Hello!
My name is Leslie and I’m the nutritionist here at Alkaline Wellness. I’m also a yoga instructor and pilates-rehab specialist.
When I’m not working with nutrition therapy clients, I might be taking calls, building online programs, helping out with admin tasks, working with pilates-rehab clients, and more. As of today, I’ve added blog writing onto that list!
That’s a lot of different tasks to be working on! As a result, I constantly find myself getting distracted or have difficulty prioritizing what needs to get done.
I know this isn’t true for just myself. Because our world today is dominated by technology, we all face various distractions all the time.
This can also be seen with children in today’s society. I truly believe there is a correlation between the amount of time kids spend on smart devices and the increase in ADHD cases.
I’ve recently become more aware of my tendency to get distracted throughout the work day.
Therefore, I’ve begun to look more into ways to increase focus and productivity. I also want to discover what’s going on in my brain when I become distracted.
The Importance of Mental Timing
If you think about it, our entire lives revolve around timing.
Each second of our lives turns into minutes, which turns into hours, days, weeks, months, years. I mean one way we define ourselves is by how many years old we are, right?
Another way to think about timing is our sleep cycles. We typically go to bed at a certain time every night and wake up at a certain time every morning.
Turns out, focus and productivity also have to do with timing. But they have to do with mental timing specifically.
In order for me to complete any given task, there has to be an input to my brain and an output. The input is typically myself thinking “I need to get this done.”
But if I’m only thinking this and not actually doing said task, nothing actually gets done.
So the output has to be the messages my brain sends to my body to get up, to type, to write, to make a call, or whatever it is that needs to happen in order for me to complete my tasks.
Improving Timing
You probably already know that the brain is the control center for the entire body. The brain is what allows us to move, breath, eat, feel, etc.
It is the brain communicating with other parts of the body that allows these things to happen.
The brain is able to send these messages via neurons. Chemical and electrical signals are passed from neuron to neuron until they reach their destination (the part of the body the brain wants to communicate with).
The quicker these messages can travel from the brain to other parts of the body, the more efficient one’s timing is.
Efficient timing is necessary for everything we do, from cognitive skills such as reading and writing, to motor skills such as playing a sport.
Interactive Metronome and Improved Timing
I recently became an Interactive Metronome Certified Practitioner and I’m happy to announce we are offering this amazing training here at Alkaline Wellness!
Interactive Metronome (IM) is a functional training tool used to improve timing in the brain. Timing is improved through the synchronization of the parts of the brain that control auditory perception and motor control.
So how does it work?
The client is first assessed based only on auditory perception. He hears a steady beat and is asked to clap and activate a trigger at the same exact time as the beat.
Once regular training begins, visual perception is introduced to the client. The client is still asked to activate the trigger at the same exact time as the beat, but now he is able to see on a screen whether he is hitting before the beat, after the beat, or right on time.
This feedback allows clients to self correct while they are training. And what’s great about IM is that the client receives feedback for millisecond timing.
Being able to activate a trigger (motor output) to the sound of a beat (auditory input) with millisecond accuracy trains the brain to fire messages quicker, resulting in more efficient timing.
In conclusion, when mental timing is improved, focus improves because the brain is constantly firing messages, so we’re able to stick to our tasks for longer periods of time.
My IM Experience
With the IM clients I’ve worked with so far, improved focus and productivity can be seen after the first visit!
But sustained focus and productivity usually occurs with 15-25 training sessions.
Interactive Metronome training is great for all ages. This includes young children with ADHD, middle aged adults with brain fog, or seniors who may be diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
If you or someone you know is interested in IM training, please call us at 678-335-5566 to schedule a consult!
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