Age-proof your smarts!
Surprise! Brain aging— everything from memory lapses to foggy thinking—is not inevitable. In fact, evidence is mounting that a host of simple, even fun, strategies can keep your brain young for life!
Enhance your focus with yogurt!
In a UCLA study, women who ate probiotic-rich yogurt daily felt more focused and clear-headed within six weeks. Turns out, the more probiotic bacteria our intestines get, the more brainnourishing serotonin they make! “Serotonin strongly contributes to sustaining brain health and positive good spirits,” says University of California, San Francisco, neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, PH.D.
Up your recall with a ball!
Women who squeeze a stress ball in their right hand while reading something they want to remember increase their recall 18% in just one minute! “Anxiety and stress impair the neurological processes that support the brain’s ability to adapt and change,” says Dr. Merzenich. Relieving tension with a stress ball (try the Serenilite Hand Therapy Ball, $7.99, Amazon.com) gives your mind the space to focus on what you need to remember.
Avoid dementia by going dancing!
Seniors who danced three to four times a week— especially those who did ballroom dancing—had a whopping 75% lower risk of developing dementia compared with non-dancers, a landmark study in The New England Journal of Medicine found. “Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and promotes nerve health,” says lead study author Joe Verghese, M.D., chief of geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, while mastering the steps “helps create new brain connections in areas of the brain that are vulnerable to aging and dementia.” Plus, regularly interacting socially is proven to increase overall mental sharpness.
Learn more by reading less!
Reading, in general, is great for the brain. But reading fewer books so that you can give each one you do read more focused attention may be even better, especially if they’re on a fascinating new topic. “The brain only records information that’s important to it,” explains Dr. Merzenich, and it tends to flag rich new information as more important. The trick is to continuously challenge your brain, creating new neural pathways in the process.
Stop for a moment to smell the roses—literally!
Seeing each day as a new and exciting opportunity boosts brainpower by replicating the way our brains developed new knowledge when we were very young. “Notice the flowers and look for all the other little surprises out there in the world around you,” says Dr. Merzenich. While simple, it’s one of the most effective ways to increase brain activity and keep your mind acting as young as it did decades ago!
—Kallie E. Kristensen
Adding 1/2 cup of legumes and 1 1/2 cups of fresh produce to your daily diet provides so much appetitetaming fiber, it can help you shed up to three pounds every month— plus cut your risk of heartburn and constipation in half, British research shows.