Lower your BP to banish brain fog

Healthy blood pressure is a boon for your future health— and your current health too! Keeping your BP below 120/ 80 cuts your risk of heart disease and stroke in half, according to Mayo Clinic cardiologists. And it boosts the flow of nutrient-rich blood t

Take a deep breath

Slowing your breathing to 10 breaths per minute instead of the more common 16 erases brain fog and lowers blood pressure by six points in five minutes—and it could trim 10 points off your blood pressure long-term, say University of Connecticut researchers. Explains cardiologist Wil Puavilai, M.D., deep breathing calms your brain stem—which allows you to concentrate—plus reduces the production of arterytightening stress hormones.

Seek inspiration

Reading Scriptures or a book about positive thinking for 20 minutes daily can lower your blood pressure by 30% and sharpen your focus and mental energy for six hours per book break. UCLA researchers say inspiring reads heighten your brain’s production of an arteryrelaxing, focus-enhancing hormone (dopamine).

Try COQ10

Your liver’s production of coenzyme Q10, which relaxes arteries and energizes brain cells, drops after age 50. But taking 100 mg. of COQ10 daily can reverse this, trimming up to 17 points off BP and increasing mental energy by 60%. Try: Life Extension Super Ubiquinol COQ10 (Lef.com/ ww). Note: Check with your doctor before supplementing.

Grill up squash

Enjoying 1 cup of summer squash daily could lower your blood pressure by 11 points, plus cut your risk of memory lapses by 55%, Canadian researchers say. Squash’s tender skins brim with the artery-relaxing minerals potassium, copper and manganese. — Brenda Kearns