Did you know you can anti-age your brain? According to brain fitness specialist and author of Future Brain, Dr Jenny Brockis, it’s our lifestyle choices that determine how well we age.
At what age does the brain decline?
Columbia University tell us that the brain has reached 90% of its full volume by the age of 6 years old, but by the time we enter our thirties and forties, the brain begins shrinking, with the rate of shrinkage increasing once we hit our sixties. While mental decline is common, particularly in western society, cognitive impairment is not inevitable, and in fact, there are steps we can take that can maintain brain function and anti-age our brains.
“As shown in the FINGER study, by following a combination of healthy nutrition, exercise, cognitive training and social activity can improve or maintain cognitive function and reduce the risk of cognitive decline,” says Dr Jenny, who outlines seven ways to anti-age your brain:
Ways we can help protect the brain from ageing:
Foods that improve brain function:
Choose those foods that boost your mood and cognition as outlined in the MIND diet; leafy greens, other vegetables, berries, fish, poultry, legumes, whole grains, seeds and nuts. Real food that is fresh, unprocessed and mostly plant based is the way to a healthy brain.
How does stress affect the brain?
Chronic severe stress puts us at risk of mental illness and cognitive decline. Make stress management part of your regular routine to build greater stress resistance. This can be achieved in a variety of ways including listening to music, going for a walk, and practising relaxation techniques including yoga, Pilates or a meditation practice.
Photo by DS stories
Activities that stimulate the brain:
Stretch your mental muscle to avoid brain rust. Choose a new activity to focus your attention on, one you don’t necessarily expect to be good at. Mix it up with plenty of variety; take a photography course, learn a new language or musical instrument or maybe learn origami to build greater cognitive reserve.
Physical exercise for brain power
Exercise is highly neuroprotective and stimulates the release of feel-good hormones, to boost mood and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. It also reduces brain shrinkage that naturally occurs with age! Do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day, or 20 minutes of higher intensity training three times a week.
How sleep affects cognitive function
Sleep deprivation plays havoc with memory, concentration and mood. Getting a full seven to eight hours of good quality uninterrupted sleep is what counts, so watch your caffeine and alcohol intake, switch off your technology 90 minutes before sleep, keep your bedroom cool and dark. If sleep eludes you, a 20-minute power nap in the early afternoon works wonders as a cognitive refresher.
Socialisation slows cognitive decline
We are social creatures, hard wired to connect. Social isolation and loneliness diminishes brains, so look for opportunities to interact with others. Keep in touch with your friends, see your family often and get out to make new friends and stay curious to what is around you.
Smiling make strong minds
Our emotions are infectious. Spreading positivity germs boosts your mood, reduces stress and contributes to your overall level of happiness.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich
“Following a healthy brain lifestyle is all about choice” Dr Jenny says. “While there can be no guarantee against cognitive decline or dementia, there is much we can all do at any age to preserve better brain health and function, and the earlier we start the better.”
Dr. Jenny Brockis is a medical practitioner who specialises in brain health and high performance thinking. Visit www.drjennybrockis.com to learn more.
Should You Be Recommending Acupressure Mats to Clients?
If you’ve been training clients for more than a few months, you’ve had the conversation: someone mentions they’ve started using a “spike mat” for their back, or they saw one on a mate’s Instagram story, and they want to know if it’s worth trying, or whether you’d recommend one yourself. Acupressure mats (also called spike
Snack Smart on the Snow: Why Pistachios Are a Winner for Active Clients
The Aussie ski season is underway across the Snowy Mountains, Falls Creek, and Mt Buller. If your clients are heading to the slopes, there’s a good chance their nutrition plan goes out the window the moment they hit the mountain. As a fitness professional, this is actually a great opportunity to have a simple, practical
Building Confidence and Calm Through Menopause-Informed Training
Written by Mish Wright When most people think of menopause, they picture hot flushes, night sweats, and maybe a few extra kilos around the middle. But what often gets left out of the conversation are the emotional and psychological shifts. Anxiety, irritability, low confidence, and mood swings are also a direct result of hormonal changes
Why HYROX Training Is Reshaping the Australian Fitness Industry
More than 1.5 million people globally now compete in HYROX annually. In Australia, the race-style fitness format has moved well past early adopter status and into the mainstream, and the business of fitness is starting to reflect that shift in a serious way. Virgin Active Australia’s recently launched HYROX partnership gives the industry one of
How Smart Gym Owners Are Turning the HYROX Boom Into a Retention Engine
The Les Mills x HYROX partnership isn’t just big news for the fitness industry. For gym owners and fitness professionals across Australia, it’s a ready-made solution to one of the hardest problems in the business: keeping members engaged long enough to stay. Walk the floor of almost any commercial gym in Australia right now and
Fitesque: The New Dance Fitness Licensing Opportunity for Australian Studios
Walk into almost any fitness studio in Australia right now and you’ll find a familiar lineup: HIIT, reformer Pilates, yoga, and cycle. All solid. All proven. And all increasingly indistinguishable from the studio down the road. For studio owners and independent instructors, the challenge isn’t attracting fitness enthusiasts – it’s attracting people who have quietly