With a few new habits, you can help protect your memory and brain health for years to come. Use this five-day mini challenge to make those skills a part of your daily life.
The human brain is an amazing organ. For starters, it’s responsible for your memory and thinking abilities. But it also controls your ability to walk, talk, see, hear, taste, feel and do so much more. For all those reasons, it’s important to do whatever you can to keep your brain strong and healthy for many years to come.
Fortunately, that’s easier to do than you might think — and it can be enjoyable too. By tweaking your daily habits in small ways, you can boost your brainpower and help keep your brain working like it should as you get older. And with this simple five-day challenge, you can get started today. Here’s how it works.
Below are five simple, science-backed tips — one for each day of the challenge. Your goal: Try a new tip on day one, add a second tip on day two. And then keep going, adding a new strategy to your life day by day. At the end of five days, you’ll have five new habits that can make a big difference in protecting your brain health.
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Of course, you’ll need to keep up these habits over the long haul. It’s also important to take care of any chronic health conditions you have that can affect brain health over time, says Gary Small, MD. He’s the physician-in-chief for behavioral health at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, and coauthor of The Memory Bible: An Innovative Strategy for Keeping Your Brain Young. Those conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Ready? Let’s begin!
Long-term inflammation and oxidative stress have been linked with symptoms such as loss of memory and attention span. (Oxidative stress is a process that can damage your cells and tissues.) They’ve also been linked with serious brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.* Fortunately, eating certain foods can help lower inflammation and fend off the side effects.*
There are plenty of tasty foods to choose from that fit the bill, Dr. Small says:
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In-person talks are great. Chatting with loved ones by phone or video works too. What matters most for your brain and overall health is making that social connection and engaging in conversation.*
“Socialization through conversation is one of the best ways to stimulate your brain,” says Douglas Scharre, MD. He’s the director of the division of cognitive neurology in the department of neurology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “And social support helps with mood and lessens depression and anxiety.” It also helps prevent loneliness, which has been found to hurt brain function and raise the risk of mental decline as people get older.*
Walking is a great form of exercise: It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment, and you can do it just about any time or anywhere. And if you walk regularly, it’s great for your brain. Regular exercise has been shown to:*
“The longer you can work out regularly over time, the more it’s like putting savings in your brain bank,” explains Wendy Suzuki, PhD, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University. She’s also the author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life. “It’s also never too late to start.”
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The way you choose to relax is up to you. It’s just important that it helps you let go of stress. “Stress is the enemy of cognitive health,” says Dr. Small. “Stress hormones temporarily impair memory."
Need ideas for winding down? Some ways to relax that have been shown to calm your mind and ease tension in your body include:*
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Keeping your mind active can strengthen the connections between your brain cells. Stronger connections mean better brain function as you get older, says Dr. Small. Some ways to keep your brain busy:
Most of all, remember to keep it fun. The more you enjoy challenging your mind, the more likely you’ll be to keep it up.
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*FOR OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATION AND BRAIN HEALTH: Cassidy L, Fernandez F, Johnson JB, et al. Oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease: A review on emergent natural polyphenolic therapeutics. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. March 2020; 59(102294). Accessed September 30, 2024.
*FOR FOODS THAT FIGHT INFLAMMATION: Harvard Health Publishing. Foods that fight inflammation. March 26, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024.
*FOR BRAIN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CONNECTION: Gardener H, Levin B, DeRosa J, et al. Social Connectivity is Related to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2021; 84(4): 1811–1820. Accessed September 30, 2024.
*FOR EXERCISE AND BRAIN HEALTH: Harvard Health Publishing. Audiffren M, André N. The exercise–cognition relationship: A virtuous circle. Journal of Sport and Health Science. July 2019. Accessed September 30, 2024.
*FOR WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS: Mayo Clinic. Relaxation techniques: try these steps to lower stress. January 4, 2024. Accessed September 30, 2024.
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