I wanted to follow up on the last GenuLines post about Meditation and Brain Health with a look at tips to prevent cognitive decline.
What you do in your early adult years can have major repercussions on the health of your brain.
Making good lifestyle choices early on pays dividends.
Scroll down for some ideas.
ARTICLE:
You can prevent your cognitive abilities from declining as you age. Staying away from drugs, alcohol and smoking can make a world of difference.
While there’s still no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are a number of ways to help slow it down. Researchers are telling us symptoms can even be reversed.
Suggestions include:
1. Stay socially active
Do enjoyable things with your friends. Or go to new places and meet new people.
We’re social creatures. Even a simple smile or hand shake, lets your brain release the happy hormone known as oxytocin.
This elevates your mood, reduces stress and boosts cognitive functions.
2. Step outside your comfort zone
As we age, we become stuck in a certain routine. Many adults don’t like trying new things, in general, which could be a reason why our brains start shrinking as we age.
As kids, we enjoyed new activities and doing things we’d never done before. But as we grow older, trying new things makes us more uncomfortable.
We’re afraid of rejection and embarrassment. Our brains get less stimulation, and this speeds up cognitive decline.
3. Exercise, eat, sleep
Regular exercise comes with a slew of benefits. These include physical, emotional and most importantly, mental.
It can improve mental processing speed and memory. And it can slow down (some findings say reverse) cognitive impairment.
Now exercising doesn’t necessarily mean high-intensity, hours on end, rigorous movements. It could be a simple 30-minute walk, going for a swim, gardening, or doing yoga.
The point is to keep your muscles engaged and your blood pumping for no less than half an hour. Maintain a well-balanced diet. Include fruits, vegetables, protein, whole wheat and omega-3 fatty acids.
Try to stay away from foods high in sugar, carbohydrates and trans fats. Lean toward avocado, olive oil, spices such as turmeric, curry and ginger, nuts and berries.
They’re rich in phytochemicals, which are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. These promote good health and can slow the decline in memory function.
(Technically, they help the metabolism process of glucose in the brain. They also boost cognitive signals)
Blueberry or concord grape juice are superstars here. They’ve been found to prevent, even reverse, cognitive impairment and neuronal functioning.
We all should be getting quality sleep each night, usually 8 hours. If you get less than 7 hours of sleep it could increase your risk of cognitive decline in the long run.
And, what you do in your early adulthood years can have a serious effect on your brain health as you age – it’s all connected.
4. Listen to music
Music engages the right side of the brain. It allows you to focus more on what you’re doing and keeps your mind from wandering.
It also reduces stress and anxiety. What’s more, putting words to music improves memory and concentration skills.
5. Play games
Your brain needs exercise to to stay young and fit. Mental activities slow down cognitive decline and increase focus and concentration.
There’s an endless array of puzzles to choose from. You can buy them at bookstores, or do them on your phone or tablet.
Even adding up your grocery bill in your head is a great way to keep your brain pumped and alert. Reading, learning a new language or playing a musical instrument keep the brain in top form.
Another great way to create new brain pathways is to try something new. Take a different route to work or write with your non-dominant hand.
Your brain wants to be challenged, so why not give it what it wants?
A Final Note
It’s a normal part of life to experience a slight decline in your mental abilities as you age. But you have the ability to slow it down.
It’s never too early to start, no matter where you are in life.
You can keep your brain healthy, so you can age gracefully and enjoy every minute of life.
JohnK 11-8-2018
Overheard: “We should not only use the brains we have, but all that we can borrow”~ Woodrow Wilson”
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