Energisers For Your Brain

Key Insights on Learning and Brain Function

Effective Learning Intervals

Research shows that people can generally focus on new information for only about 8-20 minutes, with attention spans varying based on age, mental state, and how challenging or interesting the subject matter is.

The "primacy" and "recency" effect, identified by Zeigarnik, suggests that people tend to remember information best from the beginning and end of a learning session.

This is why breaking up your Anatomy and Physiology study sessions with short, energizing activities is beneficial—creating more opportunities for "beginnings" and "endings" can enhance retention.

Brain Gym Exercises Studies indicate that certain coordinated exercises can boost academic performance. The Brain Gym® system, developed by Paul and Gail Dennison, and further researched by Dr. Carla Hannaford, provides exercises designed to improve focus and learning. Here are some examples:

Drinking Water: Essential for hydration and oxygenation, drinking water is a simple yet foundational Brain Gym activity.

Cross Crawl: Stand straight, raise your right knee, and touch it with your left hand (ensuring your arm crosses the body’s midline). Repeat on the opposite side to stimulate cross-body movement.

Uncurling Ears: With your thumb and forefinger, gently massage around the outside of each ear, moving from the top to the earlobe, as if you are “uncurling” it. This exercise can help improve alertness.

Brain Buttons: Place your fingers near the end of your collarbones, just below the hollow at the neck's center, and massage gently. This point may feel tender, which is an indication that it may need stimulation to promote better brain function.

Lazy Eights: Extend your arm, make a fist with your thumb up, and draw a sideways "8" in front of you. Follow your thumb’s movement with your eyes without moving your head to enhance visual tracking.

Owl Exercise: Grasp your left shoulder with your right hand. Keeping your spine straight, turn your head slowly to the left and then to the right. Switch hands and repeat. This movement promotes shoulder and neck relaxation.

Hook-Ups: Extend your arms in front, palms out, thumbs down, and cross one hand over the other. Interlace your fingers, roll your hands in toward your body, and cross one leg over the other. This exercise helps with relaxation and focus.

Additional Brain-Activating Exercises

Feet/Thumbs Crossover: Start with feet angled in like an “A” and thumbs pointing out. Jump to switch to feet pointing out (like a “V”) and thumbs inwards, promoting coordination.

John Travolta Stretch: Stretch your right arm upward while extending your left arm and leg diagonally in the opposite direction, then switch sides. Repeat several times.

Ear and Nose Grab: Clap your hands on your knees, then quickly bring one hand to your nose and the other to your opposite ear. Alternate sides to activate brain circuits.

Marching in Place: March while moving your right hand forward with your left leg, and vice versa. This activity strengthens brain hemispheres' communication.

Why These Exercises Work The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and is associated with creativity, color, and holistic thinking. Meanwhile, the left brain manages language, logic, and detail-oriented tasks. Connecting both hemispheres of the brain through cross-body movements, like the ones above, activates the corpus callosum, which facilitates the flow of information across the brain and supports holistic learning.

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