Unfortunately, there is no magic recipe you can follow to keep your brain in good shape for as long as possible. Fortunately, there are a number of things that will help you on your way.
Puzzling
According to neuropsychologist Erik Scherder, puzzling makes for a fitter brain. By this he means puzzling in any form. Making a jigsaw puzzle, or making a sudoku or word search are all types of puzzles. Besides keeping your brain fit, puzzling also helps train your memory.
The most important thing about puzzling, according to the psychologist, is that you keep challenging yourself. Because you can make puzzles in different levels, you can always go one level higher. Try that four-star puzzle more often to keep your brain really fit.
Read
Reading (and writing) keeps our brains healthy and fit, even as the years pass. Research shows that older people who regularly engage in brain-activating activities like these are less likely to suffer from memory loss.
The research comes from the medical journal ‘Neurology’, of the American Academy of Neurology. It states the following: “Our research indicates that it is important to perform brain-stimulating activities from a young age, as this keeps our brain young.”
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Healthy food
Did you know that some nutrients have a proven positive effect on the functioning and condition of your brain? Eat a balanced, varied and healthy diet: then you have everything ‘check’ to get all the necessary nutrients.
Especially fatty fish, vitamin 12, vitamin C and vitamin E help your brain cells on their way. For example, eating too few fatty acids can cause your concentration to deteriorate and make you forgetful. Vitamin and mineral deficiency can cause anemia and fatigue.
Tip: always chew your food well. This makes your heart beat faster. This ensures that your brain has better blood flow.
Enough movement
Sufficient exercise is important to keep your brain fit. Do not wear yourself out in the gym every day, but go for a walk more often. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day is more than enough to build up cognitive reserves in younger people.
In addition, it also postpones the development of dementia in the elderly. The white matter in your brain gets better blood circulation and the connection between cells and networks improves.
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