and a lot of times I'm like, oh, am I too tired today?

00:26:49.777 --> 00:26:51.487
I'm like, no, that's the time.

00:26:51.517 --> 00:26:52.267
This is the time.

00:26:52.267 --> 00:26:56.317
And, and cognitively I can look and be like, I got seven, eight hours of sleep.

00:26:56.317 --> 00:26:57.307
It'll be fine.

00:26:57.696 --> 00:26:59.616
You're not actually too tired.

00:26:59.616 --> 00:27:00.037
You know?

00:27:00.426 --> 00:27:05.126
And um, so I think that's really helpful for, people in this age bracket as well.

00:27:05.126 --> 00:27:08.037
Not, you know, just not just for elderly people.

00:27:08.517 --> 00:27:08.967
Yeah.

00:27:09.146 --> 00:27:14.067
Well, I, it's, it's both, it's, well, it's, I think about things in terms of development.

00:27:14.366 --> 00:27:19.676
Productivity in aging, like we want to live brain healthy lives across the lifespan.

00:27:20.037 --> 00:27:24.686
And two of the biggest drivers of brain function are muscles in our sensory system.

00:27:24.987 --> 00:27:35.307
And so if you've got somebody, whether we're talking about development or aging, we have got to be engaging multisensory stimulation and we have got to be engaging and moving the body.

00:27:35.547 --> 00:27:41.846
If we don't, then the brain is not taking an input and, and then we we're gonna accelerate deep decline.

00:27:41.846 --> 00:27:42.686
And if we're not.

00:27:43.497 --> 00:27:46.497
Taking an input, then we're not maximizing development.

00:27:46.616 --> 00:27:52.646
And so that's one of my concerns, you know, with, with youth on screen time is screen time's not bad?

00:27:52.646 --> 00:27:55.797
It was, we don't have the expectation that, that there should be none of it.

00:27:55.946 --> 00:28:02.757
But how do we find that balance where there's a little bit of screen time and a lot of movement rather than a lot of screen time and a little movement.

00:28:03.146 --> 00:28:04.646
Um, but it's the brain.

00:28:04.676 --> 00:28:08.007
The brain needs sensory input and the brain needs muscles and movement.

00:28:09.521 --> 00:28:11.652
So definitely those two things.

00:28:12.102 --> 00:28:16.182
But from a fuel perspective, would you consider those fuel for the brain, first of all?

00:28:16.182 --> 00:28:26.051
Like the, the sensory input and the muscle movement, is that fuel for the brain or when you, when you refer to how well we fuel our brain, is that more of on the nutrition side?

00:28:26.487 --> 00:28:27.041
A hundred percent.

00:28:27.071 --> 00:28:31.842
It's nutrition side for the fuel, the, the movement and the sensory is stimulation for the brain.

00:28:31.842 --> 00:28:35.326
It's what's engaging networks and pathways in the brain, and we need both.

00:28:35.922 --> 00:28:47.442
We need the fuel to support the networks and pathways, and then we've gotta exercise and engage them and the brain, when we run out of fuel, we're gonna lose our high level functions.

00:28:47.442 --> 00:28:49.781
So we're gonna see a decline in our executive functions.

00:28:49.781 --> 00:28:51.852
We're going to see a decline in our cognition.

00:28:52.271 --> 00:29:00.919
Um, whether that's in the moment or over the long term, um, we need both fuel, um, because that's what creates the energy that supports our activities.

00:29:02.048 --> 00:29:07.179
Is there any fuel or nutrition choices in particular that you think are essential?

00:29:07.479 --> 00:29:09.638
Or is it just you're

00:29:09.648 --> 00:29:11.719
I'm laughing because this, this could be hours.

00:29:12.108 --> 00:29:12.558
Yeah.

00:29:12.618 --> 00:29:12.739
Okay.

00:29:13.388 --> 00:29:14.949
how many, how many hours do we have?

00:29:15.273 --> 00:29:15.693
Yeah.

00:29:16.114 --> 00:29:20.013
Um, you know, nutrition is, is so critically important.

00:29:20.013 --> 00:29:26.824
We cannot talk about brain health development, performance, cognition without talking about nutrition.

00:29:27.273 --> 00:29:30.034
Um, it, it's what makes our body go.

00:29:30.034 --> 00:29:37.084
And so we have to be giving our brain and body a type of fuel that our body can break down and utilize.

00:29:37.788 --> 00:29:41.689
To create energy and to support what we're asking it to do.

00:29:42.138 --> 00:29:52.038
Um, so it's just not realistic to expect a car to drive if you don't put gas in it and you can't put sand in it and expect it to go, you've gotta put in the right gas.

00:29:52.398 --> 00:30:05.509
Um, so, you know, simple, high level focusing and, and when it comes to nutritional backup, nutrition is big and it's overwhelming and we get so much conflicting information, and it all depends on your goal.

00:30:05.854 --> 00:30:12.544
I'm gonna talk about nutrition from the perspective of what does my brain need to be in an optimal state.

00:30:13.084 --> 00:30:20.126
Um, and I think a, simple way to start with this is thinking about what are the things that we can minimize?

00:30:20.126 --> 00:30:27.836
And one of the things that we can add, it can be hard to change everything overnight, but if we think about, okay, couple things that we know.

00:30:27.866 --> 00:30:30.356
We know that ultra processed foods.

00:30:30.626 --> 00:30:32.457
Drives up inflammation in the body.

00:30:32.817 --> 00:30:35.547
Ultra processed foods just creates wear and tear.

00:30:35.547 --> 00:30:37.436
So that can be really hard on our system.

00:30:37.737 --> 00:30:42.987
And a system with a lot of inflammation is gonna have a hard time, um, with high level cognitive function.

00:30:42.987 --> 00:30:49.707
It, it's just creating, I think of it as like mud in the system or, or fog just making everything a little bit more challenging.

00:30:49.707 --> 00:30:53.396
And so can we work to minimize our ultra processed foods?

00:30:53.396 --> 00:30:59.517
So can we do more, less in the way of ultra processed foods, more in the way of whole healthy foods?

00:31:00.027 --> 00:31:11.217
Then the same can can be said for, for sugars can we work on, we know that added sugars, it's a quick burst of energy that then crashes leaving your body, craving that more and more.

00:31:11.217 --> 00:31:16.196
And so from the perspective of the brain, I need good, stable energy.

00:31:16.196 --> 00:31:19.527
I've gotta have a good flow of gas supporting the system.

00:31:19.886 --> 00:31:26.517
And if I'm wanting to maintain high cognitive function and I'm wanting to maintain regulation of mood and emotions.

00:31:26.737 --> 00:31:29.676
Sugar peaks and valleys are, are working against me big time.

00:31:30.007 --> 00:31:36.727
And so the more we can avoid added sugars, natural sugars are fine in this perspective.

00:31:37.146 --> 00:31:40.987
Um, but so, you know, fruits and things like that, fine, but doing.

00:31:41.862 --> 00:31:46.061
A fruit juice that has a ton of added sugar that's that's working against us.

00:31:46.122 --> 00:31:51.912
Um, so from the perspective of the brain, we need to make sure that we're checking all the boxes of the nutrients.

00:31:52.122 --> 00:32:00.011
You know, there's some things that our body's able to produce and some things that we get from the foods we eat, and we all tend to be pretty patterned with our eating.

00:32:00.372 --> 00:32:05.051
Um, so either you're a picky eater and you only eat a few things, or I'm not a picky eater.

00:32:05.696 --> 00:32:11.396
We're a busy family on the go, so like Taco Tuesdays every Tuesday and we grill steak every cent.

00:32:11.396 --> 00:32:13.166
Like we're super routine.

00:32:13.527 --> 00:32:16.977
Um, and so that means we're checking some boxes, not all boxes.

00:32:16.977 --> 00:32:19.767
So, um, I definitely am a food first.

00:32:20.457 --> 00:32:24.926
Person of, I wanna lead with getting as many of the nutrients I can for the foods we eat.

00:32:25.376 --> 00:32:29.277
Um, but I do think that there's a time and a place to supplement for the things that you're missing.

00:32:29.487 --> 00:32:37.886
So to make sure that, that my brain has what it needs, if I'm a growing child, you have got to have the nutrients to support growth and development.

00:32:38.307 --> 00:32:47.126
Um, if we're worried about attention and focus and behavior at any age, again, we can't expect the brain to perform if we're not giving it.

00:32:47.471 --> 00:32:48.402
What it needs.

00:32:48.821 --> 00:32:49.182
Um, so

00:32:49.227 --> 00:32:51.656
Any particular nutrients there?

00:32:51.656 --> 00:32:54.777
I thought you might talk about like omegas, but, um,

00:32:55.392 --> 00:32:56.142
yeah, so it,

00:32:56.186 --> 00:32:57.176
in particular?

00:32:57.372 --> 00:32:58.781
so a super simple like.

00:32:59.321 --> 00:33:10.392
I mean, I can't say enough good things about dark leafy greens and about mixed berries from the antioxidant perspective and, and what that does, um, for nutrients and antioxidants to support the brain.

00:33:10.781 --> 00:33:23.612
Um, but yes, it, to go deeper on nutrition, there's a couple really key areas, and these are things that we focus on and talk about at brain Balance in our program is, the gut brain connection, making sure that we have a healthy gut.

00:33:24.031 --> 00:33:29.582
Um, the more we're learning about the gut and the brain, they're calling the gut the second brain.

00:33:29.582 --> 00:33:32.071
And, and some are even saying, is it really the second brain?

00:33:32.071 --> 00:33:33.152
Maybe it's the first brain.

00:33:33.422 --> 00:33:39.991
And so the amount of communication that's happening, um, again, if we want high productivity, high

00:33:40.037 --> 00:33:42.346
let me just, let me just interrupt you for a second.

00:33:42.346 --> 00:33:54.856
If, if people aren't familiar with where that, why that's important, a lot of your neurotransmitters are made, they begin in the gut and that's one of the reasons why it's so important because those things are actually made there.

00:33:54.856 --> 00:34:02.477
So if we're not making proper amounts of serotonin and epinephrine and all of those INE words that you hear, those, those things are made in the gut.

00:34:04.352 --> 00:34:09.391
And, and there's so much that we do in our life that chips away at the health of our gut.

00:34:09.722 --> 00:34:14.072
Um, you know, if you are on a medication, if we're doing ultra processed foods.

00:34:14.867 --> 00:34:15.887
Foods high in sugar.

00:34:16.036 --> 00:34:20.086
There's a lot that takes away from the good that's needed in the gut.

00:34:20.327 --> 00:34:31.487
A lot of our hormones are also produced in the gut and absorbed in the gut, and so if we're a female of a certain age trying to balance hormones, it there, we just, we could go on and on if we want cognition, attention focused behavior.

00:34:31.637 --> 00:34:36.617
Again, we can't really talk about those things without, um, connecting the gut to it as well.

00:34:36.617 --> 00:34:39.947
So, um, probiotic is important then, um.

00:34:40.711 --> 00:34:45.391
Looking at your, your EPA and DHA, those are things that are neuroprotective.

00:34:45.481 --> 00:34:49.172
And so they're going to provide a, think of it like the bike helmet for the brain.

00:34:49.172 --> 00:34:55.231
It's just giving us an extra layer of protection and it supports our cognitive functions and processes.

00:34:55.681 --> 00:34:58.831
vitamin D is, is so critically important.

00:34:58.831 --> 00:35:04.501
We're hearing about it more and more for the immune system, but also for, for our cognitive health as well.

00:35:04.831 --> 00:35:08.161
Um, so those are three probiotic.

00:35:08.657 --> 00:35:23.686
Fish oil, but making sure it's the, the right balance, um, and vitamin D, and then making sure that we were checking the boxes of a variety of nutrients and whenever and wherever you can working, you know, kale, spinach, broccoli, and mixed berries.

00:35:23.896 --> 00:35:32.416
Those are just great things for brain health across the lifespan from childhood in, into, um, aging, the

00:35:32.536 --> 00:35:34.786
And all of that is just so high in fiber.

00:35:34.786 --> 00:35:36.047
That's the prebiotic.

00:35:36.047 --> 00:35:37.666
That's what your probiotics eat.

00:35:37.996 --> 00:35:46.697
So that's, I mean, those things are kind of a double whammy there, where you're getting, not only are the micronutrients so beneficial for brain health, but also you're going to, I.

00:35:46.987 --> 00:35:50.947
Promote the probiotic, the, the positive probiotic growth that we do want.

00:35:50.947 --> 00:35:55.987
The, the good bacteria, the good guys is what I'm trying to say in, in the gut, so,

00:35:56.012 --> 00:35:57.692
Well, and I love that you brought fiber into it.

00:35:57.692 --> 00:36:00.211
Fiber's also so important because it slows down.

00:36:00.601 --> 00:36:03.422
Digestion, allowing our body to pull more nutrients from it.

00:36:03.632 --> 00:36:17.521
So if you're eating, if you do eat something really good and healthy, but you don't have good gut health and you don't have fiber in your diet, it's gonna, or you haven't had fiber at that meal, that that great nutrient is gonna pass right through and you maybe don't have the opportunity to absorb it.

00:36:17.882 --> 00:36:29.101
Um, and so also making sure that we consistently have good fiber makes it just sets you up to be better able to break down, digest, and absorb those nutrients that are so critical.

00:36:29.836 --> 00:36:32.447
Yeah, fiber, I, I mean, this is.

00:36:33.632 --> 00:36:47.112
I did a, an interview a couple weeks ago, and the gentleman I interviewed, he's like, you know, we can't study the carnivore diet because it's unethical to not give people fiber because we know how positive it is, and so it's like unethical to study.

00:36:47.112 --> 00:36:57.822
I thought that I just keep that just like this, this thought that just like is continuing to reverberate around my brain that that's how important fiber and vegetables and fruit are in our diet.

00:36:58.376 --> 00:37:06.177
We cannot even s we, it's, we can't be ethical about studying something because it's like, you can't do that to humans.

00:37:06.206 --> 00:37:08.456
You can't be like, here, let, let us make you super unhealthy.

00:37:08.876 --> 00:37:09.686
It's so crazy.

00:37:09.731 --> 00:37:10.061
right.

00:37:10.302 --> 00:37:18.882
But yet, you look at how a lot of us eat and function, and a lot of us would fall in that unethical, because you're not getting the fiber you need to support your brain and body.

00:37:20.217 --> 00:37:22.891
So when, We know all this.

00:37:22.891 --> 00:37:23.552
So it's like, okay.

00:37:23.552 --> 00:37:23.882
Yeah.

00:37:23.911 --> 00:37:24.271
Great.

00:37:24.271 --> 00:37:25.382
I I hear you.

00:37:25.382 --> 00:37:26.311
I should do that.

00:37:26.972 --> 00:37:35.942
How can we make these daily nutrition choices that support our goals and activities, how can we bring that back around to, you know, kind of like the, the goal setting?

00:37:37.081 --> 00:37:41.822
How do you think is the easiest way to start making some of these nutrition choices?

00:37:42.371 --> 00:37:45.077
I, I think first by acknowledging there's nothing easy about it.

00:37:45.407 --> 00:37:54.052
It, it is, you know, change is physically uncomfortable, change is physically hard and change requires a lot of energy and effort from the brain.

00:37:54.467 --> 00:37:57.737
And again, your brain is constantly asking whether you realize it or not.

00:37:58.027 --> 00:37:59.856
Is the outcome worth the effort?

00:38:00.097 --> 00:38:11.947
And when we're talking about nutrition choices and changing what we eat, when we're hungry, when we're eating for emotional cravings, when we're, we eat for so many different reasons, and our brain's always saying, is it worth it?

00:38:12.246 --> 00:38:16.507
So is it worth giving up my favorite thing for X, Y, and Z?

00:38:16.867 --> 00:38:21.036
Um, so I think, you know, it's what is your real motivation?

00:38:21.036 --> 00:38:26.947
And I think the real motivation is, is okay at, at different times in my life, my true motivation has been different.

00:38:27.347 --> 00:38:29.927
Vanity of, of fitting into my favorite jeans.

00:38:30.106 --> 00:38:36.047
Right now, I'm definitely in my life at a place where I'm more focused on brain health and how I feel and function.

00:38:36.407 --> 00:38:39.556
Um, and so what is your motivation and what is your goal?

00:38:39.556 --> 00:38:41.686
Really, really define that and your goal.

00:38:41.746 --> 00:38:44.927
It doesn't matter if it's what anybody else's goal or if anybody else at.

00:38:45.387 --> 00:38:48.777
Understands it or approves of it that is personal to you.

00:38:48.927 --> 00:38:54.146
So get personal, get real, and then you've gotta keep things front and center.

00:38:54.416 --> 00:39:07.407
And so I'm, I'm a big fan of, you know, post-it notes as reminders, um, in, in all the places right in the car, in your bathroom, um, just constantly keeping those things front and center for, for why you're doing that.

00:39:07.668 --> 00:39:14.148
I like repeating reminders on my phone, like things that just come up every day at noon, like, this is your mantra.

00:39:14.179 --> 00:39:15.289
Just don't forget and.

00:39:15.903 --> 00:39:19.474
Just kind of thinking about, there's just so many ways we can remind ourselves.

00:39:19.503 --> 00:39:23.643
'cause sometimes, um, like when I see those post-it notes, I start to ignore them.

00:39:24.003 --> 00:39:27.333
But if it comes up on my phone, I have to acknowledge it every time.

00:39:27.423 --> 00:39:28.143
I don't know if

00:39:28.489 --> 00:39:31.503
But, but again, it's finding the strategy that works for you and that's brilliant.

00:39:31.684 --> 00:39:33.994
I've never set repeating reminders on my phone.

00:39:34.233 --> 00:39:36.094
It, that makes a lot, a lot of sense.

00:39:36.123 --> 00:39:38.974
'cause we're looking at our phones all day long.

00:39:39.483 --> 00:39:40.893
Um, and then it, it's.

00:39:41.793 --> 00:39:44.494
What are the small sustainable changes?

00:39:44.793 --> 00:39:47.074
And so what, start by what you can add.

00:39:47.074 --> 00:39:49.324
It's easier to add something than it is to take away.

00:39:49.623 --> 00:39:58.353
And so if you're not eating your leafy greens before you take away your favorite food, that that maybe is an ultra processed food or is higher in sugar add first.

00:39:58.623 --> 00:40:01.264
One of the things that I talk about with my kids is fuel first.

00:40:01.264 --> 00:40:04.293
And so it's not, I don't wanna vilify treats and snacks.

00:40:04.653 --> 00:40:06.423
We need long-term sustainable.

00:40:06.784 --> 00:40:08.043
Um, and so.

00:40:08.389 --> 00:40:12.858
Eat what your brain and body needs first, and then if you're still hungry, absolutely.

00:40:12.858 --> 00:40:16.789
Like, have a snack, have a treat, but then we're, we're gonna eat less of it at that point.

00:40:17.128 --> 00:40:20.039
So start by asking what can I add that's gonna help?

00:40:20.039 --> 00:40:22.469
So can I add more water to my day?

00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:25.048
Our, you know, hydration is another thing that we, I.

00:40:25.378 --> 00:40:32.278
We, we know how important it is, but did you know a drop of just 2% in your body's hydration can also impact cognition.

00:40:32.608 --> 00:40:51.719
Every cell in your body has water, and so if you want to be focused, if you wanna have the energy to do the hard things and achieve the goal, sleep and hydration or to, I mean, sleep, hydration, nutrition, exercise, like these things are all critically important, but water's a really great place to start.

00:40:51.719 --> 00:40:53.099
You'll see I always have.

00:40:53.909 --> 00:40:55.978
The water bottle that's like the time marked.

00:40:55.978 --> 00:40:59.458
And so, you know, so I know how much water I'm getting.

00:40:59.878 --> 00:41:03.568
Um, and so that's, I think, a great place to start.

00:41:03.838 --> 00:41:10.844
Um, so add first the things that are gonna benefit your brain, and then we can start to, to take away.

00:41:10.875 --> 00:41:20.114
Now if, if your goal is to, you know, lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time, that's a slow process that, that's more of a, you know, overtime strategy.

00:41:20.414 --> 00:41:20.744
Um,

00:41:20.820 --> 00:41:23.340
Which is what I love and I call that crowding out.

00:41:23.639 --> 00:41:28.289
So it's the same concept or we're not, I'm not telling you stop eating this, that, and the other.

00:41:28.289 --> 00:41:30.059
I'm like, how can we crowd that out?

00:41:30.389 --> 00:41:39.690
if someone's like, I feel like maybe I'm drinking too many diet Cokes in a day, I'm like, okay, well let's just crowd that out with one extra glass of water and we can only drink so much liquid.

00:41:39.690 --> 00:41:45.210
So if you up your water just by a little bit, we're gonna crowd out the drink that you don't wanna have.

00:41:45.210 --> 00:41:47.400
So it's same concept, it's just like a different.

00:41:47.985 --> 00:41:48.949
Way that I teach it.

00:41:49.304 --> 00:41:49.724
yeah.

00:41:50.054 --> 00:41:50.625
I love that.

00:41:51.000 --> 00:42:06.480
I also think for me, and this is, this is what works and resonates for me, is knowing the why behind it, um, is so different than if you just say, like, if you said, Hey, Rebecca, you know, diet Coke, you should, you should drink less of it.

00:42:06.719 --> 00:42:14.969
Versus if you say to me, did you know the type of sweetener that's in Diet Coke crosses the blood brain barrier that can actually do damage directly to your brain?

00:42:15.434 --> 00:42:21.135
So drinking Diet Coke with that, that artificial sweetener her to brain, that's a motivating factor for me.

00:42:21.255 --> 00:42:22.425
So then I'm like.

00:42:23.235 --> 00:42:23.894
Okay.

00:42:23.925 --> 00:42:26.025
I, I'd rather I'm gonna grab water instead.

00:42:26.204 --> 00:42:28.664
That's not gonna be a motivating factor for everybody.

00:42:28.994 --> 00:42:35.025
But because my goal is brain health right now, that's, that's my motivating factor.

00:42:35.025 --> 00:42:41.625
Then when I look at things through the, the lens of the why behind the motivating factor, um, that's gonna make me stop and think.

00:42:41.909 --> 00:42:44.010
Um, with, with my choices and actions.

00:42:44.039 --> 00:42:51.480
And then I think also being really mindful of your thoughts and your mood and energy because it tells you what your brain needs.

00:42:51.780 --> 00:42:55.710
So to go back to that statement of a tired brain is a negative brain.

00:42:56.460 --> 00:43:09.389
If I wake up and I'm just like, oh, I don't wanna do this today, and oh my gosh, the kids didn't even clean up after their breakfast, that they, like, if I, if I catch myself negative, I press pause to say, okay.

00:43:09.719 --> 00:43:12.510
If my brain's negative right now, it doesn't have what it needs.

00:43:12.510 --> 00:43:17.190
My brain's feeling overwhelmed by something right now, what can I do to change that state?

00:43:17.369 --> 00:43:21.869
Because it's easier to think happy thoughts when our brain has what its needs.

00:43:22.050 --> 00:43:24.179
It's easier to make the hard choices.

00:43:24.329 --> 00:43:27.030
It's easier to do the hard work when my brain's in the right state.

00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:30.719
And so then I go through the checklist of did I get enough sleep last night?

00:43:30.900 --> 00:43:31.170
No.

00:43:31.170 --> 00:43:35.039
Well, I can't change that, but I can do some quick exercise to wake up.

00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:38.760
Have I have I fueled so that I'm not in a, a.

00:43:39.840 --> 00:43:48.150
To make index low dip, and, and I'm needing, I'm not hangry and, you know, am I feeling stressed and overwhelmed about work?

00:43:48.539 --> 00:43:55.260
That can also make me feel overwhelmed and put our brain in a negative state where the brain doesn't have what it needs to, to do what's asked of it.

00:43:55.289 --> 00:43:59.969
And so what can I do to, to have that feel a little bit more under control?

00:44:00.179 --> 00:44:06.090
Because then when my brain is rested and fueled and exercised and, and less stressed and overwhelmed.

00:44:06.750 --> 00:44:16.920
Now suddenly I've got all that great energy and activation supporting my executive functions, which are my decisions and actions and my cognition, which is my ability to support that.

00:44:16.920 --> 00:44:25.320
And so being mindful of what our thoughts are telling us and what we can do to influence, um, that in the moment.

00:44:26.264 --> 00:44:26.715
Perfect.

00:44:27.195 --> 00:44:27.885
That is so great.

00:44:27.885 --> 00:44:30.914
I think that is like such a good sum up of what we've talked about.

00:44:30.914 --> 00:44:33.795
So I'm gonna say, let's wrap up.

00:44:33.795 --> 00:44:35.385
Thank you so much for being here.

00:44:35.385 --> 00:44:39.105
Why don't you tell people where they can find you online or learn more about the what you do?

00:44:39.420 --> 00:44:39.840
Sure.

00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:43.289
Um, you can find more about Brain balance at www.Brainbalance.com.

00:44:43.679 --> 00:44:47.070
Um, you can find me on Instagram or LinkedIn, Dr.

00:44:47.070 --> 00:44:47.909
Rebecca Jackson.

00:44:48.219 --> 00:44:50.554
and the book, Back on track.

00:44:50.554 --> 00:44:55.925
A practical guide to help kids of all ages thrive, is available on Amazon or, or anywhere you get books.

00:44:56.195 --> 00:44:58.684
Even though it's focused on kids, it's talking about the brain.

00:44:58.684 --> 00:45:01.954
And if you have a brain, the tips and tricks all apply.

00:45:01.954 --> 00:45:05.824
And there's a whole chapter on attention And, it covers, it covers everything.

00:45:05.824 --> 00:45:13.804
And so if, if the tips and tricks and things that we were discussing today were helpful and interesting, um, you can get more on, um, through the book.

00:45:14.494 --> 00:45:14.914
Perfect.

00:45:14.914 --> 00:45:17.405
We'll put the links to all of that in the show notes.

00:45:17.735 --> 00:45:19.175
Thank you so much for being here.

00:45:19.789 --> 00:45:20.360
Thank you.

00:45:20.961 --> 00:45:22.371
I am so glad you tuned in today.

00:45:22.521 --> 00:45:29.331
Before I sign off, I wanna remind you to fill out that content survey link is in the show notes for a chance to win that Amazon gift card.

00:45:29.632 --> 00:45:33.802
Also, you can grab the what to do when you overeat free three part video series.

00:45:34.072 --> 00:45:41.061
If you are trying to lose weight and find yourself overeating too many times to see lasting success, be sure to check out that free course.

00:45:41.302 --> 00:45:45.981
It also comes with a reset and recover guide that will help you put everything you learn in the videos in writing.

00:45:46.282 --> 00:45:49.521
And really clarify each step so you can feel confident moving forward.

00:45:49.942 --> 00:45:53.931
That's free just for podcast listeners, so be sure to grab that in the show notes.

00:45:54.291 --> 00:46:00.081
You can also book a free consult session to see if my full 12 week one-on-one coaching program is right for you.

00:46:00.351 --> 00:46:02.871
You can schedule that at the link in the show notes.

00:46:03.141 --> 00:46:08.092
Remember, it's not just about the food, it's about empowering yourself with choices that truly serve you.

00:46:08.302 --> 00:46:13.581
Have a great week and as always, thanks for listening to the Eat Well Think Well Live Well podcast.