"As long as you
live, keep learning how to live."
-Seneca
Healthy lifestyle habits
are good for many reasons, and one of these reasons is that they can improve
our ability to learn. Not all of these activities are equally useful when it
comes to learning, but some of them, especially the basics (sleep, exercise,
and diet), are extremely important. This article discusses some of the most important
lifestyle activities that can help you live a healthy life and improve learning,
especially language learning.
Sleep
Sleep is the body's
chance to recharge and rebuild itself, and it is one of the foundations of a
healthy life. We often forget just how important it is to get enough sleep, but
research shows that lack of sleep is responsible for many health problems and
is connected with a shorter life span. Sleep also plays an essential role in
learning. Studies have shown that students who don't get enough sleep do
more poorly on exams. This is because sleep not only helps us to focus on and
understand what we learn while awake, but it also helps us to memorize what we
learn while asleep. During sleep, the brain helps to edit, analyze, and
organize what we have learned, which improves our ability to remember important
information.
Most people should try
to get between seven to eight hours of sleep a night. This can be hard to do
sometimes in our busy, modern life, but we need to make it a priority, as it's
so important for our health. Naps can be helpful too. Some research has shown
that even short naps help us learn better. However, naps are not a substitute
for a good night's rest (and naps that are too long can interfere with our
sleep at night). In order for sleep to improve your health and learning,
regular nightly sleep is necessary in order for your brain to go through all
the stages and cycles of sleep. If you have problems getting to sleep, here are some suggestions for improving your
sleep.
Diet
The saying, "You
are what you eat", is a good way to remember the importance of a healthy
diet. Our brain is like an expensive car: it needs quality fuel to function.
Eating a proper diet is essential to a healthy life and learning as well. A
healthy diet helps to improve cognitive processes like memory and attention. Studies have shown that unhealthy diets are a factor for poor
student performance in schools.
It's not difficult to
eat a healthy diet. The food writer, Michael Pollan gives this
excellent advice: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." The key part of this advice is to understand that Pollan defines
"food" as natural food that has not been processed (ingredients like sugar or salt have
not been added to the food), and therefore, there is not a long list of
ingredients. Experts also consider what's known as the Mediterranean diet to be one of the healthiest diets.
It's also important to
make sure that you're eating regularly to make sure the brain has enough fuel
to function well. Often, if we are having trouble concentrating, it's because
we haven't eaten in a few hours. It's usually best to eat every three hours, or
when you start to feel hungry. Having a healthy snack before studying or
taking an exam can help boost performance.
Finally, remember that
we need food and water for a healthy diet. It's important to
stay hydrated, and drink enough water to help your brain function at its best.
Water is really the best drink to have, and it’s especially important not to
drink sugary drinks like soda, or even too much fruit juice (particularly if
there is added sugar).
Physical Exercise
Most people can
understand the importance of the first two foundations of a healthy lifestyle,
sleep and diet, but they might not realize how important the third foundation,
exercise, is as well. However, research has shown that physical exercise is an
essential part of a healthy lifestyle and promotes learning as well. If it were
a pill, exercise would be a wonder drug, and indeed, exercise is like medicine
for our body and mind. From reducing risk of disease, to fighting aging, to
boosting our mood and productive, exercise truly is like a wonder drug for all
aspects of our health.
A growing body of
research has also shown that
exercise has extremely positive benefits for the brain and learning. Studies
have shown that students that exercise regularly are able to focus and
memorize better in class. Research also shows that exercising before a lesson can help
one learn better during the lesson.
In general, one should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, at least 3 times a week, to get the most positive effects of exercise. Of course, some exercise is better than nothing! It can be hard to find the time to get enough exercise, which is why you might consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), as it allows you to do short but intense periods of exercise. According to research, the effects of these short and intense workouts are the same as longer workouts. Also, simple things during your daily routine, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking more, can be effective ways to incorporate more physical exercise into our busy lives. It can be hard to stay motivated to exercise for some people, which is why one should also try to find exercise that is enjoyable. Making exercise a habit is another way to make exercise easier to keep up. Finally, making it social, for example, doing exercise with friends, can also help to motivate you to exercise regularly. Here are some more tips on how to start exercising regularly.
In general, one should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, at least 3 times a week, to get the most positive effects of exercise. Of course, some exercise is better than nothing! It can be hard to find the time to get enough exercise, which is why you might consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), as it allows you to do short but intense periods of exercise. According to research, the effects of these short and intense workouts are the same as longer workouts. Also, simple things during your daily routine, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking more, can be effective ways to incorporate more physical exercise into our busy lives. It can be hard to stay motivated to exercise for some people, which is why one should also try to find exercise that is enjoyable. Making exercise a habit is another way to make exercise easier to keep up. Finally, making it social, for example, doing exercise with friends, can also help to motivate you to exercise regularly. Here are some more tips on how to start exercising regularly.
Mindset
How we see the world and
ourselves plays an extremely important role in how we live and learn. If we have
a pessimistic and negative view of ourselves, it can greatly hurt our wellbeing
and ability to learn. The term, mindset,
means how we view ourselves and the world. Research on mindset shows that
people tend to have two types of mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth
mindset, and which one you have can have a big impact on your life. Those
with fixed mindsets tend to see their abilities as fixed, they can’t be changed, and therefore, they don’t try to do better. Whatever intelligence
and abilities they have, whether at math or languages, these abilities are fixed,
and they can’t get better at them. On the other hand, those with growth
mindsets tend to see their abilities as something they can improve. If a person
with a fixed mindset does poorly on test, they will usually not try harder and
believe that there is nothing to do to improve their score. A person with a growth
mindset will be more likely to try to think that they can improve their score,
if they make more of an effort. People with growth mindsets are more likely to see
challenges and mistakes in life as things that help them to improve.
The good news is people who
have fixed mindsets can be taught
to develop a growth mindset. These discoveries are very important for learning. Think about
whether you have more of a fixed or growth mindset. Do you see challenges as an
opportunity for growth or do you often avoid these challenges? Do you think
your abilities to learn are fixed or do you think you can improve, if you work
hard and put in the effort? These are important questions to ask oneself. I’ve
had students who had difficulties learning English mainly because their fixed
mindsets made learning much harder for them. They didn’t believe that with the
right kind of effort they could improve.
Often, for students who
struggle with a fixed mindset, simply explaining the idea of mindset to
students and encouraging them to develop a growth mindset enough to help them.
However, often life circumstances make altering our fixed mindset more
difficult. My students who found it very difficult to change their mindset
usually had other issues in their life, such as stress, anxiety or depression,
which kept their mindset (and their lives) limited. Dealing with these issues
can be are important first steps to improve health and learning potential.
This is why mindset and
mental health are often linked. If you find that you have more of a fixed
mindset, think about how you might shift to a growth mindset and what factors
in your life might be holding you back. In addition to making sure these basic
healthy life style activates are done, sometimes it’s necessary to learn some
lessons from psychotherapy, or even better, go to a psychotherapist to try to see what’s keep us from growing. Just
as lack of a healthy diet and exercise can weaken our physical body, lack of healthy
mindset and coping skills can weaken our mental health. Therapy can help us
strength these skills to live, love, and learn better.
Social Connections
Humans are social animals, and strong social
connections are essential for our wellbeing. People with better social
relationships usually live longer and have happier lives. Social connections are also important for learning for many reasons. Learning with others
helps to stimulate our brain more, and the social interaction can support,
guide and motivate us.
It almost goes without
saying that the relationships between teacher and students is a key component
of successful learning. Students and teachers that have good relationships
are much more likely to enhance the learning process. Good relationships among
students is also important, as fellow students can serve to support and
motivate each other as well.
Of course, some people
are able to learn well, or prefer learning, by themselves. However, even for
these people, it can be helpful to do some learning with others. This is
because learning with others helps support one’s learning goals and progress
towards these goals. A good teacher or learning community can help learners set
up achievable goals, support their progress, help them overcome obstacles and
give them much needed feedback.
More than most subjects, social connections are usually essential for
learning to speak languages. Hence, learning languages can be an excellent way to enhance social
connections. This, of course, can be done in a formal learning environment,
like classes with a professional teacher, or informally among native speakers.
Practicing a language while traveling, at language clubs or in other social
settings, is a great way to learn while benefiting from the healthy power of
social connections.
