Archive for category Brain Health
10 Brain Health and Fitness New Year’s Resolutions – Train Your Brain
Posted by admin in Brain Health, Fitness on October 7, 2011
You have survived the 2007 shopping and eating season. Congratulations! Now it’s time to shift gears and focus on 2008…whether you write down some New Year resolutions or contemplate some things that you want to let go of from last year and set intentions and goals for this year – as is a friend’s tradition on the winter solstice.
To summarize the key findings of the last 20 years of neuroscience research on how to “exercise our brains”, there are three things that we can strive for: novelty, variety and challenge. If we do these three things, we will build new connections in our brains, be mindful and pay attention to our environment, improve cognitive abilities such as pattern-recognition, and in general contribute to our lifelong brain health.
With these three principles of brain health in mind – novelty, variety and challenge – let me suggest a few potential New Years resolutions, perhaps some unexpected, that will help you make 2008 a year of Brain Health and Fitness: Read the rest of this entry »
A Good Brain Health Will Take You A Long Way
Posted by admin in Brain Health on October 2, 2011
We are probably well aware of the importance of good nutrition and exercise to help promote and maintain optimum health for our bodies. This includes all of our organs including our brain. It is vital to strive for optimum brain health in order for us to function at our best. So to help achieve the most in brain health, here are some tips and suggestions.
Diet: Most of us understand that our diet is vitally important to helping our bodies to function in the best possible manner. This certainly extends to the overall health and well being of our brain. It functions much more effectively when it receives the proper nutrients from a well balanced and high quality diet.
So stick with a well balanced and wholesome diet. Leafy green vegetables, lean meats and poultry, and whole grains are important food items. Avoid foods high in fats, sugars or preservatives. And make certain that your diet includes vital nutrients like vitamin B12 and vitamin E. Fish oil and fresh fish can also be very important foods and nutrients to focus on.
It has also been found that physical exercise is not only good for the body, but good for the brain as well. When you exercise, your hearts beats faster and you breathe heavier. This pumps more well-oxygenated blood to your brain. This extra boost of blood helps to stimulate the brain and provides it with the oxygen and other nutrients it needs to function at peak efficiency. Read the rest of this entry »