5 Ways to Improve Your Brain Fitness Today

On Monday, I posted a list of 5 ways to improve your brain fitness almost immediately. Things like decreasing stress and improving your attention can be done immediately. Today I have a list of things you can do at some time today, and incorporate in your life every day. Here they are:

• Take two minutes to focus on something around you. Look at something near you – a chair, something on the wall, anything. Pay attention to it. Look at its color and shape. Attention may be a key in improving your memory, and improving attention skills may be a way to improve your brain fitness.
• Find a new way to the grocery store. More and more, my reading of the research on ways to maintain and improve cognitive functioning is that novelty is a key. It’s probably the element of experience that can stimulate new nerve cell growth. Research has shown that people with lives that include travel, learning new languages, and education are less likely to have cognitive problems as they get older. So find a new way to the grocery store or to your work. Explore your neighborhood, or take a look at the store next to the store you always visit. Give yourself a new experience.
• Park farther away from your job or at the store. Many people try to find the closest parking spot at work or at a store. Increase the amount of exercise you get today by parking farther, rather than closer.
• Identify one hassle today and deal with it. Odds are that the things that annoy or bother you are causing you stress. One of the worst things about stress is that over time we tend to forget it. We get used to it, and no longer pay attention to it. But the stress is still there, associated with increased levels of things such as cortisol and immune system factors. Your goal today: find one hassle and do something about it. If driving through one intersection makes you nervous, find a new route. If something your spouse, partner, or children do bugs you, say something about it. Some hassles can’t be eliminated. Figure out how to cope with the hassle by not reacting to it.
• Eat an extra serving of broccoli today. Experts say we all should eat 4-5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and research shows that the substances in fruits and vegetables can improve your brain fitness.

Brain fitness is probably not a one-time computer program. It’s a way of life. Try these 5 things for a week and then ask yourself how you feel.

Physical Activity and Cognitive Impairment

A new study shows that physical activity may reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment. The INVADE study, completed almost 4,000 people older than 55 years, showed that people who engaged in some form of physical activity three times a week or more were less likely to develop memory problems over two years.

This study showed a relation between “strenuous” physical activity as reported by participants and cognition two years later. Strenuous activities walking, bicycling, swimming, gardening, “or other exercise,” so the types of physical activity were diverse. The inclusion of walking and gardening in the definition of physical activity suggests that even moderate activity may be useful in helping older adults avoid cognitive decline. Persons who said they did some form of activity three times a week were classified as “moderately active” while those who were active more frequently were classified in a “high activity” group.

The bottom line: Another study shows that even moderate activity may help prevent cognitive decline as people age.

Reference:

Etgen T et al. (2010). Physical activity and incident cognitive impairment in elderly persons: The INVADE study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 170, 186-193. Free full text is available at the journal website.