| You're hitting 30 and feel your brain is slowing down. Here are seven steps to prevent cognitive decline |
REGULAR EXERCISE Keeps your body fit and brain alert
Around the time we hit 30, our brains begin a slow, steady downward trajectory, or so popular wisdom would have it. But cognitive decline is by no means an inescapable side effect of aging. In fact, according to a flurry of new reports, you can count eract age-related changes in the brain with a surprisingly simple regimen of activities guaranteed to nurture and fortify your mental muscle power. Here are seven easy ways to keep your brain quick, sharp, and bristling with youthful vigour.
Surf the Net often
When you search the Internet, you engage key centres in your brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. And these few clicks may be more mentally stimulating than reading, say UCLA scientists. Their studies found that Internet searching uses neural circuitry that's not activated during reading — but only in people with prior Internet experience. MRI results showed almost three times more brain activity in regular Internet searchers than in first-timers, suggesting that repeated Googling can be a great way to build cognitive strength over time.
Tip: Spend around 20 minutes a few days a week searching topics you've always wanted to learn more about regardless of how seemingly frivolous: Whether you're researching a celebrity's latest pratfalls or musical harmony, the benefits to your brain are the same.
Exercise
Yes, exercise can stave off or delay dementia but did you know it can actually reverse brain aging too? A team from the University of Illinois' Beckman Institute recently reviewed dozens of past studies and found that aerobic exercise boosts not only speed and sharpness of thought but also the volume of brain tissue. As little as 50 minutes of brisk walking three times a week was found to have this brain-expanding effect.
Brush and floss
Oral health is clearly linked to brain health, according to a team of British psychiatrists and dentists. After studying thousands of subjects ages 20 to 59, they found that gingivitis and periodontal disease were associated with worse cognitive function throughout adult life not just in later years.
Tip: Follow your dentist's advice. Floss daily and brush your teeth for two minutes at least once a day.
Drink sparingly
Limiting cocktails is beneficial for cognitive function.
Keep your alcohol consumption within the safe and healthful limit: no more than one drink a day. The link between drinking and reduced brain volume was stronger in women probably because smaller people are more susceptible to alcohol's effects.
Eat blueberries
New research shows that the purple-hued fruits may help sharpen your thought processes. The researchers theorise that anthocyan in the dark blue pigment found in blueberries is responsible for these cognitive changes; it contains chemicals that may cross the blood-brain barrier and lodge in regions that govern learning and memory.
Tip: Stock up on blueberries when they're on sale, and sprinkle them over your cereal or yogurt or fold them into your smoothie.
Do puzzles
Amazingly, you'll knock a decade off your cognitive age.
In a University of Alabama study of nearly 3,000 older men and women, those who participated in 10 60-to 75-minute sessions of brain-boosting exercise sharpened their mental abilities so much that their brains performed like those of people more than 10 years younger.
Meditate
More than just a great stress reliever, meditation can also enhance your brain's grey matter.
Tip: Make the practise a regular habit. The participants in a recent study meditated an average of 40 minutes a day. But you can start with 15 on your lunch break or before you leave for work. Sit upright, close your eyes, and focus on whatever you're experiencing at the moment, whether it's birds chirping in the distance or just the sound of your own breathing.
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Ignorance is "Ignoring to Change" & Intelligence is "Making the Change".
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