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.

遇到瓶頸了嘛?你急需靈感來完成新的創(chuàng)意項目，為管理問題找到解決方案，或是要大腦風(fēng)暴想出提高銷售率的策略，可是你卻江郎才盡了?一些能夠提升大腦活力的日常小活動也許能讓你走出困境。

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?guī)椭鷦?chuàng)業(yè)者塑造發(fā)明原型，獲取專利，推廣發(fā)明的公司，InventHelp 的首席執(zhí)行官羅伯特·蘇薩建給出一些建議。考慮到他的客戶，他花了很長時間去思考怎樣才能優(yōu)化人類的大腦。“不論你是想讓你的發(fā)明原型在視覺上更有吸引力，還是思考商業(yè)計劃下一步是什么，還是想如何向你的目標(biāo)群體推廣你的產(chǎn)品，這些都需要你腦洞大開，創(chuàng)意不斷，”他說道。

You can up that power and creativity significantly with a few simple changes to your daily routine:

通過日常生活的一些小改變，你就可以獲得動力和創(chuàng)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.”

“有規(guī)律的鍛煉能夠提升你的思考能力，和記憶力，”蘇薩說。“出去走走，參加瑜伽課，或是來一次長跑，都會讓你的大腦從工作中解放出來。這也許是個能讓你找回創(chuàng)造力，解決創(chuàng)造理念中的一些小問題的機會。”

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.”

不同的鍛煉方式都能起到其效用，不過徒步兩公里，騎行，或是跑步最為有效。“勻速地徒步行走能夠讓你的大腦處于神經(jīng)重塑的狀態(tài)，也就是說它能更為容易地在細(xì)胞之間建立聯(lián)系，”蘇薩說。“當(dāng)你走到一個新的環(huán)境，你需要通過視覺和神經(jīng)來判斷下一步去哪兒。每一處新環(huán)境都能給你的大腦帶來新想法，能夠?qū)⒉煌暮x融會貫通。

2.Indulge in a hobby.

2. 享受愛好

“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.”

“大腦需要做一些新奇并且復(fù)雜的鍛煉才能保持它的活力，”蘇薩說道。換句話說，你可以學(xué)一門新的語言，學(xué)習(xí)跳舞，或者是學(xué)一個樂器。“一周可以抽出幾個小時，讓你的藝術(shù)細(xì)菌占領(lǐng)你的大腦。”

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.

蘇薩解釋說，學(xué)習(xí)新東西需要復(fù)雜的思考，這時你大腦中負(fù)責(zé)專注和整合聯(lián)系的部分，也就是基底核就會開始運作。如果你一天抽出一個小時專注學(xué)習(xí)，那么已經(jīng)足夠強化你的大腦了。

3.Eat brain food

3. 給大腦補營養(yǎng)

“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.

“大腦如同你的身體一樣，需要健康和富有營養(yǎng)的事物來增強生產(chǎn)力，”蘇薩說道。大腦需要的營養(yǎng)具體有Omega-3脂肪酸和類黃酮。“Omega-3脂肪酸能夠提高注意力，預(yù)防記憶力退化，”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?”

怎么才能找到有這些營養(yǎng)的食物呢?堅果，雞蛋，核桃，綠色蔬菜，油性冷水魚如鯡魚、鮭魚、鱒魚，油類如亞麻油，籽油等食物都富含Omega-3脂肪酸。至于類黃酮，你可以在咖啡，漿果，綠色蔬菜，還有黑巧克力當(dāng)中獲取。“這些食物能夠提升大腦，幫助你開發(fā)產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)，以及推廣，”蘇薩說道。這些食物能夠幫助你記住談話內(nèi)容，你與別人之間的聯(lián)系，以及半夜的靈光一閃，也許某一天這些都會有用的東西。“并且誰不愿意多吃一小塊巧克力呢?”

4.Find time to clear your mind.

4. 找個時間放空大腦。

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."

蘇薩說，一天過后使用一些放松的技巧能夠幫助你的大腦休息一下。冥想，哪怕就是幾分鐘，都特別有效。“通過冥想，你的大腦就專注于放松，忘記那些擔(dān)憂和困擾，”他說。“每天你的大腦都充滿著各種觀點、想法和擔(dān)憂，有時候你需要放空你的大腦，扔掉憂慮。”

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.

如果你一直卡在一個問題上出不來，那就花點時間去冥想吧，他建議道。或者做做瑜伽，瑜伽也可以讓你放空大腦，釋放壓力，對你的身體也有好處。

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.”

把這些所有的貼士——四個全部——在日常生活中付諸實際，你的大腦很可能會擦出創(chuàng)意的火花，蘇薩說：“想要找到好點子，你得讓你的大腦從工作狂的狀態(tài)轉(zhuǎn)移到自由狀態(tài)。”