How can we keep our brain healthy?
TED Talk by Elizabeth Amini
Key Takeaways
1. Fast Walking/Exercise fantastic for brain and heart. 30 minutes a day, 5x/week is linked to 33% less Alzheimers. Getting our heart rate up 3x/week in 20-minute sessions will reduce your risk to 50%. This is pushing the blood, nutrients, and oxygen into the brain faster, which will help with repair and push waste out of the brain. If it involves a social or physical component, that’s even better. This will help your brain grow and build new neuron connections.
2. Mentally Engaging Games studies show that any kind of learning that is mind engaging and interactive is fantastic for you. This could be anything from learning a new language, instrument, chess, games- whatever it is that is interesting to you and the best part is, you don’t have to actually be good at it.
3. Avoid Poisons everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, it actually doubles the rate of dementia later on in life. Even the occasionally cigarette or cigar causes capillaries to act as if they’re being poisoned because that is exactly what’s happening. Also avoiding toxic substances that could unknowingly be in your everyday life like toothpaste, shampoos, soap, cleaning products etc- you can find out what’s toxic at Cosmetics Database and what could be a safer alternative.
4. Being Social a Harvard study shows that people who have 5 social ties have half the rate of cognitive decline as those who are isolated.
5. Having a Purpose the people with the highest purpose and life direction had 2.4x less dementia than the people with the lowest. You can have any cause, meaning or purpose and get out there and do it. This will benefit not only your brain but society
6. Relax relaxation is fantastic for you. Go to the spa, meditate, read a book, go for a walk. Stress shrinks and rewires the brain affecting memory, decision-making, the emotional regulatory system.
7. Partner Up With Your Doctor a good doctor is prevention oriented, not because they’re nice or familiar. You want someone that understands prevention, nutrition, exercise and the interaction between things like supplements and diet.
8. Protect Your Head always wearing your seatbelt, no texting, and driving- people who text have a 23x more chance of getting into an accident.
9. Diet & Nutrition A well-nourished body and brain is better able to withstand ongoing stress and recovery from illness, while also preventing the problems from developing in the first place. Amini suggests the Mediterranean diet, but overall what you eat will have an effect on the brain, your mental and physical health. Create a healthy eating plan that works best for you and fits your lifestyle.
10. Positive Outlook Matters having a positive outlook attitude will impact both the mind and body. You will age better, live a longer, healthier life, and a study actually showed those with an optimistic approach to life actually had a neuro protective effect in their brain that was almost like a shield to Alzheimers. Eliminate negative self-talk, get rid of negative friends and remember seeing the opportunity in all of the challenges of life.