HOW TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN HEALTHY AS YOU AGE

It's never too early or too late to begin thinking about healthy aging. Taking specific steps can reduce the risk of cognitive decline, support brain health and promote overall health even as you age. Learn about healthy aging and how brain health nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle changes may benefit you.

WHAT IS HEALTHY AGING?

Healthy aging is the term for preventive steps to lower the likelihood of premature aging and to help ensure that your actual age matches your brain and biological age. No one can escape aging, but lifestyle choices and your environment can potentially accelerate the aging process, negatively impacting your physical and cognitive health. The focus of healthy aging is to identify and mitigate potential risk factors.

HOW TO SUPPORT HEALTHY AGING

The following are all things that you can do to support physical and brain health as you age:

CULTIVATE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Surprisingly, research indicates that loneliness and isolation may accelerate cognitive decline and play a role in Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It's possible that your brain requires stimulation from social interactions or that spending time with others makes you more likely to engage in healthy habits such as exercising and eating well. Whatever the reason for the benefits, science shows that fostering friendships with others and connections with family members may aid in brain health.

STICK TO A HEALTHY DIET

What you eat every day significantly impacts your physical and cognitive health. Experts generally recommend eating a well-balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, dairy products, and healthy fats in moderation. Eating a wide variety of foods and avoiding refined sugars and processed foods will also benefit your brain and body. In addition, practicing reasonable portion control can aid in weight control to contribute to overall health.

LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Overall, making choices that allow you to live a healthy lifestyle can support healthy aging. Some aspects of a healthy lifestyle include:

• Staying hydrated by drinking water
• Increasing your physical activity to at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and two to three strength-training sessions per week
• Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night
• Quitting smoking
• Keeping up with vaccination, medical screening tests, and doctor's checkups
• Stress Management

REDUCE STRESS

Stress can cloud your thinking and has been shown to contribute to heart disease and other medical conditions. While it may not be possible to avoid stress completely, you can control how you manage it. Some ways to combat stress include:

• Taking breaks during your workday
• Practicing deep breathing techniques
• Trying mindfulness or meditation
• Engaging in yoga or tai chi
• Talking to a therapist about relationship problems, work issues, and other stressors
• Saying no to extra responsibilities and social obligations
• Using paid time off and vacation time at work
• Limiting social media use when it causes stress

TRY NEUROPLASTICITY TRAINING

Neuroplasticity training may help encourage the formation of new connections in the brain to support cognitive function. Training can include things like:

• Learning a new language
• Expanding your English vocabulary by learning new words
• Doing creative activities like writing, painting, or drawing
• Taking classes in subjects that interest you
• Starting a new hobby
• Completing crossword, sudoku, word search, and other puzzles
• Putting together jigsaw puzzles and building kits for adults
• Playing a musical instrument or listening to music
• Trying to do things with your non-dominant hand
• Acquiring a new physical skill, such as learning a new sport, practicing jump rope, or teaching yourself how to juggle
• Solving riddles, word problems, and other problems
• Challenging someone in a strategy game like chess

EXPLORE BRAIN HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS

Brain health supplements may help support healthy aging by enhancing mental clarity and focus. EXEED Mind contains a blend of some of the best supplements for brain health to simplify brain nutrition. The capsules include:

• Memophenol, a proprietary blend of whole grape and blueberry extracts that supplies the body with antioxidants that may fight the effects of free radicals capable of damaging brain cells and hastening cognitive decline
• InnovaTea caffeine, naturally-derived caffeine from tea leaves that may increase energy levels by stimulating the nervous system
• Arjuna extract, an Ayurvedic herb that may support blood flow to the brain
• Cocoa bean extract standardized to contain 8% theobromine, a natural substance that may combat fatigue and increase mental clarity by aiding in circulation to the brain