Push the edge of your cognitive challenge. Discomfort is the signal that reserve is being built.
Phase 2 — Build · Effort & novelty
Increase your daily practice to 20 minutes. This month, actively introduce one difficulty upgrade — a harder piece of music, a new grammar tense, a more complex technique or subject. Discomfort is the signal that cognitive reserve is being built.
Forum prompt this month: "What is hardest right now?" Share what you're finding difficult. This normalises the challenge — and struggling is exactly right.
In Week 3, add a 5-minute "hard mode" session — back-to-back repetitions of the most difficult element of your challenge.
Your challenge must be genuinely new to you, it must stay hard (level up every 2–3 weeks), and you engage actively — not passively. Discomfort is the signal it's working.
Combining movement with a mental challenge makes your brain work significantly harder than either activity alone. Use one protocol per session and rotate through them. This month uses Phase 2 protocols (highlighted below).
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Count backwards by 7s | Start at 200. Restart if you lose track — the restart is the challenge. |
| Phase 2 | Alternating categories | Animal, city, animal, city — one per step. Two separate streams simultaneously. |
| Phase 3 | Verbal fluency burst | Name as many words starting with one letter as possible in 60 seconds. Change letter each minute. |
| Phase 4 | 1-back memory task | Say the word you named one turn ago. Directly builds working memory. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Count + category per rep | Count your reps AND name one country per rep. Two separate tasks at once. |
| Phase 2 | Reverse recitation | Recite the alphabet backwards during each set. More demanding than it sounds. |
| Phase 3 | Colour-word interference | Someone calls a colour name written in a different ink — say the ink colour, not the word. |
| Phase 4 | Story construction | Build a continuous story — one word per rep. Must make grammatical sense. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Eyes-closed + memory recall | Single-leg balance while reciting your schedule for tomorrow or your shopping list. |
| Phase 2 | Counting + balance | Stand on one leg and count backwards by 3s. Switch legs every 20 seconds. |
| Phase 3 | Spatial memory navigation | Walk a new route entirely from memory — no GPS. One of the most powerful reserve builders. |
| Phase 4 | Demanding conversation on unstable surface | Hold a genuinely challenging conversation (debate, analysis) while on a balance pad or foam. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Day-in-reverse recall | Recall everything you did today in reverse order, as completely as possible. |
| Phase 2 | Learning consolidation | Recall 5 things you learned or noticed this week. Speak them aloud. |
| Phase 3 | Mindful body scan + breath counting | Dual attention: scan your body from feet upward AND count each breath simultaneously. |
| Phase 4 | Complex future planning | Plan a complex task or project in full detail during stretching. No writing — all mental. |
reMYnd is a prevention program, not a clinical treatment. For concerns about your cognitive health, please speak with your GP. © reMYnd by Naomi Ferstera — remynd.com.au