7 Easy Biohacks for Beginners

Biohacking is a hot buzzword these days, people have attempted to improve their minds and bodies with technology, chemicals and behavioral modification for centuries. Some biohacking is rather invasive–changing your DNA or implanting magnetic chips into your fingers–but not all hacks are so extreme. Here are seven simple biohacks for beginners that are inexpensive (or even free) and proven to be beneficial. Meditation Meditation is known to boost productivity and cognitive function. Meditation is an ancient practice, essentially training your mind to focus on a single thought or activity. Practitioners claim it helps them feel calm, happy and mentally clear. Numerous government health bodies and psychotherapy groups have recommended meditation to combat anxiety and depression. It’s also purported to boost productivity and cognitive function, as well as lower blood pressure. Meditation has even picked up traction in the business world: "I am very interested in keeping a clear head," Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff told the San Francisco Chronicle . "So I enjoy meditation, which I’ve been doing for over a decade, probably to help relieve the stress I was going through when I was working at Oracle." How do you do it? There are a huge variety of meditation styles, but most involve the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced sitting down and observing thoughts without judgement, but it can also be used when performing tasks—it just requires slowing down and drawing awareness to whatever you are doing, rather than letting your mind wander or go on autopilot. If you do catch yourself thinking of something else, don’t scold yourself—just return your focus back to the current moment. What does the science say? Meditation is known to affect the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions. And results can be noticed even when practitioners aren’t […]

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