- I used to be an aerobic instructor for Jane Fonda,
which I loved.
And we were all obsessed
with keeping our bodies in peak condition.
But we've overlooked something really important,
keeping your mind in peak condition.
I'm going to show you something called Neurobics.
New year, Neurobics,
how you can keep your mind fit, and active, and young.
So, what is Neurobics?
Well, Neurobics means doing something new.
I tell everyone, "The mind is brutal,
"it has a use it or lose it."
And when you use your mind constantly,
you fire new neurons all the time,
which is why professors of 85
have almost the same brain capacity of someone of 35.
But we have this excuse, "Oh, I'm too old now,
"it's normal to forget things, it's my age."
When, actually, little tiny kids forget things.
Go to a school and you'll see every day on the peg,
someone's forgotten their coat, their lunch,
their swimming stuff.
But we start to think, "Well, yeah, I'm tired,
"I'm forgetful; it's my age."
It's not your age,
it's because you are not using Neurobics.
If you look at a child, they color,
they get up, they go and do something else, they come back,
they're always doing something new.
And new means use it or lose it.
You have to train your brain to stay young,
and active, and sharp.
And there are many people of 95 with super sharp minds,
and other people of 60
who are letting their mind kind of wither away.
And if you put all your work into having
a great, fit, young looking body,
but you're forgetful, there's no point in that.
If I could choose how to age,
I would choose to mentally age really, really well.
Because then I could say, "Well,
"I'm 95, and I'm alert, and I'm wide awake.
"What's the point in having a great body
"when I can't remember anything,
"or focus, or concentrate?"
But you can have it all,
you can have a fit body
and a fit mind if you use Neurobics.
And here's the great thing about Neurobics,
you don't have to go to the gym.
No membership is required,
no hour of doing press ups, and lifting heavy weights,
and doing lunges is required.
And it doesn't hurt.
You don't go, "Oh, my stomach aches now
"and it's really hard work doing all these chest raises."
Takes five minutes, it's free, it's easy.
So, let me show you what Neurobics is.
It means new, but it also means the wrong hand.
Most people are right-handed.
If you're left-handed, you're going to have to reverse this.
If you're right-handed like me,
what you need to do is clean your teeth with the other hand,
it feels kind of weird, but that doesn't matter.
And even better,
when you clean your teeth with the other hand,
balance on one leg for a minute, for 30 seconds,
but do something with the other hand.
When you reach for your phone, use the other hand.
Notice how much you use this predominant hand.
For most of us, it's our right hand.
We use our right hand to reach for things,
to comb our hair, to pick up our phone.
Train yourself to use the other hand.
Every day reach for something with the other hand
and know that every time you do that
you are making yourself younger.
And here's something amazing,
wherever you start from in your house,
you will always, if you're right-handed,
start up the stairs using your right leg,
wherever you start from. It's quite fun to try.
You will always go up the stairs first on this right leg.
Make yourself lead from the left,
get to the stairs and put your left foot on the stair first.
Because you are firing new neurons.
The mind loves newness.
It needs newness.
So, do some new things.
Clean your teeth with the wrong hand
and balance on one leg, just for a minute,
when you clean your teeth.
Reach for your phone, your paper, your cup, your spoon,
with the wrong hand, use the wrong hand.
Start going up the stairs using the wrong leg,
the unfamiliar leg.
And, finally, and this is really easy,
if you do a crossword puzzle every day,
because these things are really good for your brain,
crossword puzzles, Sudoku, mind games, anything new.
If you're learning something new, like a new language,
doing anything that's different is great for your mind.
Playing card games,
my husband and I just bought this Monopoly card game,
we found it last year in Bali, our friends were playing it,
and ever since we play it a lot,
it's so good for you.
But if you are doing a crossword or Sudoku,
do it on your iPad, do it on your phone,
do it on your laptop because it feels different.
It's like, "Oh, I've got to use this differently,
"I've got to fill it all in differently."
It's very good for your mind.
Please remember, use it or lose it.
If you don't want to lose it,
and who wants to lose their faculties, use it.
People say to me, "Wow, Marisa,
"you have the most amazing memory."
I can talk to a client I saw 25 years ago
and remember everything about them,
and that's because I practice Neurobics every day.
I love it.
It's easy.
And my dad died at 89
and he was so sharp, sharp as a tack.
I plan to be like that when I'm 102
and you can be, too.
So, make your new year your Neurobics new year.
New year, Neurobics.
On New Year's Day, or before,
decide, "Hey, this is my resolution.
"How cool? It's so easy.
"I can't really break it
"because all I've got to do is reach for my phone with that hand,
"clean my teeth with that hand, pick stuff up with that hand,
"start walking up the stairs with that leg,
"and find something new." A card game, a board game,
it doesn't matter, a language, play an instrument.
Anything you can do, take up drawing, doodling.
It doesn't matter what it is,
but if you do something new, that's Neurobics.
And the wrong hand is Neurobics.
New year, Neurobics, new you,
having a fantastic mind where you're as sharp as a tack.
And you can have that forever once you do Neurobics.
And let me know how you get on.
I'd love you to send me a text,
or an email, or comment on this
about how Neurobics is giving you new faculties.
So, if you want to know more about how to rewire,
refire, recode your thinking,
how to change your mind, and be super positive,
click the link below
and take a look at my free 'I Am Enough' video
that will help you think differently,
feel differently, act and even react differently.