How to Improve Your Cognitive Function

In part seven of this multi-part presentation covering 115 key insights about the Primal Endurance approach, we’re talking about a very important (but often neglected) part of performing, recovering, and preserving your health—complementary movement and lifestyle practices.

As you will hear, the centerpiece of these practices is of course, sleep, but in this show, I present the idea that getting adequate sleep is not as simple as putting in the prerequisite number of hours every night—there are a lot of peripheral variables here, including the quality of the sleep that you get, the environment you sleep in, and even the time of year (sleep requirements vary depending on the seasons). Since everything flows downstream from getting adequate sleep, sleep quality is crucial, so you don’t want to miss this episode—if your sleep is not entirely optimal, this can show up as sub-optimal thyroid, cortisol, or inflammatory markers (it can also affect sex hormones like testosterone, etc). 

TIMESTAMPS:

When you look at healthy fitness goals, everything flows downstream from getting adequate sleep. It is more than just getting the requisite number of hours every night. [00:24]

There is a small percentage of people who have a gene that allows them to get by just fine on fewer hours of sleep, but there is a large percentage of people who wrongly believe they have that gene. [03:53]

It is important to have quiet and darkness in your sleeping room. [08:41]

Optimal sleep starts with minimizing artificial light and digital stimulation allowing for circadian influence that makes you feel sleepy. [11:43]

To feel fresh and energetic in the morning get outdoors and expose yourself to direct light…..then have you cup of coffee if you want. [12:48]

Keep your evenings as mellow as possible and dimly lit. [17:33]

Waking up perky in the morning indicates that you have had a good night’s sleep. [19:23]

An ideal sleeping environment is quiet and clutter-free and cool. [21:13]

Napping is a good way to catch up on your evening sleep deficiencies. And to fire up your cognitive function.  [25:32]

The Active Couch Potato Syndrome is a real problem where athletes think can minimize activity for the rest of the day after a workout. [29:19]

Walking is the centerpiece of recovery. Extended periods of sitting can compromise musculoskeletal function, cellular health, and cardio function. [32:46]

Research shows that even a 20-minute period of stillness can decrease your body’s operation and cognitive function. [35:28]

Cardiovascular fitness is the ability to challenge the heart and certain muscles to perform extreme athletic efforts in order to deliver oxygen to all cells of your body. [37:07]

Create variation in your work environment. It takes more than a stand-up desk. [39:27]

Brain science confirms that humans are incapable of focusing for longer than 20 minutes without a break. [43:00]

Complimentary movements like Yoga and Pilates improve athletic performance. They also provide a calming balance to high stress workouts. [45:05]

Play is a critical stress release from the pressures, schedules and responsibilities of daily life. Play can take many forms. [48:10]

LINKS:

• Primal Endurance Mastery course (FREE bag of Whey Protein Superfuel if you sign up for the full course, just email us!)
• PrimalEndrance.fit
• Brad Kearns.com
• Brad’s Shopping page
• Lights Out Sleep, Sugar and Survival
• Marick Health
• Huberman Lab
• Brad Kearns’s Morning Routine
• Brad’s First Simpler Morning Routine
• Red-colored flashlight
• Dr. Jack Kruse Podcast, part 1
• Dr. Jack Kruse Podcast, part 2
• Eight Sleep mattresses
• Take a Nap! Change Your Life
• Move Your DNA
• Ready State.com
• Mark Bell Podcast
• The Primal Blueprint
• The Primal Connection

QUOTES:

• "A good night's sleep starts first thing in the morning with getting outdoors."

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• B.rad Whey + Creatine Superfuel: Premium quality, all-natural supplement for peak performance, recovery, and longevity
• Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO): Optimize testosterone naturally with 100% grassfed animal organ supplement
• Brad’s Macadamia Masterpiece: Mind-blowing, life-changing nut butter blend
• Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

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