Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted

by Amen, Daniel G.

• ISBN13: 9780307463586
• ISBN10: 0307463583
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-12-28
• Publisher: Harmony

Summary

THE KEY TO A BETTER BODY in shape, energized, and youthful is a healthy brain. Based on the latest medical research, as well as on Dr. Amen's two decades of clinical practice at the re­nowned Amen Clinics, where Dr. Amen and his as­sociates pioneered the use of the most advanced brain imaging technology, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body shows you how to take the very best care of your brain. With fifteen practical, easy-to-implement solutions involving nutritious foods, natural supplements and vitamins, positive-thinking habits, and, when neces­sary, highly targeted medications, Dr. Amen shows you how to: * Reach and maintain your ideal weight * Soothe and smooth your skin at any age * Reduce the stress that can impair your immune system * Sharpen your memory * Increase willpower and eliminate the crav­ings that keep you from achieving your exercise and diet goals * Enhance sexual desire and performance * Lower your blood pressure without medication * Avoid depression and elevate the enjoyment you take in life's pleasures. Whether you're just coming to realize that it's time to get your body into shape, or are already fit and want to take it to the next level, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body is all you need to start putting the power of the brain-body connection to work for you today.

Author Biography

DANIEL G. AMEN, M.D., is a clinical neuroscien­tist, psychiatrist, and brain imaging expert who heads the world-renowned Amen Clinics. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has won several writing and re­search awards. He has published twenty-four books, numerous professional and popular articles, and a number of audio and video programs. His books in­clude Preventing Alzheimer’s, Healing Anxiety and Depression, Healing the Hardware of the Soul, Healing ADD, Making a Good Brain Great, Sex on the Brain, and the New York Times bestsellers Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age. He is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and the star of several very popular public television specials, including Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.


From the Hardcover edition.

Table of Contents

Brain Basics
Introduction: The Missing Link
Boost Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted	p. 3
The Brain-Body Solution
Ten Basic Principles to Change Your Brain and Your Body	p. 13
Change Your Brain, Change Your Weight
The Craving Solution
Use Your Brain to Increase Your Willpower and Calm the Urges That Prevent Your From Achieving Your Goals	p. 37
The Weight Solution
Use Your Brain to Achieve Your Optimal Weight	p. 53
The Nutrition Solution
Feed Your Brain to Look and Feel Younger	p. 81
The Exercise Solution
Exercise Your Body to Strength Your Brain	p. 109
Change Your Brain, Beautify and Strengthen Your Body
The Skin Solution
Brain Signals to Soothe and Smooth Your Skin	p. 129
The Hormone Solution
Balance Your Hormones to Turn Back the Clock	p. 140
The Heart Solution
Use Your Brain to Strengthen and Soothe Your Heart	p. 164
The Focus and Energy Solution
Boost Your Energy to Stay on Track Toward Your Goals	p. 179
Change Your Brain, Increase Love and Vitality
The Sleep Solution
Rest Your Brain for a Slimmer Shape and Smoother Skin	p. 195
The Stress Solution
Relax Your Brain to Reduce Your Wrinkles and Improve Your Immune System	p. 213
The Memory Solution
Remember What You Need to Do Every Day	p. 236
The ANT Solution
Think Your Way to Being Thinner, Younger, and Happier	p. 256
The Passion Solution
Make Love to Recharge Your Brain and Body	p. 272
The Brain Health Solution
Treat Brain Disorders to Protect Against Physical Illnesses	p. 287
Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, Change Other People's Bodies
How Your Brain Influences the Physical and Mental Health of Others	p. 306
15 Important Numbers I Need to Know	p. 311
Amen Clinics Abbreviated Brain Systems Questionnaire	p. 314
The Supplement Solution	p. 320
Note on References and Further Reading	p. 351
Acknowledgments	p. 352
Index	p. 353
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

1

THE BRAIN-BODY SOLUTION

Ten Basic Principles to Change Your Brain and Your Body

Develop brain envy.

Loving your brain is the first step toward getting the body you want.

Over the years, I have personally had ten brain SPECT scans to check on the health of my own brain. Looking back, my earliest scan, taken when I was thirty-seven, showed a toxic, bumpy appearance that was definitely not consistent with great brain function. Initially, I didn’t understand why. All my life, I have been someone who rarely drank alcohol, never smoked, and never used an illegal drug. So why did my brain look so bad? Before I understood about brain health, I had many bad brain habits. I practically lived on fast food and diet sodas, worked like a nut, rarely got more than four or five hours of sleep at night, and didn’t exercise much. My weight was fifteen pounds above where I wanted it, and I struggled with arthritis and had trouble getting off the floor when I played with my children. At thirty-seven, I just thought I was getting older.

My most recent brain scan at age fifty-two looks healthier and much younger than my first scan, even though brains typically become less active with age. Why? Seeing other people’s scans, I developed “brain envy” and wanted mine to be better. As I learned about brain health, I put into practice what I’m teaching you and what I’ve been preaching to my patients for years. In doing so, I got more than just a better-looking brain. I also feel more energetic, look healthier, have lost weight, and have better body tone, no arthritis, and smoother-looking skin.

In this chapter, you will find ten basic principles that explain why it is essential to love and nurture your brain in order to have your best body possible. These are the same principles that underlie our work at the Amen Clinics, where we have helped thousands of people learn to love their brains in order to improve their bodies.

TEN PRINCIPLES TO CHANGE YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR BODY

1. Your brain is involved in everything you do.

2. When your brain works right, your body looks and feels better. When your brain is troubled, you have trouble with how you look and feel.

3. The brain is the most complex organ in the universe. Respect it.

4. Your brain is very soft and housed in a really hard skull. Protect it.

5. The brain has only so much reserve. The more reserve you have, the healthier you are. The less reserve, the more vulnerable you are.

6. Specific parts of your brain are involved in certain behaviors. Trouble in specific parts of your brain tends to cause certain behavior problems. Understanding your brain can help you optimize it.

7. Many things hurt the brain and make it harder for you to get the body you’ve always wanted. Many things help the brain and make it easier to get and keep a body you love.

8. Brain imaging gives great insight into healing the brain so you can have a better body.

9. One prescription does not work for everyone—we are all unique, and you need to understand how your own personal brain functions.

10. Yes, you can change your brain and body!

PRINCIPLE #1

Your brain is involved in everything you do.

Your brain controls everything you do, feel, and think. When you look in the mirror, you can thank your brain for what you see. Ultimately, it is your brain that determines whether your belly bulges over your belt buckle or your waistline is trim and toned. Your brain plays the central role in whether your skin looks fresh and dewy or is etched with wrinkles. Whether you wake up feeling energetic or groggy depends on your brain. When you head to the kitchen to make breakfast, it is your brain that determines whether you go for the leftover pizza or the low-fat yogurt and fruit. Your brain controls whether you hit the gym or sit at the computer to