Mental clarity

I have a few posts under my belt so I promise this isn’t spam...

Our line of work requires our mental capacity to be running at peak performance at all times. My nutritionist wife got me on bee pollen - a so-called ’superfood’ and, at least for me, really gives my brain a boost. I love it.

Does anyone take any supplements (other than Red Bull ) for ’peak mental performance’?

Not exactly a supplement, but I drink lots of water throughout the day. I used to be a soft drink/soda junkie and I finally broke that habit and only drink water, and I can feel the difference in my mental clarity

On some weekend mornings I drink a cup of coffee, it’s my weekend treat.

For a while I’ve been pushing myself harder than I should .. not enough sleep, but need to focus on complex stuff in a busy house.
Here are a few things I’ve tried and would recommend (not all at once ;-)
* greens plus (amazing for overall health, a bit of mental performance gain, contains bee pollen)
* fish oil (I’ve noticed some mental de-fogging for sure.. ask someone you trust to recommend a really high quality one though)
* ginseng (can keep me from afternoon sleepiness)
* Vega Sport - Natural Plant-Based Performance Optimizer .. this seems to have best results if I have some then do a bit of yoga before sitting at the computer - this stuff probably has had the most profound effect - if I know I have a few clear hours to work and am not quite feeling mentally up to it, it’s really amazing

Except for Ginseng, this stuff can be expensive.. so I can’t always have it at hand. I should give a caveat that I’m 41 and working from home with a young and busy family.. work and sleep are so fragmented that laser focus on a complex task can be quite challenging. I never needed anything other than coffee or coke (-a-cola) in my 20s to go like mad!

Other supplementation, I figure, depends on the person. Some people need B vitamins to maintain energy, some people might have more energy with digestive enzymes.

I agree with Mary too, keeping oneself hydrated is probably the most important thing of all.

Thanks for posting. I might try bee-pollen myself.. I think we have some around here

Hmm, I’ll have to try the fish oil. I generally don’t trust supplements, I try to get everything I need from foods, maybe it’s my upbringing

I did notice I started feeling a whole lot better and healthier when I started eating less red meat and substituting it with fish

The bee pollen is my elixir, although I am told that if you are taking ’pure’ bee pollen, you must gradually acclimate yourself to it, especially if you have certain types of allergies.

I’m going to check out Vega Sport. That it provides both a physical and mental boost is a definite plus.

I’m working full time as a loading supervisor at the airport. In addition to working full time as a web designer/web developer!
+ I’m married and have to go shopping, visit castles etc. a couple times per week.

Coffee and Energy drinks (Rockstar!!) works, but the real trick is to sleep minimum 6 hours every day. When I was younger I could go weeks on 2-3 hours. That is a the path to failure and destruction.

My check list for each day
-Sleep (minimum 6h)
-Walk outside (minimum 1h)
-Have a social life "IRL" (minimum 4h)

-Walk outside (minimum 1h)

agreeeeeee!

either i go running, or for a long walk ( ~ 2 1/2 hrs ) every day, any weather. although working out in the gym is good, it’s not the same as running/exercising outside. you can go to the gym in addition. make it a habit

I used to be a soft drink/soda junkie and I finally broke that habit and only drink water, and I can feel the difference in my mental clarity

water is the way to go. soft drinks make you weak & sick.

+ enough sleep / i stop working at one point in the evening, no matter what.

My potion is to seek new knowledge and new ideas.. these fire me up. Of recent I have been watching talks on TED.com and have listened/watched about 100 of the 600 talks. Some have really made a difference to my life.. you need mental clarity and the answer is in your mind and not just chemicals or food.

Quote from: einsteinsboi at Feb 17, 2010, 11:43 AM

I did notice I started feeling a whole lot better and healthier when I started eating less red meat and substituting it with fish

I experienced just the opposite.

Maybe your red meat wasn’t configured properly. Try cooking it on a charcoal grill and washing it down with beer.

Wow ! the topic of this tread is really very interesting. Lot of suggestion here i got and different idea of every members has. Some of those seems very effective.