As the Baby Boomer generation reached age 65, we became more aware of the importance of caring for the aging brain. Living longer is a benefit of modern life and better medical care, but most of us don't want to just live longer; we want to have a high quality of life. Caring for elderly parents has raised a personal awareness of the incidence of dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. Medical research has made headway with understanding what factors are involved in maintaining healthy brain functioning.
One thing we know is that dementia is not an inevitable part of aging. We all know elderly people who live active, independent lives well into their 90's, and we want to know about the aging brain and how to keep it healthy. As a matter of fact, we want a healthy brain and healthy body as long as we live.
Here are 5 things that you must know in order to protect and promote your brain health:
1. Diet For Healthy Brain There is one action that you can take starting today that has been proven to be most important for keeping brain function at its peak. Eat more vegetables and fruit! In particular, individuals with a high intake (aim for 400 grams per day) of fruits and vegetables have higher antioxidant levels, better cognitive performance and fewer indicators of free radical damage.
2. Reduce inflammation in your body. In terms of aging and deteriorating health with chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis, aneurisms, dementia and stroke, the culprit is inflammation of your cells. Don't wait to address this problem; while it mounts as we age, there are now young people with inflammation because of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. What makes inflammation so deadly is that it sneaks up on you over time and you may not recognize what is going on. Better to accept that every body has some degree of inflammation, and work on reducing it.
3. The body is smart in that it makes best use of essential nutrients when it comes in food. However it may be difficult to get adequate amounts, and high quality supplements including fish oil may support your efforts to improve nutrition. In particular the anti-inflammatory properties of fish oil are recognized by most scientists and health professionals to be helpful in providing health benefits to the brain, heart, skin, joints, vision, digestion and the immune system. Find high quality, digestible products so that your body can access the nutrients.
4. Another important key to a healthy brain and healthy body is regular exercise. Believe it or not, your brain gets a boost from exercise, primarily because of increased blood flow which is bringing nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of your body. Walking does wonders for helping you maintain balance and improving your mood and reducing stress (a big contributor to inflammation). If you have been sedentary, get support and accountability to overcome your resistance to change. Find a walking partner, or take a dog for a walk. Clock your time and distance, and keep a record of your progress in order to keep up your motivation.
5. Stay engaged in life! Studies of healthy adults and Alzheimer's patients indicate that keeping social connections, learning new things, and continuing meaningful activity is essential to a healthy brain. Many people look forward to retirement from a job or career, but it is important to plan for this event and avoid retirement from life! It is not a myth that people who have had busy careers and then stop working to do nothing, often die soon after the retirement date. Maintain relationships with people you love, and take advantage of opportunities to do new activities and meet new people by volunteering or joining groups that you might not have had time to explore. There are many places to take classes or learn new skills, and your brain will benefit. In particular learning a new language or playing a musical instrument builds new neuropathways in the brain. Happy, optimistic people are healthier in general. Guard against depression by seeking treatment immediately. Depression is bad for brain functioning and is a threat to your health and survival.
Taking these 5 steps will go a long way to protect the aging brain and keeping it healthy. I encourage you to begin today to implement them and begin feeling the benefits.
Janet Eisenbise invites you to learn more about resources for healthy living. Making use of new knowledge and products will lead you to a more balanced life. Visit here and begin to lead the life you want and deserve
Post a Comment