Exercise Both Your Body and Your Mind!

It should come as no surprise that the very things that can make you healthy and happy now are the things that could keep you healthy and happy in the future - especially when it comes to keeping your wits about you well into your golden years.

While there are no guarantees, it's clear that simple lifestyle changes can help combat the effects of ageing and improve the health of your brain. In fact, according to Dr. Gary Small, the director of the UCLA Centre on Ageing, lifestyle can be just as important as genetics in determining how the brain ages. The centre conducted a study on how to keep mentally fit. Here's what they found:

• Exercise Both Your Body and Your Mind!
  Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, trying out a new hobby - any activity that requires focus and concentration will stimulate your brain. Watching television - even a show that has an intellectual focus - isn't engaging enough to have any real benefit. It's also important to be physically active each day - ride a bike, take a brisk walk, or just sneak extra activity into your daily routine wherever you can: Try parking the car farther away from your destination or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
   
• Maintain a Healthy Diet!
  Eating five small meals instead of three large ones maintains a consistent blood-sugar level and keeps your brain supplied with a steady stream of nutrients. In general, avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and eating high-fat, cholesterol-laden foods. Instead opt for foods that are rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
   
• Get Together With Friends!
  The brain is revitalised by social interaction. If you can combine a get-together with a stimulating activity, all the better. Meet friends at the gym, get together for bridge, or join in a lively debate about newsworthy topics.
   
• Reduce Stress!
  Anxiety, depression, and lack of sleep can all be factors in memory loss. So take time for yourself. Don't try to "do it all" in one day. Get enough sleep and try not to worry so much. Some activities that help ease stress include yoga, deep breathing, and short visualisation exercises.

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"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do."
-- Leonardo da Vinci

• Learn From Leonardo: Apparently, Leonardo da Vinci used several
  brain-enriching strategies that clearly worked for him. Among them were tasks like learning to juggle and drawing with his opposite hand. Stretching your abilities like this is a great way to think more clearly.
   
• Time It Right: Most older people think more clearly in the morning; most younger people, in the afternoon. Figure out your own best "thinking time"
  and reserve it for your most challenging brain work.
   
• Get A Good Education - However, Refrain From Overdoing It!
  Psychologists say schooling has a positive impact on creativity up through the final year of university. Then the progressively narrow focus of post-graduate university actually detracts from creativity. You won't become a great novelist by getting a Ph.D. in creative writing.
   
• Go For The High Octane: Research shows that the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee actually can help you concentrate. But if you're prone to anxiety, you're probably better off not jazzing up your brain with a jolt of java.
   
• Anchor New Memories To Established Ones: Think of your existing memory as a scaffold to fit new information on. Don't just try and learn or remember new information on its own. Always relate it to something you already know and then it'll stick.
   
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Learning and repeatedly practising new skills appears to change the brain's internal organisation. A study in America showed that regular training sessions helped volunteers in their 70s do better on cognitive and memory skills than they had when they were seven years younger. Practice really helps. A well-practiced older individual will be faster than an unpractised younger individual.
   
• Give Your Ideas A Chance: Many of us are rewarded in work or in life for our abilities to quickly evaluate facts and make a quick "go or no-go" decision. But, creativity demands a much more leisurely and playful approach - a willingness to give absurd ideas their due!
   
• Pick An Intellectual Profession and A Smart Mate: Intriguing studies from Poland suggest that people whose careers demand an exercise of intellect are more likely to sustain high levels of cognition in their lives. And marrying someone smart may provide you with ongoing stimulation.
   
• Expose Yourself To Multiple Experiences: Creativity often boils down to the ability to adapt solutions from one domain to another. Velcro for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your clothing. The pull-tab top on aluminium cans was originally patterned after a banana's peel.
   
• Pay Attention: Do you sometimes find yourself "forgetting" a person's name seconds after meeting them? The problem isn't memory; it's concentration. As you age, you must consciously remind yourself to put information into your memory banks.
   
• Exercise The Body To Improve The Mind! An increasing number of researchers now believe aerobic workouts can increase everything from school performance to nerve conduction velocity. Possible reasons for this link are increased oxygen and nutrients supplied to the brain. Plus a boost in natural compounds called neurotrophins, which promote brain cell growth. Some studies show mixed results. But exercise has so many other benefits that there's no excuse for not doing it!
   
• End Distractions If you're bombarded with pointless interruptions, it's hard to focus. When you absolutely must do something (complete a report, for instance), try doing it in your local library where you're not going to get distracted by all the things that go on at home.
   
• And Remember To Follow Your Passion! Recently a Dutch psychologist tried to figure out what separated chess masters from chess grand masters. He subjected groups of each to different tests - IQ, memory, spatial reasoning. He found no testing difference between them. The only difference was the grand masters simply loved chess more. They had more passion and commitment to it. Passion may be the key to creativity.

-- Author Unknown