Sharpening Your Brain

Many of us walk through life doing the same repetitive tasks that you have learned years ago. This repetitive nature is causing your brain to function on auto pilot. I am not saying the day to day tasks that you do are not important, whether to your familiy or lifestyle. I am saying that you have to give your brain a jolt or two to keep it from failing you.

If you have ever had a problem with remembering a persons name just after you have met them or remembering that one critical fact or thought. Lets maake it even simplier, being able to recall a easy recipe or direction. These are indications that you may not be properly stimulating your brain. The fact is the brain uses 20% of Oxygen Breathed Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the whole body's mass, it uses 20% of all the oxygen we breathe. A continuous supply of oxygen is necessary for survival. A loss of oxygen for 10 minutes can result in significant neural damage.

This trend you may be experiencing can be overcome by simply sharpening your brain. Good health is more than just physical exercise it requires a clear thought. Studies done by Dustman et al. (1984) and by Molloy et al. (1988) has identified an association between physical fitness and cognitive performance has been identified for certain cognitive tasks. You have to do two things to reverse the curent effects you may be experiencing. You must charge your brain and you must feed your brain the right foods.

Your brain thrives on new and different activities. So charge your brain by doing new and different things. Doing a crossword puzzle, reading a book or to really challenge yourself and charge your brain, try writing with your non-dominant hand. These simple and fun ways can stimulate several regions of the brain. Regular exercise can be an effective way to treat some forms of depression. Physical activity alters brain chemistry and leads to feelings of wellbeing. Exercise can also be an effective treatment for anxiety. Some research studies indicate that regular exercise may be as effective as other treatments like medication to relieve mild to moderate depression. Elsayed, Ismail, and Young (1980) proposed three reasons why exercise improved fitness and also enhanced cognitive functioning. They proposed that increased transportation of oxygen and glucose to the brain, as well as increased self-esteem and decreased psychological distress, would result in improved performance on complex psychological tasks. Feeding your brain means eating the right types of food. I am not saying throw away all the junk food in your cabinets. I am saying that adding certain foods to an already healthy diet will improve your brain function. Foods such as fish like Tuna or Salmon two times weekly, dark colored fruits and vegetables, nuts, water and tea, dark chocolate and even 1-2 cups of coffee per day will feed the brain the foods necessary nutrients for improved function.

In conclusion, implementing these small additions to your diet and lifestyle can have significant effects on your mental clarity. The data suggests that there is a potential importance of physical exercise, such as walking, in maintaining or enhancing cognitive performance in older adults.


Sources:

Dustman, R.E., Ruhling, R.O., Russell, E.M., Shearer, D.E., Bonekat, H.W., Shigeoka, J.W., Wood, J.S., & Bradford, D.C. (1984). Aerobic exercise training and improved neuropsychological function of older adults. Neurobiology of Aging, 35-42.

Elsayed, M., Ismail, A. H., & Young, R.J. (1980). Intellectual differences of adult men related to age and physical fitness before and after an exercise program. Journal of Gerontology, 35,383-387.

Molloy, D.W., Beerschoten, D.A, Borrie, M.J., Crilly, R.G., & Cape, R.D.T. (1988). Acute effects of exercise on neuropsychological function in elderly subjects. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 36, 29-33.