Limitless
Currently number one at the box office, Limitless tells the cautionary tale of Bradley Cooper’s Eddie Morra; a failed writer who unlocks his mind’s potential (and the power to fulfil his wildest dreams) by taking the mysterious Clear Pill.
While the Clear Pill’s benefits are undeniably outstanding, the side effects, both physiological and external, soon take their toll.
To celebrate Limitless’ theatrical release and box office success, we’ve worked with brain expert Dr. Tracy Alloway to bring you some alternative ways to unlock your potential, avoiding the various deadly side effects of the Clear Pill.
Dr. Alloway has immense experience studying how we utilise our brains, is the director of the Centre for Memory and Learning at the University of Stirling, and has authored many books on the subject.
We’ve teamed up with Dr. Alloway to bring you some key things that you can do to unlock your mind’s untapped potential.
What we eat, drink, and visualise can have a profound effect on the functioning of our brains. These and other tips can be found in Training Your Brain For Dummies.
Eating and drinking right can train your brain:
- Pomegranates: Recently pomegranate juice has become very popular. It is very pleasant to drink and studies confirm that unlike most food fads, this one really does live up to its hype.
For starters, pomegranates are a ‘superfood’, which means that they are rich in antioxidants, more so than other fruit. Pomegranate juice is great from pregnancy to adulthood. At one end of the lifespan, expecting mothers who drink this juice can protect the baby’s brain from damage if they are injured.
On the other end of the lifespan, studies confirm that pomegranate juice can prevent Alzheimer’s disease can help people stay sharp in old age.
- Prunes: If pomegranates are the ‘trendy’ fruit, prunes are often thought of as distinctly unfashionable. Most people associate prunes with constipation and other related bladder conditions.
But did you know that prunes are also good for your brain? Prunes contain Vitamin A which not only boosts your body’s defense system, but also helps brain cells repair themselves quickly.
You can make your own prune juice by soaking 1 cup of prunes in 5 cups of water for four hours. Remove any seeds, puree, and enjoy.
- Be ‘grapeful’: Grape juice contains high levels of flavonoids, which work to lower blood pressure and increase levels of good cholesterol. Studies have found that grape juice can improve memory and coordination.
If you are already a fan of grape juice, make sure that you are drinking juice made from red or purple grapes as these are packed with brain-boosting goodness. One study even found that grape juice was better for your heart than cranberry or orange juice.
- Colour me blue: Blueberries are another ‘superfood’ and are rich in Vitamin C and potassium (which helps bones). Clinical trials found that just 2 cups a day is enough to boost learning and brain power. Even frozen blueberries deliver the same benefits to your brain so you can enjoy them all year long.
- Make Meat Count: Eating protein encourages your brain to produce different chemicals to keep you energised and stay alert. But you don’t need too much of it.
Protein-rich foods should only make up 10-15% of your daily calories. Chicken and lean meat are the best sources. Vegetarians can get their protein fix from dairy products, legumes, and nuts.
- Black gold: Tea drinkers, it may be time for a change. It is coffee’s turn to shine. This simple and ubiquitous drink is incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - all of which give your brain a boost.
In fact, coffee is such a great brain food that studies have shown that people who drink it regularly can actually reduce the risk of mental decline and Alzheimer’s and dementia. Great news for Starbucks lovers.
Choose freshly ground coffee to get these benefits, rather than powdered coffee. If you can, swap your cappuccino for an espresso because is the best way to get your brain food - pure and full of brain-boosting properties.
- Sweet tooth: Chocolate is another food that you can smile about. The cacao bean, what chocolate is made from, has been hailed as a fantastic brain food. The cacao bean in its pure form is best.
Dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao solids is the next best thing. Milk chocolate contains too much sugar and too little cacao solids and white chocolate contains no cacao solids at all.
So before you indulge, make sure you select chocolate that it is at least 70% cacao content. Otherwise, all you are getting is the sugar, fat, and artificial flavourings, with none of the benefits.
- Nutty delights: Walnuts are touted as brain foods because they are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids. A mere quarter cup of walnuts provides over 90% of the recommended daily intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds are another example of a brain nut. So get cracking and sprinkle these nuts over your oats, yogurt, and salads.
Think yourself to a better brain:
Numerous studies show that the brain responds to visualisation in the same way as it does to physical practice.
Basketball players were divided into three groups. One group was asked to practice shooting baskets daily; another group was asked only to visualise shooting baskets, but not to actually practice; and a final group was asked to do nothing at all.
After a month, the psychologists tested the basketball skills of all three groups. As you might guess, the group that did nothing did really poorly and seemed to have lost some of its skills.
The group that had been practising diligently for the last month improved its skills by 24 percent. But what is most surprising is the group that just visualised shooting baskets also improved its skills to almost the same level as those who were actually practising!
Not convinced yet? A Harvard study found that people who visualised playing the piano activated the same part of the brain as those who actually practised the piano.
Here are some pointers for how to harness the power of visualisation in your own life:
- Close your eyes: Sometimes this can help you block out distractions around you and focus just on what you want to remember. Is it someone’s face? A map? Close your eyes and imagine the image in your head.
- Draw it out: If you are a list-writer, here is a twist that you can do. Instead of writing down what you need to do - for example, if you have invited friends over for a Sunday roast and you need to remind yourself of what to do, such asthaw the meat or buy potatoes and carrots, why not draw it? I
t will probably be a lot quicker and may even make you smile when you see it. Another way to visualize things is to make a graph or a diagram. You may prefer to represent everything you need to do to prepare for your Sunday dinner as a diagram. First, take out meat, then season it, and so on.
- Write it out: Keep in mind that visualizing doesn’t just mean pictures or images. If you are the type of person that needs to see things written out, don’t change that.
Keep writing down what you need to remember, just keep the information accessible and visible so you don’t waste mental energy trying to remember where you left your list!
Dr. Tracy Alloway’s work, including Training Your Brain For Dummies reprinted here, is available now from all good book retailers. Limitless is in cinemas nationwide now.
Currently number one at the box office, Limitless tells the cautionary tale of Bradley Cooper’s Eddie Morra; a failed writer who unlocks his mind’s potential (and the power to fulfil his wildest dreams) by taking the mysterious Clear Pill.
While the Clear Pill’s benefits are undeniably outstanding, the side effects, both physiological and external, soon take their toll.
To celebrate Limitless’ theatrical release and box office success, we’ve worked with brain expert Dr. Tracy Alloway to bring you some alternative ways to unlock your potential, avoiding the various deadly side effects of the Clear Pill.
Dr. Alloway has immense experience studying how we utilise our brains, is the director of the Centre for Memory and Learning at the University of Stirling, and has authored many books on the subject.
We’ve teamed up with Dr. Alloway to bring you some key things that you can do to unlock your mind’s untapped potential.
What we eat, drink, and visualise can have a profound effect on the functioning of our brains. These and other tips can be found in Training Your Brain For Dummies.
Eating and drinking right can train your brain:
- Pomegranates: Recently pomegranate juice has become very popular. It is very pleasant to drink and studies confirm that unlike most food fads, this one really does live up to its hype.
For starters, pomegranates are a ‘superfood’, which means that they are rich in antioxidants, more so than other fruit. Pomegranate juice is great from pregnancy to adulthood. At one end of the lifespan, expecting mothers who drink this juice can protect the baby’s brain from damage if they are injured.
On the other end of the lifespan, studies confirm that pomegranate juice can prevent Alzheimer’s disease can help people stay sharp in old age.
- Prunes: If pomegranates are the ‘trendy’ fruit, prunes are often thought of as distinctly unfashionable. Most people associate prunes with constipation and other related bladder conditions.
But did you know that prunes are also good for your brain? Prunes contain Vitamin A which not only boosts your body’s defense system, but also helps brain cells repair themselves quickly.
You can make your own prune juice by soaking 1 cup of prunes in 5 cups of water for four hours. Remove any seeds, puree, and enjoy.
- Be ‘grapeful’: Grape juice contains high levels of flavonoids, which work to lower blood pressure and increase levels of good cholesterol. Studies have found that grape juice can improve memory and coordination.
If you are already a fan of grape juice, make sure that you are drinking juice made from red or purple grapes as these are packed with brain-boosting goodness. One study even found that grape juice was better for your heart than cranberry or orange juice.
- Colour me blue: Blueberries are another ‘superfood’ and are rich in Vitamin C and potassium (which helps bones). Clinical trials found that just 2 cups a day is enough to boost learning and brain power. Even frozen blueberries deliver the same benefits to your brain so you can enjoy them all year long.
- Make Meat Count: Eating protein encourages your brain to produce different chemicals to keep you energised and stay alert. But you don’t need too much of it.
Protein-rich foods should only make up 10-15% of your daily calories. Chicken and lean meat are the best sources. Vegetarians can get their protein fix from dairy products, legumes, and nuts.
- Black gold: Tea drinkers, it may be time for a change. It is coffee’s turn to shine. This simple and ubiquitous drink is incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - all of which give your brain a boost.