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AGING
with an
Attitude
P
Simple Brain Boosters!
eople make fun of people
who are under 100 lbs.
However, nobody dares to
mess with a mere three-
pound mass—you know, the one
that resides between one’s ears! In
2016, CNN reported that a man, Stan
Larkin, lived without a heart for 555
days. Modern medical science has
proven that a person can live without
a stomach, colon, kidneys but cannot
continue to live without a brain. So
basically, the brain rules, right?
Listen to the world around you.
There is a lot of chatter about building
muscle, losing weight, stimulating
the heart …but talk of brain health is
not in daily conversations. It should
be—a compromised brain equals a
compromised life. So, let’s talk about
simple things we can do to help our
minds stay sharp!!!
According to the Rule of Seven, we
need to see and hear something seven
times before we absorb the message.
You may already be aware of some of
these tips, but they most defi nitely
bear repeating—in hopes that you
may act on a few of them.
What you eat dictates how your
body functions. For brain health, you
should consume the following: fatty
fi sh, blueberries, turmeric (liquid
turmeric is absorbed by your body
the quickest). Then there’s broccoli,
pumpkin seeds, nuts, and dark
chocolate. Dr. Amen, an American
brain disorder specialist, adds the
following: B-12, antioxidants, and
Omega-3 fats. The University of
Illinois reported a fi nding that middle-
aged individuals who had higher
96
levels of lutein experienced a slower
decline in brain aging. Lutein, in its
natural form, is found in spinach, eggs,
kale, and avocado. Consider including
these in your grocery list for a happy
high functioning brain!
Exercise increases your heart rate,
pumps more oxygen to your brain, and
releases hormones aids and nourishes
the growth of brain cells. In 2017,
Medical News Today reported that just
10 minutes of activity gives your brain
the boost it needs to function better.
On the days that research subjects were
unable to concentrate, the 10-minute
boost got them on track, and they
noticed that their ability to retrieve data
increased signifi cantly! One hundred
and fi fty minutes at least of aerobic
activity per week was recommended
(of course the more the better). But
recent research shows that 75 minutes a
week of brisk walking or other aerobic
exercise benefi ted cognition. That’s only
15 minutes a day, 5 times a week! Can’t
get yourself to do it? Set yourself up for
success. Get a rescue dog that needs
exercise. You will be out there to save
your sanity and end up nourishing your
brain. Or, get an accountability partner!
“Two cups of cocoa a day for a
month showed improved blood fl ow
in brain scans and on cognitive tests.”
Thank the Institute on Aging for that bit
of news! Here’s another fun tidbit.
In a study, conducted by the German
Center for Neurological Diseases,
exercise can reverse the signs of brain
aging. And dancing regularly—which
involves establishing emotional
connections, intellectual focus, and
engagement—can signifi cantly boost
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
FALL/HOLIDAY 2019
brain health. The researchers in this
18-month study concluded that the
constant learning of new movement
patterns produced a signifi cant change
to the brain’s neuroplasticity compared
to fi tness activities with repetitive
exercises. The MRI results in this study
showed a signifi cant increase in gray
matter volume in the brain! Anyone
for a free East Coast Swing class at the
Old City Hall in Gilroy?
Learning is a vital calisthenic for
the brain. Consider learning a new
language, learning to play a new
instrument, engaging in a new hobby,
taking on a new task at work. It makes
sense —when we engage in routine,
repetitive activity day after day, our
brain is “not exercised.”
Want to tackle a less demanding
learning task? The National Institute
on Aging has a few suggestions: use
your non-dominant hand to dial your
phone or use the calculator, take a
different route on your drive home,
or look up directions and memorize
it rather than depending on your
navigator. In other words, use your
brain whenever you can!
Ooooohhhhmmmm. According
to the Mather Lifeways Institute,
“meditation increases gray matter in
areas of the brain associated with short
and long-term memory and complex
cognitive processes.” Too wired to
meditate? Just relaxing, sitting quietly
and slowing your breathing, practicing
religion or spirituality, separating your-
self from all the noise and complexities
of the world are all good for your brain
as well.
Then there is restful sleep. Sleep-
gmhtoday.com