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When it comes to certain organs and systems in our body, we know exactly what to do to help them stay healthy and work optimally. For instance, if your digestive tract has been experiencing upset, you may need to cut out certain foods that are aggravating it. If your heart muscle isn’t as strong as it should be, your doctor would recommend beginning low aerobic exercises like walking to improve your heart health.
But when it comes to our brains, not many people know how to keep it healthy and working properly. And that’s too bad, because having a sharp memory and ability to focus and concentrate is important for your quality of life.
If you’ve been experiencing more “senior moments” than you’re comfortable with, here are 7 ways you can treat your brain better and take care of its health.
1. Eat Right
Low-fat diets have been an utter failure. With low fat comes high carbs and an increase in incidences of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. But what not many people are talking about is the fact that our brains are composed of 60% fat. Your brain REQUIRES FAT to function properly.
Be sure to eat plenty of healthy fats from meat, full-fat dairy, eggs, olive oil, fatty fish and avocado.
Eating right of course means cutting out foods that are bad for your brain, and that includes processed foods laden with sugar and trans fats. Trans fats are manmade fats (vegetable oils) so stay away from these.
Bottom line, if you want your brain to be healthy so you can stay sharp, you have got to start eating whole foods, REAL foods and STOP eating fast food and processed foods. Period.
2. Exercise
You know that exercise is good for your heart and your muscles. But it is also essential for the health of your brain. When you exercise, you cause your heart to pump more blood around the body. This helps your brain get more blood and oxygen and important nutrients. This isn’t just speculation. Much research has been conducted and the evidence points to the brain benefits of regular exercise.
3. Make New Friends
Being social is great for your brain. Taking part in stimulating conversations and activities not only keeps your brain sharp, it also keeps depression at bay.
It was easy making friends back in high school and college. But the older we get, the harder it feels to make new friends. But it really can be much simpler than you may think, especially with modern technology.
Online websites like Meetup.com help people find other people who share their same interests. You can also volunteer in your local neighborhood to find others who share your passion for taking care of your community.
4. Get Plenty of Rest
Numerous studies have shown that the long-term effects of sleep deprivation can lead to depression and stroke. And in the short term, a lack of proper sleep can make it very difficult to concentrate and remember things. And finally, people who get less than seven hours of sleep each night are also at a higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
5. Avoid Exposure to Chemicals
I don’t have to tell you that in this modern world, most of us come into contact on a daily basis with harmful chemicals in the way of pesticides, herbicides, cleaners, cigarette smoke and on and on.
Buy organic produce, quit smoking and use natural cleaners and personal hygiene products to keep yourself as far away from harmful chemicals as possible.
6. Eliminate the Effects of Stress
When we are stressed, our bodies create hormones that wreak havoc on our brains and overall health. It’s not always easy to eliminate the causes of stress. Most of us have to deal with bad commuter traffic, angry bosses, mounting bills and noisy neighbors. While we can’t always control the causes of stress, we can control how we deal with stress.
Exercise is a great way to burn off those stress chemicals. Meditation is also another proven way to combat the effects of stress. I can’t STRESS this one enough – stress is doing more damage to the health of our brains than just about anything else on the planet.
7. Exercise Your Brain
I’ve already mentioned the importance of exercising your body a couple of times, but now let’s talk about exercising your brain. If you want your brain to work for you, you’ve got to work for your brain. That means learning something new each week. Doing crossword or Sudoku puzzles, taking up new hobbies, reading and taking classes. The more you learn and use your brain, the better it will work for you, far into your golden years.
These are just some of the things you can begin to do each day to help your mind stay sharp.
Here’s something else you can do: Watch this special presentation.
You may not know this, but dementia and Alzheimer’s are completely reversible. No longer does a diagnosis have to be a life and death sentence.
If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s, watching this presentation may be the most important thing you do.
You’ll find out EXACTLY how one doctor has helped his patients completely reverse their Alzheimer’s and get their memory and their LIFE back.
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