Show me your brain muscle!!!
Cognitive fitness is a state of optimized ability to reason, remember, learn, plan, and adapt, it is measurably based on the brain alertness. Cognitive fitness goes far beyond just memory. It also centers on thinking, learning, recognition, and sound decision-making. Contrary to earlier opinion of scientists, that the health of the brain is just the product of childhood experiences and genetics, neuroscientific research has recently shown that the health of the brain also reflects your adult choices and experiences as well.
Fortunately, by the age of 40(or even younger), genes that are associated with learning and neuroplasticity tend to shut down. And by the time we reach the age of 65 or older, the chemicals in our brain begin to make dramatic changes, such as decreases in serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate, all which are important for healthy brain functioning. The grey matter in our brains also begins to thin.
So, you can strengthen your brain’s anatomy, neural networks, and cognitive abilities, and prevent functions such as memory from deteriorating as you age. Certain attitudes, lifestyle choices, and exercises enhance cognitive fitness. Mental workouts are the key.
Acquiring expertise in diverse areas expands your neural systems and makes them more communicative. In other words, you can alter the physical makeup of your brain by learning new skills. The more cognitively fit you are, the better equipped you are to make decisions, solve problems, and deal with stress and change. You can delay senescence for years.
Cognitive fitness is the bedrock of a rewarding and self-sufficient life.
As publish in Harvard medical school; there are 6 steps to enhance your cognitive fitness which include;
STEP 1: Focus on foods linked to better brainpower — including the specific fruits and veggies most likely to protect against dementia. Omega-3 fatty acids in particular have shown to be associated with improved mood and cognition. You can find a lot of Omega-3 in grass-fed meat, eggs, fish, and nuts. Another important feature of a healthy diet is protective antioxidants, which can be found in many fruits, vegetables, and green tea. Blueberries and strawberries. Protein also play key role in neurodevelopment. see
STEP 2: Regular exercise: This will increase energy flow to the brain and nerve cells, improving cell-cell communication within the nerves. Exercise may even help clear away plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
STEP 3: Sleep — and the sleep stage that’s most important for memory. Structural and physiological changes that occur in the brain during sleep affect capacity for new learning, as well as the strength of memories formed during the day. Sleep promotes the consolidation of experiences and ideas; it plays a pivotal role in memory.
specific sleep stages are associated with different types of learning: During REM there is increased activity in limbic structures involved in memory and emotional regulation
STEP 4: Manage stress: People with high amounts of stress are more likely to suffer from cognitive problems than those who are free of stress. While medications can reduce the symptoms of stress, they do not cure the problem. Also run away from depression, if you are depressed, get counsel to solve it. Don’t skip it alone by taking drugs, avoid the cause.
STEP 5: Stay socially active — it may help delay dementia:
Watch: Watching TV is cognitively enriching when it takes effort to understand what you’re watching, or sparks questions, ideas or “aha” moments.
Take up a new hobby: Read books, talk to experts, take classes, attend conferences or join organizations related to your hobby. All of this learning activity develops new connections between neurons, which helps offset cell loss due to aging or disease.
Visit museums, zoos, and historical sites: To get the most out of the visit from a cognitive standpoint, don’t be a passive visitor. Read the signage next to the exhibits, try to repeat the key information to yourself.
Call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Join an online community, message board, or social network.
Find a “Meetup group” of interest at Meetup.com.
STEP 6: Challenge your brain with everything from puzzles and board games to music and travel
STEP 6: Challenge your brain with everything from puzzles and board games to music and travel
Puzzle: Puzzles are an outstanding way to build new connections in the brain. Switching from a puzzle that’s easy to a more difficult or unfamiliar type stimulates new brain activity.
Play board games and card games: Games that involve strategy are excellent for the brain, such as Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — all available in digital form as well.
Since certain regions of the adult brain can generate new synapses; see. You can be many years younger than your chronological age by making certain lifestyle choices, as stated above. By and large, at whatever point we learn something new, partake in new activities, or extensively think about another concept, the brain will rewire itself in response.