This month, we want to know how you are preparing for the future by investing in your health! Tell us (or show us) what you do to invest in your body, your mind, and your relationships for your chance to win great weekly prizes and a $150 grand prize! To inspire you, we’ll be featuring regular healthy aging content on the Northern Health Matters blog all month long! (Contest is closed.)
I have to admit this was a frustrating morning. I couldn't find my truck keys. When I get home from work, I always put my truck keys in the same spot. So why weren't they there this morning? There are two likely explanations for this. Either I put my keys somewhere else and promptly forgot about that, or gremlins hid them on me. I blamed the gremlins, and as it turned out, I was right. They stole my keys and hid them in my coat pocket!
While not everyone may suffer the scourge of key hiding gremlins, one thing is for sure. As we age, our brains change. It's normal to experience some changes in some cognitive functions such as memory or visuospatial abilities. While it's true that conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia are associated with aging, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help maintain a healthy brain.
The point is that investing in your brain is very important to healthy aging. So how can you do that?
Think of your brain as a muscle
Your brain is much like a muscle in the fact that regular exercise helps keep it healthy. Numerous studies have shown that "exercising your brain" has real benefits. For instance, a study at Stanford University found that memory loss can be improved by 30 to 50 per cent through doing mental exercises.
So how can you exercise your brain? Well there are the usual suggestions such as:
- Taking a course at your local college or university.
- Reading newspapers, magazines and books.
- Playing games that make you think like Scrabble, cards, Trivial Pursuit, checkers or chess.
- Engaging in creative activities such as drawing, painting or woodworking.
- Doing crossword puzzles and word games.
Think outside the box
Sometimes, it can be helpful to think outside the box as well. If you like watching game shows, try to guess the answer before the contestants. Or the next time you're at a social gathering, use the opportunity to engage in stimulating conversations.
While technology may be baffling at times, learn to use it to your advantage. Look into using apps or games for your tablet or smartphone that exercise your brain. Many offer a free version that let you try before purchasing a full version. If there isn't a college or university in your community, look online for courses. Most post-secondary institutions offer many courses and programs online. Some websites such as coursera and edX offer free courses from various colleges and universities.
Manage lifestyle risk factors
Staying physically active, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, making healthy food choices and eating a well-balanced and healthy diet rich in cereals, fish, legumes and vegetables are all good investments in a healthy brain. While genetics certainly plays a role in the aging process, you do have control over how you live life. Choosing a healthy lifestyle will pay off with a better quality of life.
Manage stress
It's also important to make sure that you manage stress. Stress wears us down both mentally and physically over time. Even a low level of stress can be detrimental to our health if it persists for an extended period. Look for more on managing stress in my next blog post!
So, what will you do this week to invest in your mind and keep the gremlins from stealing your keys? Remember to send us a picture or quick line about how you kept your brain engaged.
(What am I doing to stay mentally engaged? I'm working on a gremlin trap!)
Comments