Just like your muscles-your brain needs exercise to keep it in good working order. 【小题1】 Although results are mixed on increasing actual cognitive (认知的) function, learning something new, working your memory, and reading are all great ways to work your brain to its limit!

Learn something new. Keep your brain stimulated and active by picking up a new habit. Practising something new forms new neural (神经的) pathways in your brain．【小题2】 If you’re learning a new instrument-practise playing it every day. Start with small actions and do them repeatedly to train your brain and make it a habit.

Use your memory. It’s not as essential (必不可少的) to commit things to our brain as it once was, but the practice of remembering things can improve brain function. 【小题3】 Memorize a few of your closest friends’ phone numbers to exercise your memory.

【小题4】 While you may feel like you are accomplishing more by multi-tasking, you are actually more likely to make mistakes and get frustrated when things go wrong. By not multi-tasking, you can train your brain to focus your attention on one activity at a time and do better work.

Read every day. Reading a thrilling book can actually enhance your cognitive function. Reading also helps to develop language skills and increase attention spans. 【小题5】 Pick up a book, magazine, or newspaper and get reading!

Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow. But the finding might also offer hope.

If friends help make obesity acceptable, then might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.

The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, The researchers used information collected from 12,000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.

The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.

The researchers examined more than 40,000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.

A sister or brother of a person who became obese had a 40% increased chance of becoming obese. The risk for a wife or husband was a little less than that.

Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.

The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same-sex friendships a person had a 70% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in brother. In sisters, it was 67%.

The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.

Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.

Forming a new habit in the best of times can be difficult, let alone trying to make changes when you’re already spent. So what do you do if you find yourself exhausted but longing for a change? Here is the pathway to sustainably building new habits.

Start with Sleep

If you’re super tired, then the key to greater productivity is to get enough sleep habitually. Start with an earlier bedtime. 【小题1】. Most people consider it as their first step, but it actually comes later in the process. Because when you get to bed on time and fall asleep quickly, getting up is so much easier.

Think About Nutrition

【小题2】, then you’ll have the capacity to work on other areas. Think about whether you’ re getting enough nourishment. Some people get so absorbed in their work that they don’t have time to eat -- or they simply forget to! If you find yourself in that situation, buy some very simple nutrition options like bars or protein shakes that you always keep at your desk.

【小题3】

Exercise ultimately gives you more energy throughout the day instead of depleting it. It also has the added benefits of improving mood, sleep quality, and focus. If you do at least 25 minutes of vigorous cardio exercise at least three times a week, you can improve your overall wellness.

Pick a New Habit

Healthy habits will have improved your energy and focus during the day so that you have the capacity to take on your new habit. 【小题4】. For example, you may decide to focus on being on time, planning your week, or some other habit that you would like to master. Then focus on incremental (增量的) change.

The key to habit change, especially when you’re truly exhausted, is to take it slowly and steadily: You won’t be able to change all of your habits in a day. 【小题5】.