BOOSTS BRAINPOWER: A morning stretch

Take 15 minutes after waking up to gently stretch the large muscle groups in your body—touch your toes, reach for the sky, squeeze your shoulder blades together—and you’ll increase your focus by 38 percent for 4 hours. Why? According to British researchers, stretching these muscles at the start of your day stimulates the production of acetylcholine and endorphins—focus-enhancing neurotransmitters that are in short supply in the early morning hours.