Apr 11, 2007
Improve Brain Health Now: Easy Steps
By: Caroline Latham
We can summarize a lot of research by saying that there are four essential pillars to maintaining a healthy brain that functions better now and lasts longer. Those pillars are:
- 1) Physical Exercise
- 2) Mental Exercise
- 3) Good Nutrition
- 4) Stress Management
Great … now what?! How do you develop a healthy lifestyle that includes all four pillars? Let’s look at each one.
- 1. Physical Exercise
- - Start by talking to your doctor, especially if you are not currently physically active, have special health concerns, or are making significant changes to your current program.
- - Set a goal that you can achieve. Do something you enjoy for even just 15 minutes a day. You can always add more time and activities later.
- - Schedule exercise into your daily routine. It will be become a habit faster if you do.
- - If you can only do one thing, do something cardiovascular, meaning something that gets your heart beating faster. This includes walking, running, skiing, swimming, biking, hiking, tennis, basketball, playing tag, ultimate Frisbee, and other similar sports/activities.
- 2. Mental Exercise
- - Be curious! Get to know your local library and community college, look for local organizations or churches that offer classes or workshops
- - Do a variety of things, including things you aren’t good at (if you like to sing, try painting too)
- - Work puzzles like crosswords and sudoku or play games like chess and bridge
- - Try a computerized brain fitness program for a customized workout
- - If you can only do one thing, learn something new every day
- 3. Good Nutrition
- - Eat a variety of foods of different colors without a lot of added ingredients or processes
- - Plan your meals around your vegetables, and then add fruit, protein, dairy, and/or grains
- - Add some cold-water fish to your diet (tuna, salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, and herring) which contain omega-3 fatty acids
- - Learn what a portion-size is, so you don’t overeat
- - Try to eat more foods low on the Glycemic Index
- - If you can only do one thing, eat more vegetables, particularly leafy green ones
- Stress Management
- - Get regular cardiovascular exercise
- - Try to get enough sleep each night
- - Keep connected with your friends and family
- - Practice meditation, yoga, or some other calming activity as way to take a relaxing time-out (maybe a bath)
- - Try training with a heart rate variability sensor, like the one in emWave (formerly known as Freeze-Framer)
- - If you can only do one thing, set aside 5-10 minutes to just breathe deeply and recharge
Special Offer: For a limited time, you can receive a complimentary copy of our Brain Fitness 101 e-Guide: Answers to your Top 25 Questions, written by Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg and Alvaro Fernandez, by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. You can subscribe Here.
[...] More information at Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now. [...]
[...] Caroline Latham presents Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now posted at SharpBrains. She says, "Creativity requires mental flexibility and openness, as well as discipline and structure. Better brain fitness can improve your mental petri dish of new ideas." She offers a highly practical list of steps for improvement. [...]
This article is now included in the Carnival of Creative Growth #1 at http://www.energiesofcreation.com/carnival-of-creative-growth/carnival-of-creative-growth-1/.
Come see the other excellent and diverse articles!
Thank you for submitting this article.
[...] Caroline at Sharp Brains said that the 4 essential pillars for a healthy brain are: 1) Physical Exercise, 2) Mental Exercise, 3) Good Nutrition, and 4) Stress Management. I like the way this included a “if you could only do one thing, do this…” For physical exercise – do something cardiovascular. For mental exercise – learn something new every day. For good nutrition – eat more green, leafy vegetables. For stress management – take 5-10 minutes each day and breathe deeply. [...]
[...] Caroline Latham presents Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now posted at SharpBrains, saying, “Improving your brain fitness can help you perform better today and maintain your independence tomorrow.” [...]
[...] In the afternoon we spent some time talking with exhibitors at the Expo and attending some panels, such as the one put together by the Alzheimer’s Association. We were surprised at the amount of education still needed to make the medical and health community incorporate science-based advice on lifelong learning and mental stimulation on top of "traditional" advice around nutrition and physical exercise. The Alzheimer’s Association is being one of the pioneers with their "Maintain Your Brain" campaign-we are doing our best to contribute to the effort with articles such as Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now. [...]
[...] Caroline Latham presents Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now posted at SharpBrains, saying, “Improving your brain fitness can help you perform better today and maintain your independence tomorrow.” [...]
[...] Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now [...]
[...] April 25, 2007 at 9:40 pm · Filed under Mind Fitness, Mind/Body, Brain Fitness, Brain health, Brain exercises, Mental flexibility, Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Training, Vigorous Mind, emWave, MindFit, Freeze-Framer, Cognitive Training, Self-regulation, Memory Training, Positive Psychology, Women’s Health, Aging, Health & Wellness, Emotions, Stress, Mental Health, Lifelong learning, Biofeedback, Neuropsychology, Physical Fitness, HeartMath, Decision-making, Mind Games, Learning Check the blog post Improve Your Brain Health [...]
[...] Easy ways to improve brain health [...]
I’m an old woman but have practiced your ‘pillars’ for many decades. In addition I take vitamins and supplements that I’ve learned by experience keeps me at my best. I take no medications and have had no illnessess, even colds, for many years.
I combine my daily exercise routine at home with breathing exercises, and it’s really marvelous. The entire process, which I repeat twice daily, is almost like a zen experience, leaving me not fatigued but refreshed, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Peggy,
Congratulations on taking such good care of yourself! Keep it up – you’re a role model for the rest of us!
[...] There are four essential pillars to maintaining a healthy brain that functions better now and lasts longer. They are physical exercise, mental exercise, good nutrition and stress management. So how do you develop a healthy lifestyle that includes all four pillars? Find easy steps to improve your brain health now. [...]
[...] Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now Learn More about Brain Fitness Join our Message Boards Find the Right Program Tags: adult brain cells, adult neurogenesis, aging brains, Brain Fitness, Brain health, critical period, Lifelong learning, mental fitness, Mind Fitness, neuron, New Neurons in Adults [...]
[...] If you want safer interventions…you better read Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now. [...]
[...] Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now Learn More about Brain Fitness Join our Message Boards Find the Right Program Tags: Alzheimer’s Association, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cognitive health, Health Road Map, Healthy Brain Initiative, Maintaining Cognitive Health [...]
[...] What to do? well, you can check out these Easy Steps to Improve Your Brain Health Now. And this nice article on New mental exercises, games can keep aging minds fit: "Doing consistent brain workouts with the many computer- and Internet-based mental-exercise programs on the market won’t guarantee prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. But they can’t hurt, says neuroscientist Elkhonon Goldberg, co-founder of Sharpbrains.com, a clearinghouse for information about scientifically based brain-fitness research, programs and products." Learn More about Brain Fitness Join our Message Boards Find the Right Program Tags: alzheimer prevention, Alzheimers Association, brain stimulation, mci prevention, Memory Problems, mild cognitive impairment, neuropsychologist, Robert S. Wilson, stress and memory, Stress Linked to Memory Decline [...]
[...] 3) Help people understand the connection between risk and protective factors and cognitive health. Protective factors are well summarized in this blog post on the results from the Macarthur study of successful aging. [...]
[...] You can check other tips in our brain health blog on how to Improve Brain Health Now: Easy Steps, integrating Nutrition, Physical Exercise, Stress Management and Brain Exercise. [...]
[...] Read the details of how to integrate these simple steps into your lifestyle on the Sharp Brains Blog. The Sharp Brains site also offers more useful articles on brain fitness. [...]
Nice tips, thanks. It’s a good idea to take fish oil pills i guess.
Glad to be of help!
[...] Learn what is the "It" in "Use It or Lose It". A basic understanding will serve you well to appreciate your brain’s beauty as a living and constantly-developing dense forest with billions of neurons and synapses, full of what Marian Diamond calls the magic trees of the mind. Devote time to practicing mentally stimulating habits. [...]
[...] Finally, if you look for specific Tips and Advice, you can check these steps to Improve Brain Health Now based on four key pillars, and view this clip. Learn More about Brain Fitness Join our Message Boards Find the Right Program Tags: brain age 2, brain exercise software, brain training games, cognitive skills, emotional skills, memory assessment, MindFit, Neuropsychology, Nintendo Brain Age, online brain games, pillars brain health, Posit Science [...]
am an adult who is a little over weight.And am very happy that i saw this site…i do my exercises twice n a day..and i wld like to know what kind of diet i need 2 have..i relly do need ur help..plz do give me the needed advice
Uthara: make sure to come back to the site next week, when we will publish a great interview with Dr. Judith Beck that will help solve your question. The key is not so much the specific diet as improving our motivation and discipline to stick to a good nutrition over the long term.
[...] Check out the other ways to improve your brain health . . . [...]
[...] I have read a good write-up about easy steps to improve brain health and these steps does not require you to invest for anything except for living a healthy life. It said that physical exercise, mental exercise, good nutrition and stress management are the essential factors to attain healthy brain that you can keep for years to come. [...]
[...] How do you develop a healthy lifestyle that includes all four pillars? Take a look at Improve Brain Health Now: Easy Steps. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharpbrains.com%2Fblog%2F2007%2F11%2F08%2Fexercise-on-the-brain-a-nyt-oped%2F’; addthis_title = ‘Exercise+On+the+Brain%3A+a+NYT+OpEd’; addthis_pub = ’sharpbrains’; Learn More about Brain Fitness About Our Seminars Find the Right Program Tags: brain exercise, Brain health, Good Nutrition, healthy aging, mental exercise, nyt, Physical Exercise, stress management [...]
[...] 21 December, 2007 by Lars I was exploring some of the articles on Sharpbrains.com today, and I discovered a link to a nice site on meditation. [...]
Nutrition is huge, but don’t forget about rest! If you don’t eat properly, you could probably make yourself feel 110% better if you started eating a balanced diet.