Food for Thought

Research has shown that there is a connection between what we eat and how we feel. The biochemical basis of this food-mood link lies in the chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, that relay thoughts and actions along the neural pathways of the brain.

As food affects the action of these chemical messengers it can also have an impact on our mood. Nutrient choice is therefore important to support the thought process. Meal timing, portion sizes and the combination of foods, play a vital role in the regulation of mood and energy. They influence blood-sugar levels which can leave us as high as a kite one minute and scrambling through the cupboard the next, in search of a sugar fix
For this next exercise, look at how your food affects your creative performance. Like many of the exercises in this book, the benefits to be had by this approach will have an impact on other areas in your life.

Go Low Glycemic
Carbohydrates, in particular, affect our energy levels and mood. High sugar products raise blood sugar for a short period, always followed by a dip that leaves you unfocused and lethargic.
Low-glycemic carbohydrates (e.g. brown rice, pasta, vegetables), on the other hand, provide more stable energy and mood levels. Small portions of complex carbohydrate at regular intervals throughout the day will be effective in regulating energy.
Glycemic Index (GI) refers to the rate at which sugar from a particular food enters the cells of the body. Foods with a high glycemic index stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin, quickly emptying sugar from the blood into the cells. This produces the familiar ups and downs of blood sugar and the roller coaster energy levels that go with it. Foods with a lower glycemic index do not push the pancreas to secrete so much insulin, so blood sugar tends to be steadier. Eating low GI foods and combining carbohydrate with protein and fibre will reduce the rate at which sugar empties into the cells.
You should, therefore, combine low GI carbohydrates, protein and vegetables or fruit in each meal or snack sitting. Some good examples are:

  • Chicken, brown rice and roasted vegetables
  • Salmon, couscous and greens
  • Wholemeal pitta with tuna and salad
  • Nuts and fruit
  • Wholemeal cereal and semi-skimmed milk with fruit

Meal Patterns
The most effective way to keep energy level even across the day is to spread your calorie need over five to six small meals, rather than the traditional three. This can help you avoid the commonly experienced mid-morning and mid-afternoon energy dips that leave you lacking concentration and focus.
Unsurprisingly, the most common time for people to visit the office vending machine is mid-afternoon, as those who have not eaten a healthy lunchtime snack are on a mission to get a sugar-fix.
Prepare some healthy snacks in the morning so that your work-flow is not interrupted when you sit down to write, and think carefully about which nutrients you select for a brain boosting breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Foods With The Best Brain Balance
Fruit such as grapefruit, apples, cherries, oranges and grapes have a lower glycemic index. Fruit has a lower GI than fruit juice, because the fibre in the fruit slows the absorption of the fruit sugar. A whole apple will therefore be more brain friendly than apple juice.
For cereals and grains, oatmeal and bran have the lowest GI. Other foods with a favourable GI include spaghetti and brown rice. Corn flakes and sugar-coated cereals have a high GI and are therefore not ideal.
Vegetables, soybeans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils have the lowest glycemic index of any food. White potatoes have quite a high GI so try to opt for sweet potato instead.
Finally dairy products, milk and yoghurt have a low GI, slightly higher than vegetables but lower than fruit. Plain yoghurt has a lower glycemic index than flavoured yoghurts with added sugar.

Happy foods
During the winter months we are starved of sunlight and this can lead to a reduction in the release of serotonin, an important chemical found in the brain. Serotonin is referred to as the feel good hormone and reduction in its release can lead to the development of serious seasonal depression for some, or just a dip in mood for others. Interestingly, our food intake also has an impact on the release of this hormone and tweaking our diets can lead to an improvement in mood, or halt this dip altogether.
Particular foods have a calming effect on the body that results in heightened feelings of happiness. Chocolate can have this effect as it triggers the release of serotonin and endorphins that make us feel good. Other happy foods include chicken, milk, leafy green vegetables and bananas which all contain a compound called tryptophan.
Tryptophan is an amino acid and one of the building blocks of protein. It competes for access to the central nervous system, with several other amino acids, and it is thought to increase the brain’s production of serotonin, and subsequently to elevate mood.
It is known as Nature’s Prozac.

Perky Foods
Proteins in the diet affect brain performance, either leaving us alert and productive or ready for bed. Rich foods can make us feel alert, jumpstarting the brain so we are ready for action.
Another amino acid that increases neurotransmitter activity is Tyrosine. High tyrosine foods include seafood, soy, meat, beans, tofu and eggs; eating them can leave you focused and motivated.

Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) also play a role in mood regulation. Those with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to be more likely to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter months. Three to six grammes of EFAs – taken in the form of food like fish, avocado, nuts or supplements – are recommended for general health and mood promotion.

Water, Water Everywhere
Drinking enough water will also make a dramatic improvement to energy levels. Aim to sip on small glasses of water throughout the day. If you don’t want to interrupt your train of thought by nipping into the kitchen to re-fill your glass, fill a litre sports drink bottle and sip one over each half of the day.

If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

Getting in the Zone

Whole Brain Thinking

The Inspirational Breath

Cross Crawling

Mapping your Mind

Which side are you on?

Mapping your Mind

Mind Maps are useful and elegantly simple devices.

In essence, Mind Maps are simple drawings or sketches of associations you hold between things in your mind. They normally start with a central topic, either in words or even better if expressed as an image. You then draw branches off from that image of the concepts that spawn from the central image.

So if you Mind Mapped something relatively trivial like a shopping list you might have a central image of a shopping trolley and branches such as fruit & veg, household, frozen food, beer & wine, dairy and desserts. You can see what my typical shopping list is like. To make it even more memorable, you can use images of products on each branch.

What makes such a trivial Mind Map so powerful is that with a little training, you can forget to take the shopping list along, yet easily memorise all of its contents. I always Mind Map any talk I give on a single sheet of paper and am then able to reproduce all the points I want to get across without any notes or slides.

How do Mind Maps work

You can just imagine the internal dialog between the hemispheres when you are Mind Mapping.

The left brain says to the right brain, “Aha, a map! I do the map reading around here, leave this to me.”

The right brain, seeing that the left brain is busying itself in the detail says, “Great, now I can be truly creative.”

The same type of ‘dialog’ occurs when we are painting or writing or when we’re typing on a computer or using a mouse or tablet.
So most of our days are spent flipping from one hemisphere to another. It used to be thought that the structure called the corpus callosum mainly passed information between both sides of the brain. Current wisdom is that it actually suppresses one side while the other carries out a task. The map gets both sides of the brain in on the action.

Their real power is unleashed when you map associatively, i.e. using one word per branch, as this takes you off in unexpected directions and mimics our neurons’ interconnective structure.

“It is my firm belief that every brain is, by nature, a Mind Mapper! The fact that a baby learns a language is evidence confirming that it must learn by multi-sensual images and their radiating associations. I also believe that everyone contains the full set of multiple intelligences.” – Tony Buzan

Although there are many good software-based Mind Mapping tools on the market, some of the best Mind Maps are done with just coloured pens, pencils and paper. The reason for this is that some people can end up in a left brained mode simply by engaging with a computer keyboard, screen and mouse. When we have a pen or pencil in our hands not only do we use different neural pathways in our brains but the map manifests into physical, as opposed to virtual, reality. This leads to a better chance of your map leading to real world results. If however you do want use computer software, make sure you print your maps out and stick them on a notice board or wall.

“Be aware that many so-called Mind Maps are really just brain maps. Only when you engage in Whole Mind Not-thinking do you truly engage with the mind as opposed to just the brain.” – Me

When it comes to whole brain thinking, the impact of Mind Maps is explosive in the context of the creativity they seem to unleash. They are also really useful for aiding memory and brilliant for anyone studying and revising. If you do have children, my advice is to get them Mind Mapping as soon as possible.

Embedding Mind Maps in your Neurology

If you have a Mind Map you’ve already completed, you can use this visualisation to help you both remember it and to better notice serendipities linked to its contents

iPad or iPhone? Listen here…

If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

Getting in the Zone

Whole Brain Thinking

The Inspirational Breath

Cross Crawling

Food for Thought

Which side are you on?

Cross Crawling

Cross crawling is actually something we kind of do naturally when we go for a walk. This is why the simple act of a good brisk walk is such a great way to get inspiration – apart from anything else, it gets you breathing!!

This exercise is in two parts which can be done separately, or combined if you feel particularly energetic. It seems appropriate linguistically to call them steps.

Step 1: Walking
If you are able, go for a 10 to 20 minute walk each day, either before you start a creative activity or, especially, if you hit a creative block.

For at least five minutes of the walk, swing your arms from side to side in front of your body. Depending on your physical ability – and where you are doing it – this movement can be as small or large as you feel comfortable with.

Step 2: Cross crawling
You can do this exercise in the comfort of your own home and it important that you do it slowly and you only go as far as is comfortable.
1. Stand with your arms to the side and let the tension fall from your body. Feel the floor with your feet.
2. Now bend your right leg at the knee and swing your left arm in front of you across your navel and, if you can, touch your left elbow to your right knee.
3. Let your right leg fall gently and your left arm return and now bend your left leg at the knee and touch your right elbow to the left knee. Again make sure your left arm crosses your navel.
5. Try to repeat the exercise 10 to 20 times for each side.

If you find it difficult or you seem to get your sides mixed up like tapping your head and rubbing your stomach, don’t worry. This just means your left and right hemispheres really need this exercise. Either really slow the movements down or try it lying down. It will come in time.

I first did this exercise over 10 years ago and after the exercise I briefly started mirror writing. This is often a trait seen in those categorised with dyslexia. If it happens to you, take it as a sign that new pathways are opening up in your brain.

Less Strenuous Versions

Note if you are physically infirm or unwell and either of these exercises is either impossible or likely to cause you harm, instead of getting your elbow and knee to touch, you can just tap your opposite knee with your hand as shown here. This has much the same effect.

What is most bizarre though, if you not able even to do this reduced movement version, you can actually get some benefit by closing your eyes and imagining you are carrying them out – as observed and supervised below by a professionally qualified ‘cross-crawler’ who takes me on ‘training sessions’ daily – although I labour under the illusion that it is me who walks him.

Such is the power of the mind.


If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

Getting in the Zone

Whole Brain Thinking

The Inspirational Breath

Mapping your Mind

Food for Thought

Which side are you on?

The Inspirational Breath

Many people ask me how they can be more inspirational or can experience more inspirations. The answer is perhaps surprising as it doesn’t lie being more intelligent or studying. It involves doing something we all do every day, without thinking about it, and that’s to breathe.

Of course, this is quite handy as we all breathe anyway to stay alive.

What brought me to this realisation was some research I did around the actual word, inspiration. Our words and our sayings give away much about their true semantics.

If you look up the word inspiration say at www.dictionary.com, you will see the following definitions:

1. an inspiring or animating action or influence:
2. something inspired, as an idea.
3. a result of inspired activity.
4. a thing or person that inspires.
5. Theology.
a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
b. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
6. the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.

The first four you will probably have expected but it’s maybe a surprise to see that there is a theological connotation for inspiration. The last definition is one that most people don’t think of even though it’s perhaps fairly obvious. Inspiration is of course one half of the respiration process.

Further insight comes from looking at its etymology, or root meaning. You find that the word ‘inspiration’ is comprised of the word “in” and the Latin “spirare”which meant “to breathe”.

Now I was aware we speak on the out breath. Could it be that ideas come to us on the in breath? I did some more research and found that Eastern mystical practices such as Taoism use breathing exercises in meditation to both balance Yin and Yang energies and encourage the connection to the divine.

Whole Brain Breathing

Now our neurons don’t store any oxygen but they need oxygen in order to function. So guess what? If you increase your depth of breathing by really using your diaphragm, your brain gets more oxygenated.

Now you don’t have to do this all day but it’s a great thing to do as you get up and when you need an shot of inspiration – for example, if you flag in the afternoon.

Here’s the sequence to follow:

1. Place your hands on your belly so your fingers tips on your left and right hands are touching

2. Now breath in so your belly really expands and your finger tips separate

3. Next breath out fully with your out breath being about 3 to 4 times longer than the in breath – and then your fingers touch again

4. Repeat this nine times

5. If you want to get a bit fancy, on one breath, imagine the oxygen filling your left brain and on the next, the right – alternate this sequence and see if you can work up to 18 breaths in this way

If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

Getting in the Zone

Whole Brain Thinking

Cross Crawling

Mapping your Mind

Food for Thought

Which side are you on?

How to Have A Great Week : part #002

So before the start of another week and, for me, another week of blogging as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge … how can you make it go much better than the last?

Firstly, make sure you’ve filled in the audit of last week in part 1 …

Then complete the exercise below:

How to Have a Great Week – Part 002

Before rushing into next week in the same way you handled the last, make some notes of what just transpired.

1. Write down three things you would like to happen

2. Write down three things you would like to learn

3. Write down three signs that would signify to you that a change is underway

– then for each day of the week, keep a journal of all the good things that came your way. Some of them will be unexpected; some of them will be on your list – for each of them as they come in, remember to say “Thank You”

Optionally, to superpower your week, now listen to this guided visualisation and send unconditional love into all the situations, tasks and people you’ve mentioned above and let the week unfold

iPad or iPhone? Listen here …

How to Have A Great Week : part #001

So it’s the end of another week and, for me, another week of blogging as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Next week I am starting a mini-series on Whole Brain Thinking and I will end the month with a mini-series on the Flavours of our Thoughts and the concept of Thought Loops that tie us in knots.

Big, big thanks to Michele Scism and Michelle Shaeffer for coming up with the idea – it’s been so much fun and has made some fabulous connections, several of which will be turning into business in the coming weeks.

As a respite from what has been a wonderfully busy month, weekends give us time to rest, gather our thoughts and plan the coming week.

Accordingly, this is the first in two short blogs on How to Have a Great Week.

How to Have a Great Week – Part 001

Before rushing into next week in the same way you handled the last, it’s time to make some notes of what just transpired.

1. Write down three things that didn’t go as well as you hoped

2. Write down three things you didn’t get done that you hoped to

3. Write down three habits or situations you found yourself in that you hope don’t get repeated next week

– then do nothing until tomorrow’s post which will show you how to make next week go amazingly well

Optionally, you may like to listen to this guided visualisation to make your internal chatter go quiet so that the inspirations for next week can percolate in …

iPad or iPhone? Listen here …

Whole Brain Thinking

In the 1960’s, Professor Roger Sperry was amongst the first scientists to discover the left and right sides of the brain performed different functions. His work was primarily based on studying people with mental illness or physical brain damage.

His research won him a Nobel prize.His research papers had great titles that indicate where he was coming from:

“Interhemispheric relationships: the neocortical commissures; syndromes of hemisphere disconnection.”

“Lateral specialization in the surgically separated hemispheres.”

… this was pioneering stuff !!

Nowadays, scientists can temporarily anaestasise sides or parts of the brain while normal and healthy ‘patients’ are awake and then they can study what functions are affected. With MRI scanners, we can see which bits of our brain ‘light up’ when we perform certain tasks or think certain types of thoughts. Neuroscience is truly entering a Golden Age.

In his phenomenal book, The Master and His Emissary, Iain McGilchrist describes how a chicken uses its right eye to look for grain while its left eye scans for predators and danger. He also postulates how left and right brain functions have changed over time influenced, as they are, by cultural advances and education – i.e. brain training.

Remarkably, several mystics ‘knew’ about the hemispheric differences years before the advent of brain scanners. It was thought the left brain worked inside space and time and was the ‘generator’ of consciousness. They ‘knew’ the right brain operates as a ‘receiver’ of thought and acts everywhere and ‘everywhen’ else.

It has been discovered recently that the corpus collosum, which connects the two sides of the brain, actually suppresses one side of the brain while the other gets on with its ‘job’.

It’s generally agreed that Whole Brain Thinking is a ‘good thing’ and I can testify that when you do it that 1+1 equals at least three if not more.

In this next blog series as part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I’ll be introducing simple techniques we can all do to activate and integrate both sides of our brain.

I’ll be covering:

  • The Inspirational Breath
  • Cross crawling
  • Mind Mapping
  • Food for thought
  • Which side are you on?

To get you started and warm you up, read this blog and listen to the free audio visualisation on Getting in the Zone

So tune in for the next week of blogs if you want to increase your creativity and productivity by leaps and bounds.

If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

The Inspirational Breath

Cross Crawling

Mapping your Mind

Food for Thought

Which side are you on?

The Golden Age of Self-publishing

It’s simply never a better time to be an author. You can go from edited manuscript to publishing it globally as an ebook within a couple of days and in print within just a few days.

My guest this week on the Barefoot Book show was Joel Friedlander who has written an amazing book called A Self Publisher’s Companion which, in my opinion, is the new bible for both authors and publishers who want to get in print and share their message with the world.

Have a listen to this week’s broadcast to find out more …

Listen on the iPhone and iPad here

A Self Publisher’s Companion

No matter what kind of book you want to publish, you’ll find advice, inspiration and down-to-earth tips from an expert designer who has spent years helping self-publishers launch their own life changing books.

Today’s author needs to get up to speed with so many things that are very new. Do you know your way around:

  • Print on demand and digital book production?
  • Typeface selection and how it impacts the readability of your book?
  • Ways to monetize your content, spread your word and gather your tribe?

Get this fabulous book in print or for your Kindle, iPhone or iPad … more details here

 

Jackie WalkerCalling all Authors

If you have a book you want to promote, by far the best way to do it is to have someone interview you about it.

I can highly recommend a great way to do this and that’s to use Jackie Walker’s Soundwave Interview service.

Jackie can also organise a slot on the Barefoot Book show as part of the service – details here

Getting in the Zone

Over the course of a day, you breathe through different nostrils, The left nostril oxygenates the right brain and the right nostril the left.

Neurons don’t store oxygen, they need to be fed it.

This visualisation is a great way to prepare for any creative project.

It both energises and balances both sides of the brain.

Once you learn the sequence, you can do all or part of it at any time to give you an extra boost throughout the day.

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS WHILE DRIVING, FLYING A JUMBO JET OR OPERATING MACHINERY


Getting in The Zone

Before you listen to this visualisation, stare at the infinity image for 30 seconds so it is impressed on your Mind’s Eye.

If you have an iPhone, iPad or MP3 player, you can download it here …

If you would you like to learn more about these techniques, make sure you get a copy of Tom’s new book to find out where ideas really come from and how you can make sure yours actually happen …

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments

Related blogs:

Whole Brain Thinking

The Inspirational Breath

Cross Crawling

Mapping your Mind

Food for Thought

Which side are you on?

Recipes for your Thoughts

Jackie WalkerLast year I uncovered, or rediscovered, the amazing toolset which has manifested itself in the form of the book Flavours of Thought and a gastronomic recipe called the Cube of Karma.

I can think of no better way to summarise what it’s all about than this wonder-full testimonial from Master Chef, and soon to be Cube Tour Guide, Jackie Walker.

iPad, iPhone or no Flash? Listen here …
To buy the book, visit Flavours of Thought

Find out more about the Cube of Karma here

Bespoke Recipes

If you have an issue, an opportunity or something you need some enlightenment on, let me craft a bespoke recipe for your thoughts. I will craft a new concoction from the Flavours of Thought that will open new doors for you.

How does this work?

In just 45 minutes over the phone anywhere in the world, I can give you an insight and direction that will change your world forever. By tuning into your words and messages from your Higher Self at the same time, incredible insights come in. When we then tap into the raw intelligence of the Flavours of Thought, we get straight to the heart of the matter.

It is like accessing an Oracle.

Satisfaction guaranteed

Sessions are just £99 and you are guaranteed an insight you are happy with. To book a session, just pay a deposit of £33 with PayPal below and I will contact you to book a session and guide you through the process.

In the interest of karmic balance, you only have to pay the balance of £66 when you are happy with the recipe you receive.
Buy now