Introduction

Want to become a more effective and productive version of you?

The way to do it is to strengthen your mind. By strengthening your brain, you can improve your ability to do everything else.

After all, its your brain that you use in order to solve problems, make decisions, and plan for the future. If you are stuck in a rut and if you are failing to get the results you want from life, then it’s probably time to take a look at yourself and to try making a change.

When you change yourself, you change the limits of what’s possible.

The next question: what to upgrade? A great place to start is with your memory.

By enhancing your memory, you’ll be able to improve your ability to learn and store new information. That means you’ll be able to add to your skill set, bulk up your resume, and gain new abilities that could help you to land the job of your dreams.

You’ll remember names at parties, quote movies, and more. ALL of this can be learned, and in this book you will find out precisely how to learn it and what to do with all that knowledge.

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your brain?

Chapter 1: Neuroplasticity and the Science of Learning

If you want to boost your memory and brain power, then a great place to start is by understanding how your brain works, so that you can “hack” it.

In essence then, it is useful to think of your brain as a giant web of interconnected nodes. These “nodes” are your brain cells – also called neurons – and each one represents a different sensation, memory, thought, or action.

These neurons are arranged roughly into brain regions that have particular roles. For instance, your visual cortex is the brain region that is primarily responsible for your vision. Should you stimulate a neuron in this area using an electrode, then you would see a point of light appear in your field of vision corresponding with that neuron.

Likewise, if you were to stimulate a region of neurons in the hippocampus – the brain region primarily associated with memories – then you might experience some old memories in vivid detail.

These experiments aren’t hypothetical – they have been carried out by researchers. They work because the brain is electrical and neurons work by carrying electrical signals called “action potentials.”

An action potential occurs when a neuron reaches a certain threshold and then “fires” by sending an electrical current from its soma (cell body) down a tail called an axon. This signal will then usually travel to nearby neurons across a gap called a synapse to their input terminals called “dendrites.”

If those neurons are excited enough by this stimulation, they too will then fire and carry the message on further down the axon. This way, a thought or sensation will spread across the network, lighting up all relevant areas.

When you create a new memory or have a new experience, this will result in the creation of new neurons and new connections.

This is what we call “brain plasticity” and it essentially tells us that the brain is capable of growing and changing shape like a muscle. The more you use specific brain areas, the more those areas increase in size.

And the more skills and knowledge you gain, the more your brain in general will grow and change shape!

Plasticity is predicated on one rule that can be represented with a simple maxim:

“Neurons that fire together, wire together.”

What this means, is that if two neurons are repeatedly used at the same time, they will gradually form new connections. This is why it’s so easy to say the alphabet in order – because those neurons have formed a network that mean you can go directly from a to b to c. This is also how we learn dance routines, and it’s why we form “associations” between different events and memories.

If you try to learn something new then, you will do so by creating new neurons and new connections between those neurons. X does Y and E = F. Likewise, you will create episodic memories from everything that happens during your day, which will be comprised of networks of sights, smells, emotions, and things that happened.

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Introduction

Hello and welcome to our short, beginners guide on all aspects of Kombucha, a fermented tea also known as “the tea of immortality”.

If you go into any health food store and even many other stores that sell drinks, you will find kombucha, often in a huge variety of brands and flavors. Although it’s been around for thousands of years, it’s only been in recent years that it’s gained popularity in the United States and is being hailed as a healthy drink that has a number of benefits, which we will cover in this guide. Firstly let’s start at the beginning…

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink. It is naturally effervescent much like carbonated beverages, and contains tea, water, sugar, healthy bacteria, and yeast. The healthy bacteria and yeast are what work together to ferment this beverage which gives kombucha its many health benefits.

Now, here are a few of the reasons as to why kombucha is such a popular drink:

Easy to Make

We’ll go into more details later, but the basic brewing of kombucha involves making tea with sugar, then adding something known as SCOBY which contains the bacteria and yeast and allowing it to set for a certain number of days to ferment. Because it’s so easy to make, many people prefer making their own kombucha to buying it in stores.

Variety of Flavors

Because you can start with nearly any type of tea and add additional flavors after the brewing process, it means that the possibilities are endless when it comes to the flavors that kombucha can have. You can also find kombucha in the store in many different flavors, so there’s always something different that you can try and tantalize your taste buds.

Good Soft Drink Alternative

For people that love the carbonation of sugary soft drinks, kombucha makes an excellent alternative. It’s not only got the fizziness that makes soft drinks stand out, but it’s also much lower in sugar without lacking in flavor. The fact that there is a healthy alternative to soft drinks is great news for people who want to kick that addiction without losing out on enjoying a delicious beverage.

Low in Caffeine

While some people may need some caffeine in their tea to get a little boost to make it through the day, others prefer lower caffeine because of the way it affects them such as keeping them from being able to fall asleep at night. Because of the fermentation process, kombucha allows you to get many of the great benefits of tea without the addition of caffeine.

Relaxing

One of the natural by-products of the fermentation process is alcohol. The amount increases with the amount of time the kombucha is allowed to ferment, so this is strictly controlled in a commercial setting and can be experimented with in a home setting. However, because of this low alcohol content, kombucha will help anyone who drinks it to relax.

Healthy

Easily the biggest reason that kombucha has gained popularity is because of its many health benefits. It has a number of probiotics which can help with digestive issues, antioxidants which can help remove toxins from your body, and B vitamins which help in a number of ways within your body. It’s also low in sugar, calories, and sodium, making it great for people who are trying to lose weight.