Most of us worry that as we age, we’ll lose some of our cognitive ability. Our memory and ability to problem solve greatly impacts our functionality, not only throughout our lives, but into our golden years as well. But did you know there are things we can do to help keep our brains active and healthy as we age?
4 Habits that benefit cognitive health
Eat “brain food”
As we know, a healthy diet can help to prevent a multitude of conditions and unhealthy situations. There are foods that actually help our brain to function at it’s best:
- Green vegetables, the greener the better!
- Fatty fish, such as salmon, bluefin tuna and sardines
- Tea and coffee (yes, you read that right)
- Berries
Challenge your brain
One of the things that deeply affects cognitive health is “brain use”. Humans’ ability to learn and grow is often highly used as we’re younger, but as we age, we become more and more dependent on our knowledge of thr world and less challenged to leanr new things.
Here are some fun ways to challenge your brain and strengthen cognitive ability:
- Learn a language. Using fun applications on your phone like DuoLingo can be helpful
- Play word or board games or put together puzzles (read 5 Excellent Benefits of Puzzling for the Older Mind for more details)
- When watching television, choose educational programs more often than not. Learning about animal behavior or a new archeological discovery helps keep our brains active
- Take up and desire to master a new hobby. When the desire is strong, you’ll want to learn as much as possible about your new passion
Get physical
I know, you’re wondering how being physical can improve your cognitive function. Studies have shown that being physically active can imporve motor skills. Motor skills have been linked to brain function. If one is able to improve motor skills through physical activity, then cognitive function follows.
Be open
This sounds vague, but it works. Having a perspective of being open to the world around you means that you are constantly learning. Learning new perspectives, going to new places, meeting new people, having new experiences and doing new activities are all slightly mentally challenging.
These are the activities that “work” the neural pathways of the brain and help to improve our congitive health.
Wrap Up
Improving mental clarity and cognitive function doesn’t have to be hard. Just remember that if you’re learning, then it’s helping your brain to be it’s best. Whether it’s driving to a new part of town or doing a fun activity that you’ve never done before, any kind of “learning” helps to enhance and improve our brain health.
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Do you have questions about how you can better support your loved one while they age in place in South Florida or regarding homecare in general? Please contact CareGivers of America here: Contact or call us toll free: 800-342-4197
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