Keeping an Active Brain

Reading is something that I like to do for enjoyment, or to learn new things.  For the longest time, I thought that reading was all that I needed to do to keep my brain sharp.  As I finished listening to the book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, I realized that there is more for me to do in order to keep my brain sharp.  Keeping an active brain is important to keeping mental clarity, a functioning memory, and preventing diseases like alzheimer’s.

It is said that you should spend 15 minutes every day learning something new.

• Change Your Brain Change Your Life:the Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Lack of Focus, Anger, and Memory Problems by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

The first step to keeping an active brain is to do just that, keep it active.  When neurons do not fire, they die off, therefore if a brain is not kept active then it deteriorates.  Different ways to keep a brain active is to learn new things every day, exercise your body, and eating brain healthy foods.  By learning new things everyday, the neurons continue to fire. If the new way of learning something or the new activity becomes routine, it no longer keeps the brain firing off these extra neurons.  The new activity has to be new to the brain in order to keep it firing off. When it comes to brain health, you really do lose what you don’t use.

Exercise is another way to keep your brain active.  When your body is active, so is your brain. Exercise helps to increase blood flow and the flow of oxygen, carries nutrients to the brain, and protects the brain from harm.  Exercise also reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and evens out blood sugar levels. Different exercises that are good for the brain according to Dr. Amen include burst training (60 seconds of extreme intensity followed by a few minutes of lower intensity), strength training (weights, etc), coordination activities (yoga, dance, tennis, table tennis, etc), and mindful exercises (yoga, tai chi, etc).  These exercises paired with eating brain healthy foods keep the brain working in optimum condition.

Nutrition is really the key to keeping a healthy brain. Different brain healthy foods listed in Change Your Brain, Change Your Life include: walnuts, raw almonds, brazil nuts, raw cacao, cashews, chia seeds, coconut, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, lentils, chickpeas, acai berries, apples, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, goldenberry, goji berries, grapefruit, raw honey (small amounts), kiwi, pomegranates, asparagus, bell peppers, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chlorella, garlic, horseradish, kale, leeks, maca root, onions, seaweed, spinach, spirulina, sweet potatoes, wheatgrass juice, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, olive oil, chicken, turkey, eggs, lamb, wild caught salmon, wild caught sardines, green tea, and shirataki noodles.  These foods are often best when found closest to natural, and organic as possible. In order to read about the benefits of each individual food items, please refer to the book where it is all mentioned.

The topic of brain health is very near and dear to me.  There is a member of my family that is suffering from alzheimer’s, and it is not only she that suffers. Her grown children suffer right along with her.  It is because of this, that each and everyone of us should protect our brains, and do what it is that we can to keep them active so that we too, can live an active and healthy life.  Do it for yourself, and those who love you.

Information brought to you from: Change Your Brain, Change Your Life:the Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Lack of Focus, Anger, and Memory Problems by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.