“All in the head”: what exercises for the brain help to lose weight

Breakdowns are the main reason why diets fail: either we constantly search for the “banned”, or we begin to overeat “healthy” foods, and for the body, it does not matter where the extra calories come from – from chicken breast or ice cream.

Fortunately, psychiatrist Daniel Amen, MD, knows how to fix the problem and eat as much as it takes to shed those extra pounds, even if it doesn’t take a week or two, but months or even years.

Have you ever heard of gastric bypass? During such an operation, most of the organ is cut off and a loop of the small intestine is sewn to the tiny remaining “ventricle”. As a result, the patient can eat only very small portions of food, which allows him to lose weight.

Attention, the question is: is there another way to eat a little? Dr. Amen is sure it does – you just need to “pump” the prefrontal cortex. “It will work like a gastric bypass for your brain,” he says. “This area helps you control yourself and fight your urges.”

And, of course, it’s not just about nutrition: a well-developed prefrontal cortex will help you make informed decisions designed to achieve long-term goals in all areas of life, from finances to relationships.

Here are some good habits to develop.

When you do this, you learn something new, take incredible journeys in your imagination, meet people who died or didn’t exist – all of this puts the brain to work. The good news is that studies show that any book “works”, and it doesn’t have to be something boring and scientific – only comics, where there are more pictures than of text, will not work.

And don’t just memorize them by repeating them to yourself, but write them down – the prefrontal cortex of both hemispheres will then be included in the process.

Any article that interests you is fine: read it aloud, then briefly tell the gist. Studies show that it takes a month to do this exercise to improve memory by 20.

In the evening, review the events of the past day: where you were, what you did, who you saw, what these people were wearing, what the weather was like. Your task is to remember as many details as possible. If you don’t get distracted, this exercise will only take a few minutes.

Dr. Amen recommends devoting 10 minutes a day to this, and he also says that meditation can be replaced with prayer. “Both improve blood flow to the prefrontal cortex and improve mood,” explains the psychiatrist.

Read also: 4 signs that your brain is older than your body that will surprise you!