Your brain is one of the most complicated machines on the planet. Boasting up to 33,000,000,000 neurons, each with up to 10,000 synaptic connections each, it's easy to understand why we don't understand the brain yet.

But just because we don't understand the brain in its entirety doesn't mean we don't know some things about it, such as how to get it to perform optimally. Brain fog, forgetfulness, inattention, loss-of-words, etc. are all things we'd like to see minimized or eliminated from our daily experiences. I'm going to share with you a few tips on how to go about that.

Heavy Metals

Most people know of the dangerous effects of lead on the human body, and especially the brain. The story of Roman Aqueducts is not unheard of and we all know not to eat paint chips. Lead has been linked to Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of mental decline. Fortunately, due to government regulation among other factors, modern exposure to high levels of lead is rather low.

Mercury is another heavy metal that is damaging to the brain. It has been shown to cause psychosis, tremors, and speech impairment. Mercury can be introduced into your body by consuming lots of large, predator fish and even from dental fillings.

Exercise

To those of us who exercise, this is obvious. After running or doing yoga my head certainly feels cleaner, clearer, more ready to work. The latest studies have shown a direct correlation between cardiovascular health and mental fitness. So be sure to not neglect your body while trying to learn or figure out difficult problems.

Diet

Another factor that influences your brain is diet. You are what you eat, as they say. And this is even more true with your brain. Since it's made up of mostly fat, the fats that you eat are eventually transformed to become part of your brain. The higher quality the fat, the higher quality your brain.

Certain fruits and vegetables also help your brain in various ways. One study found that mice who ate large quantities of blueberries were more exploratory than those who ate the stlandard fare. Another study on dogs over the course of a decade found that the group who ate high quantities of blueberries were smarter and more easily learned tricks.

Be sure to keep your brain in tip top shape by keeping yourself in shape!