It’s the end of the year, and I’m sure many people are starting to put down on paper their New Year resolutions list. Most people are probably putting something down on their list that has to with physical fitness, like losing weight or starting up a regular exercise program. In terms of brain health, good physical fitness is good for the brain. In fact, studies have shown that physical exercise can help reverse brain decline as we age. But physical fitness is only one aspect of overall brain fitness.
So, what does brain fitness actually mean, anyway? Well, I recently came across a great definition for brain fitness over at Mind Tweaks. It goes as follows:
Brain Fitness is: 1. A state of general good health and well being of the brain 2. The ability to perform specific mental tasks and functions at normal or above skill levels.
Just what kind of things can you do to enhance your brain fitness level next year? Educator Alvaro Fernandez boils it all down to 4 main items, or The 4 Pillars of Brain Health, as he likes to call them.
They are:
- Mental exercise
- Physical exercise
- Nutrition
- Stress management
Expanding upon these 4 pillars a bit, we might include things such as:
- Regularly play a variety of good brain games
- Eating brain healthy foods
- Spending more time with others
- Reducing stress
- Getting enough rest
- Learning a new language
- Taking a course on something new to you
- Learning to juggle (yes, it’s true)
- Learning to meditate
- Enhancing your spiritual life
- Regular physical exercise
This list is really just a short list of the many, many things you could do next year to enhance your brain fitness.
So by all means, put something down on our New Years resolution list that has to do with enhancing your physical fitness (pillar #2). But in addition, why not include something from pillars #1, 3 or 4? If you do, you’ll be improving both your body AND your mind!
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
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Thanks, this seems like great advice. Out of the list I immediately picked up learning to juggle as I’ve made some progress with other things listed. So here you go http://www.pledgehammer.com/andrus/learn-to-juggle
Just out of curiosity – why is juggling good for brain health?
Andrus’s last blog post..Welcome Pledgehammer
Good question Andrus! The references I can dig up only site that the participants in the study had a measurable increase in brain size (grew matter) as a result of learning juggling. The areas of the brain that grew were the areas associated with motor visual processing – I assume due to the demand of learning the new skill of juggling. Challenging our brains with something new like this causes our brains to respond by growth of new brain cells and brain connections. This is a relatively new discovery which has been termed “brain plasticity”. Have fun with your juggling!!
Hi Andrus:
Just started following you on twitter. Came over to visit your blog. Great site. I am a Sudoku fanatic. I play at least 3 times a day on my cell phone. I’m looking forward to checking out some of the other games you recommend.
Blessings,
tim milburn
http://www.studentlinc.net
tim’s last blog post..Figuring Out The Benefits Of Twitter
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the follow on twitter!
Actually, my name is Gary
I am the creator and author of the online brain games blog site.
I love to play brain games as well.. I hope you enjoy this site.
Looking forward to following you on twitter too!
Gary (Admin)
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A healthy body cannot exist without a healthy mind and vice versa…
I am in particular agreement with the Spiritual/Meditation aspect of your list. After meditating the body actually feels healthier. Its truly amazing.
One of the great things about maintaining a healthy brain is that they are the exact things that you need to maintain a healthy body. Brain and body work together to stay healthy. These are all great ideas. Thank you so much for this information!