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Exercise Your Brain

We all know about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise to

keep our muscles in good shape. But did you also know that giving the

brain a workout is equally important?

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Southern

California have determined that computer-based mental training programs appear

to improve cognitive performance in older people by as much as 10

years. Another study from Harvard found that taking beta-carotene long-term

can improve cognitive function.

So what can you do to keep your brain as fit as the rest of you? Here

are a few tips:

* Move your body. A recent study from Columbia University in New York

City found that people who exercised regularly for three months

increased the blood flow to the hippocampus part of the brain, which is

responsible for memory. This also can lead to the production of new brain

cells. Sandra Aamodt, editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience, a leading

scientific journal on brain research, explains that increased blood flow

to the brain can offset mini-strokes, which can cause cognitive decline.

* Eat your vegetables and fruits. Your mother was right all along! The

Alzheimer’s Association recommends a diet high in dark-colored

vegetables (e.g., kale, spinach, beets and eggplant); colorful fruits (e.g.,

berries, raisins, prunes, oranges and red grapes) and fish such as salmon

or trout high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids to keep those

neurons firing. James Joseph, director of the neuroscience lab at the USDA

Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, says, “We

have found that the berry fruits improve neuronal communication.”

* Challenge your brain. Games such as crossword puzzles, word jumbles

or even sudoku (a numbers puzzle originating in Japan) keep those mental

wheels turning. In tests of experienced crossword puzzlers of all

ages, those in their 60s and 70s did the best, according to a recent

article in U.S. News & World Report.

* Be social. Get involved with your community or participate in your

favorite hobby with others. Researchers at Harvard found that those with

at least five social ties were less likely to suffer cognitive decline

than those with no social ties.

For more information, go to

http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1035

To Your Health!

Carol Biondo

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