Choline is a water-soluble nutrient, which is grouped with the B-complex vitamins. To humans, it’s an essential nutrient because it’s used as a precursor or a “building block” of a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Inside the brain, acetylcholine acts as a neuromodulator altering the way our brain structures process information from point to point having a direct impact on mental clarity and memory. In 1998 the National Academy of Sciences, USA, evaluated that choline as a required nutrient for h...
Mar 11, 2016•7 min
It’s pretty common knowledge that exercise helps you feel better, physically AND mentally. But have you ever wondered what happens deep down inside our brains that give us that euphoric feeling? Science claims that there are neurobiological effects of physical exercise ranging from change in brain structure, brain function, and cognition. Doing any kind of physical activity helps, however studies have shown that aerobic activity specifically has been found to increase behavioural and neural plas...
Mar 10, 2016•7 min
There’s one chemical that’s responsible for our mood, anxiety and sleep patterns? The star of today’s show is 5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan (also known as the serotonin precursor), It’s an amino acid which our body makes by breaking down another amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that we obtain from various foods. Once 5-HTP is made, with the help of Vitamin B6 it’s converted into another chemical called Serotonin. And as we all know, Serotonin is the “happy” neur...
Mar 09, 2016•8 min
World today is moving much faster. Skills required for us to perform at higher levels have increased rapidly as well. Now we are expected to have the working knowledge of more than one thing. People are now acquiring more and more skills and that has raised the benchmark of what an average person needs in order to either compete in their job market or for an entrepreneur running their own business So the question is in this fast paced world of constant changes how do we increase our cognitive pe...
Mar 08, 2016•11 min
GABA is one of the most important amino acid produced in our brain. It acts like the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, working to calm neurons that are firing in excited patterns. JOLSID.com It controls our mood, ability to focus, promotes relaxation and controls stress. Glutamate speeds things up in the brain, GABA does the opposite. So you can clearly see where we’re going with this… How does GABA work in the brain? It’s synthesized directly from the neurotransmitter glutamate de-carb-oxy-l...
Mar 07, 2016•9 min
We recently received some great feedback from a listener. The listener asked why we don't simply focus on success hacks for Creatives and Entrepreneurs. I totally agree creatives and entrepreneurs are in a similar domain but why Athletes. JOLSID.com So, thanks to our listener for your feedback because it resulted in this episode. Entrepreneurs, if you don’t have the tenacity and self-confidence of an athlete then it will be a tough road for you. The Athletes that don't have the creativity and th...
Mar 06, 2016•8 min
Most of us are aware of Vitamin B12 through the VITAMIN B COMPLEX SUPPLEMENT accompanied along with other Vitamin Bs. Before we get into vitamin B 12, I would like to discuss one of the emails we received following our creativity crisis podcast. The individual requested to be anonymous, but they had a very interesting question. Their question was and quote “I went to university and graduated with a degree with a really high GPA. I have a job in my related field, that i enjoy. I often find myself...
Mar 01, 2016•9 min
Few months ago CBS covered the story of Matcha Madness and they went into great length to interview Matcha enthusiasts and its supporters as to why they were so supportive of this Green Tea. Especially, when we look at the numbers and how Matcha has increased 10 folds in popularity within North America in last few years. As you know we never take things just on face value, so we went ahead and did an experiment of our own. Details of which we will share with you in how to section of this podcast...
Feb 29, 2016•10 min
Today’s topics is more of a thought provoking question which we can only solve collectively. This is a topic that has impacted all of us and is now a part of our daily lives. If you wait until the end we will share with you how you can check your current stress levels. So, Even though Stress is subjective just like pain, we all experience it differently. But it's something we can’t deny that we are all going through. I don’t think there is anything we can do that will eliminate stress from our d...
Feb 28, 2016•10 min
Today we we have an interesting topic about Emotions vs Feeling. This is also a very important topic because both Emotions and feelings make us who we are and how others perceive us. Basically, they run the show. We will be going over What is an Emotion? and What is a Feeling? What can we do about them? Because usually we end up with their aftermath and try to make sense of it all, just for it to repeat again. Without wasting anytime let’s do this We use EMOTIONS and FEELINGS interchangeably in ...
Feb 27, 2016•9 min
Creativity is the phenomenon by which something new is created and the newly created creation is somewhat of a value to either the receiver or the creator. The new creation could be intangible like a song, a theory, an algorithm, or a software. it can also be tangible like a painting or an invented device. According to numerous authors, we are currently in a creativity crisis because first of all, creativity decreases with age, and secondly our new generations are turning out to be less creative...
Feb 26, 2016•11 min
How many friends can you really have? Is there really a maximum number of meaningful friendships we can have? JOLSID.com Scientifically speaking how many people can you potentially maintain a stable social relationship with? Just to clarify by social we mean in person not on Twitter or Facebook. Basically these are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person. According to Anthropologist Robin Dunbar this can vary between 150 - 2...
Feb 24, 2016•7 min
OXYTOCIN is a hormone and it is often called the “love hormone” because of its crucial role found in relationships, social bonding, maternal behaviour and intimacy. Oxytocin spikes are found to be the highest during an orgasm or during an act of kindness. Oxytocin is a powerful hormone and a neuropeptide that is produced in the hypothalamus and also secreted from the Pituitary Gland. Oxytocin was discovered in 1952 and is currently listed on WHO - World Health Organization's list of Essential Me...
Feb 23, 2016•8 min
Serotonin, is another neurotransmitter that is integral for some of the most intense and positive emotions we feel in our daily lives. www.jolsid.com Before we jump into the technical side of Serotonin, I want to share some of the benefits that it has in your life and how it indirectly impacts your success. Also, how Serotonin is Different than Dopamine. Appropriate levels of Serotonin promotes the feeling of comfort, contentment and well-being. It has also been called a “happy” neurotransmitter...
Feb 22, 2016•11 min
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter or a brain chemical that regulates our movement and emotional responses. It enables us to not only to see rewards, but to take action to move towards them. In simple words dopamine is responsible for drive and motivation. But dopamine has always been simplified and linked to pleasure and rewards. For example when addiction is discussed especially with substances like alcohol, drugs, chocolate, food, porn etc. It's not the pleasure that’s driving it, it's a more dee...
Feb 21, 2016•8 min
JOLSID.com - The word “chocolate” has been traced back to the Aztec word “xocoatl” which referred to a bitter drink brewed with cacao. The Aztecs also believed that cacao seeds were a gift from their God of wisdom , and the seeds were so valuable they were used as a form of currency. We now know that cacao is indeed very valuable for its health benefits. Many of us have heard that dark chocolate is a superfood, and that eating dark chocolate has been linked to many different health benefits. The...
Feb 20, 2016•8 min
Research Leaders at one point in time worked as regular employees. Most of them had to leave their comfort zone to become leaders. It could be for reasons that they didn’t feel ready for a new responsibility, they had never had people reporting to them, or they didn’t feel they could measure up to expectations. Whatever the reason may be, we all get pushed out of our comfort zone at some point in our lives. And with this push is how we grow. Some leaders attach themselves to their authenticity a...
Feb 19, 2016•8 min
JOLSID.com - An essential amino acid for our health is Phenylalanine, which we acquire from food. Our body changes phenylalanine in to tyrosine, which is non-essential amino acid that is used to make proteins and neurotransmitters or brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, epinephrine,dopamine, and thyroid hormones. Neurotransmitters help nerve cells communicate and influence mood. Tyrosine also helps in the function of organs responsible for making and regulating hormones, including the adre...
Feb 18, 2016•8 min
Science of Being Alone and Success There is a lot of talk nowadays about introversion and extroversion. You might already know which one you identify with, but do you really understand the difference between the two. The way our brains are wired and our brain chemistry can help us understand what’s really going on in the minds of introverts and extroverts that make them who they are. In the 1960s, a psychologist named Hans Eysenck proposed a theory that extroverts had a lower level of something ...
Feb 17, 2016•10 min
Procrastination - we all do it in some shape or form. We make plans to do something, but then don’t take any action, or we stop halfway. We leave our assignments to the last minute. But why do we do this to ourselves? This problem is so common to all of us and dates back centuries. Let’s go back 1,000’s of years ago to the ancient Greeks. Aristotle and Socrates developed a word for procrastination, Akrasia . Akrasia , according to the Oxford dictionary is defined as “the state of mind in which s...
Feb 16, 2016•8 min
Theanine is a compound that has similarities to amino acids such as L-glutamine which might help gut function, your immune system, and it provides “fuel” (nitrogen and carbon) to many different cells in your body. Theanine can be found in certain plants and fungal species, as well as green tea. In common preparations, such as teas and supplements, theanine is absorbed in the small intestine after oral ingestion. It can also cross the blood-brain barrier intact. Many of us have ingested caffeine ...
Feb 15, 2016•8 min
JOLSID.com - Emotional Intelligence is something we all hear about but most of us either don’t have a clear understanding of it or have understood EI to be some overly exaggerated trait. Here is the history of Emotional Intelligence. The term emotional intelligence was first used as a reference in a paper written by Michael Beldoch in 1964. The first use of the term was in Wayne Payne’s doctoral thesis in 1985, A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence . It wasn’t until 1995 that the...
Feb 12, 2016•9 min
A lot of people suffer with time management skills. So today’s topic is focused towards some tips and tricks you can try and implement in your life to be more productive. 1- Try Pomodoro. This is a pop-psychology technique created by entrepreneur and productivity consultant Francesco Cirillo. The basics: Set a timer and work for 25 minutes straight, without any interruptions or distractions, then take a five-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer, 15- to 20-minute break. Repeat until you...
Feb 11, 2016•8 min
Researchers are finding that daydreaming actually has positive effects on the function of our brain. Here are a few studies: A study done by Benjamin Baird and Jonathan Schooler of the University of California at Santa Barbara was published in the journal Psychological Science. They asked participants to take “unusual uses” test. This meant conceptualizing alternative ways of using everyday objects, such as egg cartons for two minutes. Participants performed two sessions and then were given a 12...
Feb 10, 2016•8 min
JOLSID.com - Blueberries became the biggest superfood a few years ago and people were consuming them like crazy, but did they know why? They have many benefits to them, but I am going to focus in on one in today’s blog – Memory and Focus . Neuronal Growth Factor (NGF) – Neurons are cells in our nervous system that function to process and transmit information in our brain. An adult brain contains about a 100 billion neurons, which branch out to more than 100 trillion points. This network in our b...
Feb 09, 2016•8 min
Success is directly related to how we think, how we act and how we perform. Today we will talk about 6 strategies to enhance your cognitive function. The 6 research backed strategies are: 1. POD Intake - Protein, Omega & Vitamin D Facts All cell activity is supported by enzymes which are made up of proteins. Brain cells can multiply by increasing protein and healthy saturated fats Hormones are proteins and therefore hormone balance is dependent upon proper protein balance. Proteins help redu...
Feb 08, 2016•12 min
Hello, welcome to the very first episode of JOLSID podcast. We are your host Sid & Jess. Today we will talk about what JOLSID podcast is all about. Without wasting any time let's do this. Before we talk about the purpose of this podcast Let me take you on a little journey. Sounds good so where are we going today? Lets travel back thousands of years ago, to the very beginning of the dawn of the human civilization to the time of the Pyramids, now to the Great Wall of China, then to the Taj Mah...
Feb 01, 2016•4 min
