« Articles

Steps to Prolong Brain Health & Functioning

By Tess Thompson

If you wonder how some of the senior citizens are so alert and sharp, then you must understand the specific steps that they have taken to ensure a healthy and active brain. It is pertinent that you take measures in the younger years to ensure that you retain most of your faculties as you grow old. Age takes its toll in the shape of degeneration of body cells, including brain cells. Your brain health is as important as your physical health and deserves equal attention. In a way it is more important, because barring one, brain cells do not re-grow.

In most cases, it is our own negligence that leads to an early loss of cognitive abilities, mental focus and sharpness of mind. As young people, we do not feel the need to take any preventive measures since we enjoy an alert mind and good cognition.

Fundamentally, some of the steps that you take to keep your physical health in good shape will go a long way in improving your brain health as well. However, there are other steps that you must take to ensure that you remain mentally active, too. The basic principles of maintaining healthy brain functioning include:

1. Mental Exercises
   • Do not sit idle and be content with what you know. Look for new avenues of gaining knowledge.
   • Interact with children and learn what is new and what changes are occurring.
   • Play mental games like Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, chess, and bridge in your spare time.
   • If you are not inclined to games, learn some counting exercises and practice them.
2. Positive Thinking and Stress Management
   • Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises relieve stress in a big way.
   • Instead of cribbing and finding faults with others, try to look towards the positive aspect of events and actions of others.
   • Stop worrying about the past; forget what will happen in future - live in the present.
3. Nutrition
   • Eat more fish, which is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.
   • Prefer poultry that is fed on its own eggs.
   • Fruits and vegetables.
   • Natural foods rich in antioxidants.
   • Learn about herbs and vitamins that promote mental focus and take supplements if necessary.
4. Physical Exercises
   • Regular exercise is good for the brain as well as your physique. Consult your doctor first to fix an exercise regime that suits your physical condition.
   • Learn some cardiovascular exercises and make it a point to devote at least half an hour exercising.
   • Spare at least fifteen minutes every day for exercising, even if you are extremely busy.
5. Social Activity
   • Do not withdraw into a shell. Remain socially active.
   • Volunteer to help people.
   • If you can, visit new places, learn about new cultures and new foods. Some ethnic foods are more nutritious than the normal western diet.

Some amount of stress is healthy for your brain, but prolonged stress is risky and can affect your immunity, too. If you are one of those who cannot make yourself get up for exercises, try alternative methods like going to a spa, playing games like tennis or beach football, and receiving massages. Ayurvedic massages with herbs, popularized as Kerala Massages, are extremely beneficial for the brain and at the same time spruce up your body.