Ever feel stuck? You need inspiration for a new creative project, or a way to solve a management problem, or a strategy for increasing sales, but you keep coming up short? You may be able to get things flowing again with a few daily activities proven to increase brain function.
遇到瓶颈了嘛?你急需灵感来完成新的创意项目，为管理问题找到解决方案，或是要大脑风暴想出提高销售率的策略，可是你却江郎才尽了?一些能够提升大脑活力的日常小活动也许能让你走出困境。
That advice comes from Robert Susa, CEO of InventHelp, which helps inventors prototype, patent, and market their inventions. Given his audience, he spends a lot of time thinking about how to optimize the human brain. “Whether you are thinking about how to make your prototype more visually appealing, what to do next on yourbusiness plan, or how to market your product to your target audience, it involves a massive amount of brainpower and creativity,” he explains.
一家帮助创业者塑造发明原型，获取专利，推广发明的公司，InventHelp 的首席执行官罗伯特·苏萨建给出一些建议。考虑到他的客户，他花了很长时间去思考怎样才能优化人类的大脑。“不论你是想让你的发明原型在视觉上更有吸引力，还是思考商业计划下一步是什么，还是想如何向你的目标群体推广你的产品，这些都需要你脑洞大开，创意不断，”他说道。
You can up that power and creativity significantly with a few simple changes to your daily routine:
通过日常生活的一些小改变，你就可以获得动力和创造力，然后如日中天：
1.Go for a walk.
1. 出去走走
“Regular exercise helps improve thinking and memory retention,” Susa says. “Taking a walk, a cardio class, or a long-distance run gives your brain a rest from work-related thoughts. It has a chance to be creative, which could help you fix the little problem you've been having with your invention idea.”
“有规律的锻炼能够提升你的思考能力，和记忆力，”苏萨说。“出去走走，参加瑜伽课，或是来一次长跑，都会让你的大脑从工作中解放出来。这也许是个能让你找回创造力，解决创造理念中的一些小问题的机会。”
Various types of exercise can offer this benefit, but walking at least two miles, biking, or running may be especially effective. “Steadily walking puts your brain in a neuroplastic state, which means it can build connections between cells more easily,” Susa says. “When walking to new places, you need to visually and mentally explore where to go next. Each place you see can bring different ideas to your brain, connecting different meanings.”
不同的锻炼方式都能起到其效用，不过徒步两公里，骑行，或是跑步最为有效。“匀速地徒步行走能够让你的大脑处于神经重塑的状态，也就是说它能更为容易地在细胞之间建立联系，”苏萨说。“当你走到一个新的环境，你需要通过视觉和神经来判断下一步去哪儿。每一处新环境都能给你的大脑带来新想法，能够将不同的涵义融会贯通。
2.Indulge in a hobby.
2. 享受爱好
“A brain needs novelty and taxing exercises to maintain its youthful function,” Susa says. This could mean learning a new language, learning to dance, or picking up a musical instrument. “Let your artistic abilities take over your mind for a few hours each week.”
“大脑需要做一些新奇并且复杂的锻炼才能保持它的活力，”苏萨说道。换句话说，你可以学一门新的语言，学习跳舞，或者是学一个乐器。“一周可以抽出几个小时，让你的艺术细菌占领你的大脑。”
Learning something new requires complex thinking and that engages the nucleus basalis, the part of your brain responsible for paying attention and consolidating connections, Susa explains. An hour a day may be enough to strengthen your brain if you focus on learning through that whole hour.
苏萨解释说，学习新东西需要复杂的思考，这时你大脑中负责专注和整合联系的部分，也就是基底核就会开始运作。如果你一天抽出一个小时专注学习，那么已经足够强化你的大脑了。
3.Eat brain food
3. 给大脑补营养
“Like your body, your brain needs healthy and nutrient-rich foods to increase productivity,” Susa says. The specific nutrients it needs are omega-3 fatty acids and flavonoids. “Omega-3 fatty acids improve mental concentration and fight memory loss,” he notes.
“大脑如同你的身体一样，需要健康和富有营养的事物来增强生产力，”苏萨说道。大脑需要的营养具体有Omega-3脂肪酸和类黄酮。“Omega-3脂肪酸能够提高注意力，预防记忆力退化，”他提到。
So where do you find them? Omega-3 fatty acids are in walnuts, eggs, pecans, leafy greens, oily cold-water fish such as herring, salmon, and trout, and oils such as flaxseed oil and chia oil. As for flavonoids, you can find them in coffee, berries, leafy greens--and dark chocolate. “These foods can help you optimize your brain and assist with creating your product or service and bringing it to market,” Susa says. They’ll help you remember the conversations and connections you have with other people, as well as those random middle-of-the-night thoughts that could prove useful later on. “And who doesn’t like to add a little more chocolate to their diet?”
怎么才能找到有这些营养的食物呢?坚果，鸡蛋，核桃，绿色蔬菜，油性冷水鱼如鲱鱼、鲑鱼、鳟鱼，油类如亚麻油，籽油等食物都富含Omega-3脂肪酸。至于类黄酮，你可以在咖啡，浆果，绿色蔬菜，还有黑巧克力当中获取。“这些食物能够提升大脑，帮助你开发产品和服务，以及推广，”苏萨说道。这些食物能够帮助你记住谈话内容，你与别人之间的联系，以及半夜的灵光一闪，也许某一天这些都会有用的东西。“并且谁不愿意多吃一小块巧克力呢?”
4.Find time to clear your mind.
4. 找个时间放空大脑。
Using relaxation techniques throughout the day helps your brain by giving it a rest, Susa says. Meditation, even for just a few minutes, is especially beneficial. “By meditating, your mind can focus on relaxing and letting all worries and problems escape," he says. "Your mind is coming up with ideas, thoughts, and concerns every day, and sometimes you need to clear your head of all anxieties."
苏萨说，一天过后使用一些放松的技巧能够帮助你的大脑休息一下。冥想，哪怕就是几分钟，都特别有效。“通过冥想，你的大脑就专注于放松，忘记那些担忧和困扰，”他说。“每天你的大脑都充满着各种观点、想法和担忧，有时候你需要放空你的大脑，扔掉忧虑。”
So if you’re having trouble concentrating or you’re stuck on a problem, take a little time to meditate, he suggests. Or do yoga, which can clear your mind and provide stress release, and benefits your body as well.
如果你一直卡在一个问题上出不来，那就花点时间去冥想吧，他建议道。或者做做瑜伽，瑜伽也可以让你放空大脑，释放压力，对你的身体也有好处。
Add any of these activities--or all four--to your daily routine, and it may help ignite a creative spark, Susa says: “Allowing your brain to change from its workaholic state and into a free-minded flow might be what you need to figure out your great idea.”
把这些所有的贴士——四个全部——在日常生活中付诸实际，你的大脑很可能会擦出创意的火花，苏萨说：“想要找到好点子，你得让你的大脑从工作狂的状态转移到自由状态。”
