Dr. Allison Lamont, Brain and Memory Foundation.
Increasingly, we hear about brain fitness in the media. So what is it? Brain fitness is not about diagnosis and treatment of brain or memory disorders, or about the latest memory game or herbal supplement.
Brain fitness is about how your brain and memory perform for you – every day. Brain fitness means having the brain and memory ability to work productively, sustain good relationships, and achieve your goals in life.
Just as physical fitness is more than the strength of our leg muscles, so brain fitness is more than daily Sudoku or crossword puzzles. To achieve brain fitness, you will need to include many aspects of brain function – memory, focus, speed of processing, problem solving – as well as paying attention to life stressors (such as anxiety, stress, or depression) which have a negative effect on how efficiently your brain works for you.
This means that brain fitness is achieved through many channels. Physical fitness can't be achieved just through using weights, and brain fitness is similar. A single activity such as a daily crossword, jig-saw puzzles, or the like cannot possibly provide the complete solution for improving or maintaining your brain fitness. Brain fitness is achieve through a wide range of differing activities, brain-supporting nutrition, good health practices, and other lifestyle and environmental choices. A comprehensive approach is the way to achieve brain fitness.
The Memory Tune™ course for building brain resilience offers wide-ranging activities, nutritional and lifestyle information, as well as exercises to ensure all the types of memory and brain-processing areas are boosted and working efficiently and productively for you.
Check out the results of just seven weeks of using Memory Tune™ on GrownUps – look for the article "Memory Tune Trial Results Amaze!" If you would like to try Memory Tune™ which is designed for you to use in your own home, then email gillian@brainandmemoryfoundation.org for pricing information.
In the meantime, follow these top tips to reduce the risk of early memory loss.
1. Keep moving!
Astonishingly, the Canadian Study of Health and Aging which followed 10,000 seniors for 10 years, found that brisk walking 30 minutes a day five times a week is linked to 33% less Alzheimer's Disease, and 30% fewer strokes. Isn't that amazing! What's more, vigorous aerobic exercise was found to be even better and lowered the Alzheimer's rate by an enormous 50%. Brisk walking, and other aerobic exercise, increases the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain, supplying it with nutrients. Remember to stretch before and after exercising.
2. Eat healthily.
3. Socialise.
A vital component of mental health is spending time with family and friends. This is often overlooked and it is very easy for older people to become isolated. Researchers at Harvard University found that people with five or more regular social ties only had half the risk of cognitive decline than those with no social ties. That's a great reason to be out and about! Make sure you spend time with people whose company you enjoy.
4. Reduce stress, and relax.
5. Teach your brain new tricks!
The brain loves, and responds, to variety and novelty. Keeping your brain stimulated with new mental activities actually increases the volume of the brain. This is because new and stimulating brain activity requires the building of new neural connections to accommodate the new knowledge and skills. The very best activities for your brain are enjoyable, new, engaging and interactive. Life-long learning is the very best treat you can give your brain – it will reward you well.
Not only does smoking damage the lungs, but it also has a negative impact on the brain. Researchers have found that heavy smoking in mid-life can double the risk of dementia in later life, and Dutch scientists found mid-life smoking was linked to twice as much cognitive decline as non-smokers.
7. Clean those teeth!
Does it surprise you to find this tip? It's here because your teeth can be a major source of inflammation as well as infection. These can cause damage n the brain and heart, as well as other parts of the body. Some scientists even believe that inflammation caused by gum disease increases the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Remember – regular brushing and flossing is essential for brain health.
8. Be positive.
Researchers have consistently found that people who describe their lives with positive emotion words no only lived longer, but were healthier. There seems to be a protective quality about positive thinking that protects the brain – research is following this thought with interest. One research study showed that people who think of five reasons to be thankful before bed, every day, reports feeling happier after just 21 days. Try it!
None of these tips will require you to make huge life changes – except maybe increasing the physical exercise! It is the small, incremental changes that will built brain resilience and you will soon find you are living a brain-boosting, interesting lifestyle.
If you have discovered other tips which would help fellow-readers of GrownUps, then please email me at dr.lamont@memoryclinic.co.nz and share your tip. I will pop it into the next memory article.
Remember, stemming from our research and my work at the Christchurch Memory Clinic, my sister Gillian Eadie and I have founded the Brain and Memory Foundation. Do visit our Foundation website for further reading about ways you can improve your memory. You can also obtain copies of our books here.
Biography:
Dr. Allison Lamont is founder and memory consultant at the Christchurch Memory Clinic and in January, Allison will be opening a memory clinic in Auckland. Contact her for location details. Allison's ground-breaking research into memory in older, healthy adults has excited interest in many parts of the world.