How To Keep Yourself Mentally Fit In Old Age

Are you having trouble finding your keys or the television remote? If so, maybe you’ve asked yourself if this could be the beginning of mental decline or even Alzheimer’s. It’s a scary thought. While it is true, that when we age we experience mental fall off, but there is much we can do to improve our brain fitness. Here some tips keep you mentally fit at any age.

Diet
A diet that attends to the specific need of the brain is imperative for mental fitness. The brain is a hungry organ, it depends on our liver and our gastrointestinal system to absorb and deliver the nutrients it needs and remove toxins. Because brain cells are made up of fat, the right types of fats are critical in maintaining brain health. The Omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish, like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and sturgeon, will provide the brain with some of the right foods. It is recommended you eat these fish three times a week, for optimum brain nutrition. Other good fats include, olive oil, canola oil, flax seed oil and foods like avocados. Your brain also requires Vitamin B to make neurotransmitters. Besides meat, good sources of B vitamins can be found in rice, whole grains, and wheat germ. Vitamin E is also important, this vitamin is found in soybeans and seeds and nuts. Also eat foods that contain antioxidants, like those found in vegetable and fruit. Antioxidents are the body’s major defense against diseases.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for peak mental performance. Start your day with a breakfast that is high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. Eat the protein first, as it does seem to matter what order you eat these food in.

Exercise
Walking is one of the best physical exercises you can do for your brain. Since the brain used 20% of the body’s energy, it requires constant oxygen from the blood stream. The brain uses approximately 25% of all the oxygen we inhale. There is a body, mind connection, and physical exercise does stimulate brain cells to grow and connect with each other in a complex way. They do this by extending branches of intricate nerves called dendrites and these branches can even circumvent damaged or blocked off areas of the brain and find new pathways. It has been realized that physical activity of exercise stimulates the growth of these branches as they seek pathways to connect to each other.


Learn new things
Throughout one’s lifetime your neural network reorganizes to respond to new stimuli and learning experiences. Changing your daily routine can help stimulate grow of neurotransmitters in the brain. Try driving a different way to work or eat with you opposite hand. Studies have shown that even playing bingo can help minimize brain loss. Reading, playing Scrabble, molding clay, doing puzzles, crosswords, or learning a new language will help boost brainpower. It also seems to help if you do activities that combine two senses. Try listening to music while smelling flowers or washing your hair with your eyes closed. Challenging your brain to learn new tasks develops agility and hand to brain coordination. Try using your other hand for things like, using the mouse, brushing your teeth, operating the television remote or dialing the phone.


Travel
Yes, travel can stimulate your brain. After all it worked for our ancestors. Their nomadic lifestyle provided a tremendous amount of stimulation for their brains that led to the development of their survival skills. Early humans gained their evolutionary edge from their flexibility and innovative lifestyle. Traveling also allowed them to find diversity in their diet, which allowed their brains to quickly evolve.

Lifestyle changes
Smoking and alcohol are not only harmful for the lungs and the liver but also for the brain. Even subtle changes in lifestyle can make a lot of difference. Besides proper diet, exercise, relaxation time, meditation and plenty of sleep, all help to regenerate and invigorate our mental state. Remember, the human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in old age it can grow new neurons, find new pathways, and build a better brain.



By  Renee Rotto