THE HABITS THAT free YOUR MIND

We know you’ve heard it before: Your brain needs more sleep, less stress and consistent exercise. But take it from us – this vintage advice is where it’s at:

1 DO A SHORT-AND-SWEET SWEAT SESSION Bursts of high-intensity exercise may give you a surge of that incredible brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). If you get these spikes regularly, your brain starts to accumulate it over time, so try to have a ‘workout snack’ every day – 15 to 20 minutes.

2 SIMPLIFY STRESS RELIEF For many women, just doing less may keep stress in check. So don’t forget your downtime. If you despise trying to fit in meditation on top of everything else, quit forcing it and go take that head-clearing kickboxing class you love. It totally counts.

3 CRAM IN LESS AT NIGHT It’s harder to fudge our wake-up time, so we steal from bedtime to do an extra hour of work or a load of washing. But most sleep problems stem from staying up too late on some nights but not others. Get consistent sleep.