Part 2 – Taking charge of your brain health
In Part 1 you read about the risk factors for dementia. Now here's the thing, it's not all out of our control. Yeah, age plays a big role, but guess what? The way we live our lives can also tip the scales when it comes to our chances of getting dementia. I am not an expert on dementia but I am a health and wellbeing coach (and I have a personal interest in reducing the risk), so if you’re interested in some lifestyle stuff that can mess with our brain health and how we can do something about it, please read below.
Please bear in mind whilst reading this that what is good for your brain is good for your heart and vice versa, so a few positive lifestyle tweaks are a double-whammy:
1. Get Moving, even if it's just a little Okay, so I get it. Not everyone's a gym bunny, and that's totally fine. However, our brains love it when we give our bodies a little exercise. Walking, swimming, even dancing around your living room – it all counts. Regular movement gets our blood flowing and helps our brain grow new cells. So do yourself a favour and get up and get moving, even if it's just a little bit each day.
2. Eat Good Stuff, Your Brain Will Thank You Look, I know that greasy burger or sugary treat can be tempting but think about what it's doing to your brain. Eating too much junk can mess with your brain's mojo leading to stuff like cognitive problems. What's better? Filling up on things like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats (like the ones in fish). A good diet isn't just for your waistline – it's a real boost for your brain. I’m not saying you have to eat perfectly at EVERY meal but a few little tweaks to your usual choice can make a huge difference. Say that you regularly eat a burger in a bun with fries and a milkshake? To make the meal a bit more brain and heart healthy you could have the burger with only half the bun and cut the milkshake to start with, and then, maybe when you have adjusted to that change you could cut out the fries.
3. Watch out for the Smoking and Drinking Neither nicotine nor alcohol are good for your brain. Let's be honest, knocking back drinks like there's no tomorrow isn't great either for our brain, our liver or our skin. Likewise, we all know that cigarettes have an effect on our lungs and our skin. As well as that, smoking limits blood flow to your brain, and too much alcohol can mess up your brain cells. Cutting down on these habits can seriously lower your risk of brain troubles down the line.
4. Heart and Brain – Besties Forever As I said, if we're nice to our heart, our brain is happy too and vice versa. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes – they're like the villains in this story. They mess up our blood vessels, including the ones in our brain. So, let's show our heart some love by eating better and staying active. It's like a win-win for our whole body.
5. Keep Your Brain Active You know those brain-teaser games you see? They're not just for fun (though they are fun). They actually keep your brain in shape. Research has shown that reading, puzzles, learning new stuff helps build up your brain muscles. And, just like going to the gym, the more you work out your brain, the better it'll be at fighting off things like memory problems. Although playing 'brain games' such as Sudoku may not prevent dementia, it has been shown that regularly challenging yourself mentally seems to build up the brain's ability to cope with disease. Not only that but taking time out to play those games helps us to switch off and clear our minds from other things that maybe cluttering them. It gives our brains a time to de-stress and focus on just one thing.
6. Friends and Fun – Good for Your Brain Believe it or not, hanging out with friends and having a good time is like a secret weapon against dementia. When we're social and connected, our brain gets all pumped up. Having great conversations, laughing, feeling connected are important. Never under-estimate the effect of positive social contact on our brain and our mental well-being.
7. Snooze Your Way to Brain Bliss Sleep is incredibly important for our brain health. When we sleep, our brains do important things like helping us remember things better, organising information, and refreshing our brain cells. This makes our thinking, problem-solving, and creativity better. Sleep also helps clean waste from the brain, which might lower the chances of brain diseases. It's like a reset button for the brain, helping it stay sharp and work well. It’s not all about the amount of time spent sleeping but the quality of your sleep too. Having a sleep routine and ensuring you get enough good sleep is very important.
In summary, we can't control time or alter our DNA, but we do have the power to manage the choices that impact our brain health. We can take action by including some movement, improving our diet, reducing stress, nurturing our relationships with friends and family, engaging our minds, socialising, and ensuring we get good sleep. By doing so, both your brain and heart will be your greatest supporters!
If you are interested in addressing any of these lifestyle issues and would like to navigate your way to better brain and heart health, please reach out to me. I offer 1-2-1 coaching sessions on-line or, if you are in Paphos face-to-face coaching sessions.
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