Tips to Boost Your Brain Health!
/One of the most popular questions I get is, “How can I keep my brain healthy?”
In fact, I get it so much that I recently became a Certified Brain Health Trainer as well as a Certified Senior Fitness Specialist and a Certified Brain Health Trainer. I'm so excited to pass along some key takeaways from all that studying.
One of the most important takeaways is the impact of exercise on our brains. Though I've known for years about the link between physical activity and brain health, this training made me appreciate it even more. As I sat there studying, I couldn't wait to get up and move. Honestly, I can not stress enough the importance of physical activity.
Another key takeaway is the earlier you start the better! Cognitive decline is now thought to be a disease of middle age because the ground work can start in our 40s and 50s. Physical activity during this time can help prevent the onset of any changes later in life by an average of 10 to 15 years. But, if you weren't active in midlife, don't worry. You can impact the health of your brain at any age and even if you are already experiencing cognitive changes.
Physical activity can help do all of the following:
Increase brain volume and offset the shrinkage of the hippocampus that can occur with age
Increase neurons
Increase capillaries and improve blood flow in the brain
Improve processing speed
Improve learning and memory
Improve executive function
Increase attention and dual task attention(the ability to do 2 things at once).
Improve cognitive reserve.
Wondering what type of physical activity is best? A mix of multiplanar exercises, mind body exercises like yoga or tai-chi, resistance training, balance training, steady state cardio and intervals is great to help boost your brain health.
If you are asking yourself what a multiplanar exercise is, this is a good question. And, I would never expect you to know the answer! That's why you have a trainer. This is an exercise where you cross multiple planes of motion. An example is a side lunge while lifting a weight to shoulder height or a lunge with a twist. A lot of functional training exercises do this.
If all of this feels overwhelming, never fear. Even just a brisk walk can have a big impact. According to neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Genova, "A brisk walk for 30 minutes, four to five times a week, is enough to decrease your amyloid plaque levels and reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's by anywhere from a third to a half. If I offered you a pill that would reduce your risk of Alzheimer's by 50%, you'd take it."
Here are 5 more lifestyle habits that can positively impact our brain health!
Reduce and manage stress. Easier said than done, right? Chronic stress takes a toll on our brain by shrinking the hippocampus and impacting our ability to create new neurons. This can have a particularly big impact on our memory. Exercise, meditation and working with a coach on stress coping skills are all ways in which we can work to manage our stressors.
Sleep. We may not love to clean but our brain does. And, it does it's deep cleaning while we're sleeping. Our brain works to clear away the metabolic debris and amyloid beta plaques while we're snoozing.
Healthy eating. Multiple studies have found the Mediterranean diet or Mind Diet to be the best style of eating for brain health, particularly for women. With these diets, the focus is on grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, fish and nuts.
Participate in novel activities. By learning new things, we're building our cognitive reserve. Try a new recipe, learn a new language, read, do a crossword puzzle or play a new game.
Social connection. Maintaining or building new social connections has been repeatedly shown to increase our well-being and our brain health.
Alright, now that you're armed with brain boosting tips, it's time for you and I to go get a workout!