Get the cognitive power of someone decades younger. (It doesn’t get easier than this!)
Around the time we hit 30, our brains begin a slow, steady downward trajectory—or so popular wisdom would have it. But cognitive decline is by no means an inescapable side effect of ageing. In fact, according to a flurry of new reports, you can counteract age-related changes in the brain with a surprisingly simple regimen of activities guaranteed to nurture and fortify your mental musclepower. Here are seven easy ways to keep your brain quick, sharp, and bristling with youthful vigour. Google is a trademark of Google inc.
1. Google
When you search the Internet, you engage key centres in your brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning—and these few clicks may be more mentally stimulating than reading, say University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists. Their studies found that Internet searching uses neural circuitry that’s not activated during reading—but only in people with prior Internet experience. MRI results showed almost 3 times more brain activity in regular Internet searchers than in first-timers, suggesting that repeated Googling can be a great way to build cognitive strength over time.
Tip: Spend around 20 minutes a few days a week searching topics you’ve always wanted to learn more about— regardless of how seemingly frivolous: whether you’re researching a celebrity’s latest pratfalls or musical harmony, the benefits to your brain are the same.
2. Exercise
Yes, exercise can stave off or delay dementia—but did you know that regular workouts can actually reverse ageing in the brain? A team from the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute recently reviewed dozens of past studies and found that aerobic exercise boosts not only speed and sharpness of thought but also the volume of brain tissue.
Tip: as little as 50 minutes of brisk walking 3 times a week was found to have this brain-expanding effect. For an added boost, walk in the park. University of Michigan researchers found that volunteers whose course took them through a tree-filled setting performed 20% better on memory and attention tests than those who walked downtown.
3. Brush and floss
Here’s yet another reason to practise good dental hygiene: oral health is clearly linked to cognitive health, according to a team of British psychiatrists and dentists. After studying thousands of subjects ages 20 to 59, they found that gingivitis and periodontal disease were associated with worse cognitive function throughout adult life—not just in later years.
Tip: Follow your dentist’s advice—floss daily and brush your teeth for 2 minutes at least once a day.
4. Drink sparingly
Keep your alcohol consumption within the safe and healthful limit: no more than one drink a day. The more alcohol a person drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume becomes, according to a recent Wellesley College study. The link between drinking and reduced brain volume was stronger in women—probably because smaller people are more susceptible to alcohol’s effects.
Tip: If you like a glass of white wine with dinner, make a spritzer by replacing some of the wine with sparkling water. You’ll cut your intake even more.
5. Eat foods rich in
Anti-Oxidants This class of phytochemicals protects neurons against age-related decline. A study found that diets high in a type of flavonoid called epicatechins, found in grapes, resulted in beneficial changes to areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Other anti-oxidants, such as the lutein and carotenoids in leafy greens, have been found to reduce the rate of cognitive decline by 40%—an amount equivalent to about 5 years of ageing. Eating about three daily servings of leafy greens such as spinach may also benefit the brain.
Tip: Stock up on grapes when they’re in season, and sprinkle them over your cereal or yogurt or fold them into your smoothie. Off-season, buy them frozen; they’re every bit as nutritious and fresh.
6. Play sudoku
Amazingly, you’ll knock a decade off your cognitive age. In a University of Alabama study of nearly 3,000 older men and women, those who participated in 10, 60- to 75-minute sessions of brain-boosting exercise sharpened their mental abilities so much that their brains performed like those of people more than 10 years younger.
Tip: Start small—whip out a booklet of basic puzzles when you’re riding to work on the train or waiting in a long check out line. As your skills improve, graduate to more challenging brain-teasers.
7. Meditate
More than just a great stress reliever, meditation can also enhance your grey matter, says a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Participants appear to have experienced growth in the cortex, an area of the brain that controls memory, language and sensory processing. In addition, meditators in a University of Kentucky study performed better than their non-meditating counterparts on a series of mental acuity tests.
Tip: Make the practice a regular habit— the participants in a recent study meditated an average of 40 minutes a day. But you can start with 15 on your lunch break or before you leave for work. Sit upright, close your eyes, and focus on you’re experience in the present moment, whether it’s birds chirping in the distance or just the sound of your own breathing.
