Brain Health Boosters
Too many of us focus solely on the body when thinking about getting and staying healthy. While keeping our bodies in shape is important of course, it is equally vital to ‘check your head’, in other words, pay attention to the health of your brain. It may seem odd to think about ‘exercising’ one’s brain, but it is essential in preventing the onset of debilitating age-related illness such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
t can be hard to know where to begin when it comes to getting the brain in shape, and although it is obviously best to start as early as possible, taking care of the brain at any age will always be beneficial. There are a number of different factors in brain health, namely the food we eat, the activities we participate in and our level of physical fitness. Food can actually have more of an effect on the brain’s health than most people think, and the link between what we eat and our minds is becoming increasingly discussed, especially by those studying the effects and prevention of dementia. It is known, without doubt that increasing the amount of ‘healthy’ fat in the diet is essential to the brain, not only in terms of improving overall brain function, but also by decreasing inflammation and even elevating the mood. Unfortunately many people, especially those in an older age group, are not getting sufficient amounts of these fats in their diet and may need to consult with a dietician for nutritional recommendations. While it is possible to increase the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids through taking supplements, the fat is also abundant in foods such as salmon, mackerel, flax seed, eggs and nuts, all of which can be easily incorporated into the diet. Other ways to help the brain through the diet is by cutting down on the amount of salt ingested which can mean checking food labels for sodium content and not adding extra salt to meals that likely do not need it anyway. In addition to lower blood pressure, a reduction in salt results in improved blood flow to the brain and a general reduction in stress.
In addition to concentrating on the food we eat to keep the brain at its optimum functioning level, it is just as important to give it a regular ‘workout’ just as we would with the rest of our bodies. Keep the brain sharp by performing puzzles such as Sudoku and word games, and improve response times and memory with the use of video games. One word of warning though – although these types of games are great in moderation, overloading the brain with too much stimuli, particularly when it is mind-numbing television watching, will actually have the reverse effect and can dull the brain’s neural transmitters.
Once your brain is well fed and adequately stimulated, it is a good idea to train it to focus and refresh itself by maybe learning a new activity (which, if participated in a group can benefit the individual from a social point), whether it is a foreign language, style of dance or studying a new subject at night school. Being active in an exercise like yoga will have a two-fold effect – the body will benefit from the physical exercise while the brain will be helped through the practise of focus, meditation and deeper breathing, increasing the flow of blood, lowering stress and increasing the productivity of certain enzymes that are vital in new cell growth and proper brain function.
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