Use your subconscious mind to change your life

Your brain is a powerful tool.

We humans have a gifted organ called the brain. The brain is about 15 cm long. It weighs around 1400 grams. 

Some people aren't too sure about the difference between the subconscious and the conscious mind, so I will clarify the difference between the two.

The difference between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind

The physical brain

The physical brain is an organ with no actual muscle tissue (except for the muscle tissue in the middle layer of the arteries that carry blood to the brain).

A new perspective on mental rest

Current research reveals that the brain never stops working. It is active for all 24 hours of the day. 

You might have heard people say, “Let me give my brain some rest” or "take a mental break".

That doesn’t mean that you are asking your brain to sleep or stop working. It simply switches from prioritizing some functions over others. There are many parts of the brain and regular 'mental breaks' help us to keep all of them in good shape.

One part of your brain is active when you look at a beautiful sunset. Another is active when you hold a conversation. Another part of your brain works harder when you think about making a decision or calculate numbers.

We are actually giving certain parts of the brain a period of rest (less activity), instead of complete silence, so that it functions properly in the long term.

Our brain can be divided into two parts: the conscious and the subconscious mind. The brain is only one but the mind is two.

There can often be contradictions.

The subconscious mind has the power to heal your body

There is a strange phenomenon called the placebo effect. This is when people feel better after taking a certain medication, regardless of whether the medication actually helped or not. In these cases, it was actually the subconscious mind that improved the person's health - not the medication itself.

What is the subconscious mind?

Whenever you sleep, walk, talk, eat, drink, laugh, write or breathe; your subconscious mind controls the actions that need to be taken without needing much thought or effort. 

Have you ever wondered whether you could die of suffocation because you forget to breathe? Thankfully, your subconscious mind does all of these repetitive tasks for you. 

Your conscious mind isn't in control of these actions (unless you focus on your breathing like during meditation). These things happen without your need to focus on them because your subconscious is in control of it.

There are some important bodily functions that the subconscious mind handles exclusively (you can't take conscious control of them). Think of your heart beat and what you dream about as good examples.

The subconscious is unseen, but powerful.

What is the conscious mind?

Conscious mind is responsible for deliberate thoughts and actions. It's the little voice that you hear inside your head whenever you think of something.

If I decide to go to the bathroom, my conscious mind decides to initiate the action. My subconscious mind then takes over because I don't need to focus on putting one foot in front of the other in order to get there.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t control your subconscious brain. You can control it. The subconscious mind is, in fact, a powerful tool that you can use to improve your life drastically.

You can use your brain like a tool.

How to control your subconscious mind

1. Meditation
2. Affirmations
3. Believe in yourself
4. Eliminate negative thoughts
5. Avoid words like don’t, no or never

1. Meditation

Meditation is calming, relaxing, peaceful and strangely energizing. Almost everybody has heard about how good mediation is for your mental and physical health, but very few have actually given it a good try. 

You can meditate at almost any place, any time of the day. It has amazing health benefits as well.

2. Listen to positive affirmations (or create some of your own)

Affirmations are designed to train your brain to think along certain pathways. Listening to positive affirmations is a very powerful and easy way to take control of your subconscious mind. It brings positivity and a sense of accomplishment to your mind and helps you to think along the lines of whatever you want to achieve.

3. Believe in yourself

After reading the power of your subconscious mind, what I’ve realized is that unless you believe in yourself; you won’t be good at something. To achieve anything you should have blind faith in yourself - and in your subconscious brain's ability to complete the task.

4. Eliminate negative thoughts

You might have seen people saying that they don’t like do this or that they don’t like that. Have you ever noticed that people who don't like something seem to struggle with that very same thing?

If you don't like people who raise their voice, you will notice more people doing it. If we focus on the negative, we open our mental eyes up that that negativity and will start to see it everywhere. If you tell yourself that you are tired, you will become even more tired because things get bigger when you focus on them.

5. Try to avoid negative words like don’t, no or never

Don't think of ice cream!

Did you think of ice cream? If you wanted to avoid thinking of ice cream, try thinking about your favorite fruit instead.

As soon as you try to avoid something mentally, your brain will fixate on it because it perceives that as a danger. If you say an affirmation like 'I am not tired. I am not tired. I am not tired', you will feel more tired. 'Tired' is the keyword that goes into your subconscious. Try a positive variation like 'energized' instead.

Invest in your brain.

Closing comments

I'd like to thank SA Spotters readers and Saguren Redyrs for reading my words. I hope that this information has helped you. Wishing for your good health:

Utkarsh Sharma:

Director of Sparkle Purpose

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Not all forms of exercise benefit the brain in the same way

Exercise seems to improve almost everything from physical health to emotional and mental well-being. Today, I would like to look at how different exercises improve brain function.

Different kinds of exercises affect the brain differently

This study investigated how exercise affected memory in 52 students between the ages of 11 and 12. The test was to memorize 20 words and recite them back immediately - and then after a delayed amount of time. This was done in 3 sessions: One after playing team games, one after doing cardiovascular (circuit training) exercises and one after no physical activity at all. Immediate memory was highest when followed by team-game forms of exercise, and delayed memory was higher in both forms of exercise. The results showed that exercise rapidly improved memory, but also that different forms of exercise will affect memory in different ways. Team sports, which stimulated the brain along with the body, had a greater effect on short-term memory.

This highlights the importance of the fact that exercise should be performed according to individual goals. In other words, 'why exercise' should determine 'what exercise'.

Personality determines what kind of exercise is the most enjoyable

Personality will determine what kind of exercise you enjoy the most. My personal, most enjoyable form of exercise is long distance running or walking - most probably due to my inherently relaxed nature. If you are currently looking for the form of exercise that will give you the most benefit, try thinking about what you want your mind to get out of the activity. Do you want your exercise routine to spice up a boring routine or provide a mentally relaxing escape? You could also balance out what you currently don't like about your mental environment. For example, steady-state cardio can provide for a time of mental peace and relaxation if you constantly feel rushed from one task to another, while bodybuilding can give you something to work towards of you feel like you need more goals to motivate you. A social form of exercise is great for people who need a little push to get started, get bored easily or who are more competitive in nature.

Aerobic exercise may increase memory and learning more than resistance training

This study tested the effects of different forms of exercise on verbal memory and learning. 86 women between the ages of 70 and 80 with probable MCI (mild cognitive impairment) were designated to 3 different styles of training: Aerobic training, resistance training and balance/toning training. The training programs lasted for 6 months. Their brains were scanned (using MRI scans) and their verbal memory and learning skills were tested using Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test. They concluded that aerobic training increased the size of the hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory) more than the other forms of exercise in their test subjects.

Why does cardio-vascular exercise improve brain learning and memory more than other forms of exercise?

More research is needed to determine why aerobic exercise, or cardio, is better at boosting memory and learning. There are, however, a few theories. These are the two most common ones.

Oxygen

Aerobic exercise trains the body to process and use oxygen more efficiently. VO2 Max is the measurement of how much oxygen your body can use. The greater your VO2 Max, the more oxygen your body can draw from every breath and the more of it can be used to create energy. Cardio-vascular exercise increases VO2 max because this form of exercise uses oxygen as its primary fuel source. Increased oxygen availability may increase mental well-being and performance.

Blood circulation

Blood circulation is extremely important for both mental and overall health. Your body depends on blood to eliminate toxins and by-products and transport nutrients throughout its entire system. The brain is no different - oxygen (and carbon dioxide), water, hormones and other chemicals are constantly being needed and be transported to and from the brain. Exercise that requires more blood circulation will, therefore, stimulate greater ability for it to serve the rest of the body.

All forms of exercise will benefit the brain in one way or another. For example, check out how body building improves cognitive performance. It is better to do a form of exercise that you enjoy, compared to none at all. If you are exercising for the mental health benefits, choosing a form which you enjoy and which benefits your brain the most can yield greater benefits than one that doesn't meet these two important criteria. Stay Strong!

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Bodybuilding Makes You Smarter

Bodybuilding actually makes you smarter. You will do better at your studies, perform better at work and have greater cognitive power if you are a bodybuilder. Taking part in the sport will increase your overall IQ over time. Here is a list of reasons why.

Why bodybuilders are smarter

The better the body, the better the brain

Our bodies are interconnected. Our physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual states are in tune and dependent on one another. A mental state cannot work without a physical state. Therefore, the healthier our physical bodies are, the better we can perform mentally. Lifters work to improve their physical states and this leads to natural, healthy mental performance. Since our bodies are healthier and stronger than normal, our brains are housed in bodies that are more physically able to provide more for our brain's needs. Having a body that is less challenging to physically sustain translates to having minds can run more freely without needing to adapt to physical demands like physical weakness and other bodily problems.

Bodybuilding increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain

Physical exercise - especially high intensity exercise - increases our body's ability to transport blood around the entire body. This benefits our brains without our realizing it. The amount of oxygen that we take in with each breath though our lungs increases. Additionally, the percentage of that oxygen that we can actually use within our bodies increases as well. This translates means into more blood-rich oxygen for the brain to use. Ever heard of the concept that the deeper we breath in, the healthier and smarter we are? There is no need to walk around taking ridiculously large breaths all of the time. Simple exercise increases our blood flow and our blood oxygen levels. 

Bodybuilding provides the escapism and mental breaks that are needed for brain health

Over training is just as dangerous for the brain as it is for our bodies. Reading is a great way to physical rest, just like how exercising is a great way to rest your head while still advancing in life. These mental breaks give your brain a chance to rest, recover and recap on its current challenges before being used again at a higher intensity. Have you ever noticed that you get great ideas while working out? The reason for this is because the refreshing break with a low-thought activity (and increased blood flow to boot) puts the brain in a powerful place where it can settle and develop. The brain is a muscle which has a mental output instead of a physical or forceful output like the other muscles. Exercise is a great way to speed up mental recovery and adaption (growth) from daily stimuli and stresses placed on it. For example, exercise is a great way to get over addiction (it is often used in rehab centers for this reason) due to its ability to re-settle the brain.

Better choices

The choices that bodybuilders make improve their brains as well, although they make these choices to primarily improve their bodies. Bodybuilders are more likely to drink less alcohol, avoid smoking and eat less junk food - all of which damages the brain. The choices that we make that enhance our bodies are almost always likely to benefit our brains at the same time.

Bodybuilding gives you a goal

Bodybuilders have a great sense of purpose because they have goals that they achieve and then set new goals to work towards. This 'sense of purpose' and 'sense of achievement' after reaching predetermined goals are highly beneficial to our mental states. Our brain positively responds to these cycles and indirectly increases our mental confidence, performance, and refreshment. Also, lack of mental goals to visualize and work towards end up dulling and aging the brain faster than it should.

Prevents mental problems before they happen

Exercise is one of the best ways to fight depression - a mental condition - and people who take part in bodybuilding for a prolonged period of time are less likely to develop negative mental conditions later in life like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, panic attacks, addiction, insomnia, paranoia, and personality disorders. Bodybuilding might be preventing you from getting an underlying mental condition that you would have experienced later on down the line if you didn't hit the gym.

Bodybuilding keeps you younger

We age as the cells in our bodies slowly lose their ability to regenerate and start to die off. Exercise slows down this process because through the challenges that exercise brings, we unknowingly reprogram our bodies to keep adapting to a stimulus and as a result our individual cells learn to regenerate at a faster pace. In the case of aging, it takes a longer time for our cells to lose their ability to regenerate. Because of this, they start dying much later than usual. It is as if they if been put under an increased demand to regrow for longer periods of time (years into old age). This is why medical aid schemes can determine your health status through an 'age test'. The younger your body appears in this test, the healthier you are. Our brains are very susceptible to aging just, like our bodies and physical appearance. Two people might be the same age, but their physical health will be different. This means that their bodies are operating as if they are older or younger than their actual age. Bodybuilders undergo exercising and dieting regimes that end up reversing the aging process. It unfortunately does not benefit us fast enough to reverse aging, but it slows it down at a great pace. This brings benefits for minds as well as our bodies and appearances. Being able to operate as if you were younger means that you could have the bright mind of and 21 year old, even though you are 60 years old. Don't believe me? Here are the studies that prove it. 

Bodybuilding relieves stress

Just like how the steam room could relieve stress placed on the body, exercise relieves mental stresses placed on us throughout the day. If these mental stresses and not relieved (like through exercise, relaxation, or social interaction), they can accumulate and lead to diminished cognitive function and even negative mental conditions mentioned above.

Bodybuilding makes you happier

Exercise releases endorphins, the brain's 'happy hormone'. Exercise also helps to eliminate stress hormones that the brain releases when under stress, much like how our muscles release lactic acid when under stress. The endorphin release is what gives you that great 'on top of the world' feeling when you leave the gym and is why some of us feel a little depressed when we don't work out for a few days. By regulating mental hormones like endorphin release and stress hormone elimination, regular exercise keeps your brain healthy and happy, allowing it to grow and develop to its best potential all the time; as well as preventing any negative stress build-up that might accumulate through time.

Higher immunity = More brain growth time

Bodybuilders generally have a higher immunity than other people and get sick less often, which is great for our brains. When we get sick, our brain development is slowed down as our bodies prioritize survival and fighting sickness instead of increasing our mental ability to respond to cognitive challenges. This is why it is harder to take in information, work, or pay attention when you are sick. The less time we are sick, the more time we have to stimulate our brains through social interaction, studies or work and the better our brains recover and grow as a response to that.

Nutrients

The same nutrients that are great for our bodies are often favourable for our brains as well. Fish, protein, complex carbs, vitamins, glutamine, fish oil and veggies which are a large part of bodybuilding diets are fantastic nutrient sources for the brain as well. Exercise increases the absorption and utility of these nutrients in the blood stream, which makes them more available for our brain just as much as these nutrients are readily available for the rest if our bodies to use.

Hormones

The hormones that are increased by regular exercise (especially compound movements) like testosterone, growth hormone and insulin are all improved. All of the hormones benefit your brain as well.

So there you have it. Bodybuilding makes you smarter! STAY STRONG

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