Wellness, Exercising, and the Brain

As we get older, our bodies change in many ways, affecting how we experience life. We can see how our muscles change over time, but we often forget our brain is a muscle working one of the most valuable skills we need to preserve our independent capabilities and relationships: our memory. Read on for everyday wellness tips that affect your memory and brain health.

The Importance of Memory

Memory is one of many skills our brain knows how to work, but why is it so important to keep that skill active? Our memories are essential to maintaining an independent life as they preserve knowledge to help us manage the functions of day-to-day tasks, ambitions, and relationships.

There are a number of choices we can make every day that affect our brain health, just as there are many ways to keep our bodies healthy. The best part is that most of these choices also positively affect other aspects of our lives to keep us healthy and happy, like our physical health, relationships, and sense of purpose.

Luckily, your brain can produce new brain cells at all ages, so memory loss does not have to come with age. However, the brain is a muscle just like any other and if you don’t exercise it regularly, the strength will wane. Your lifestyle habits play an enormous role in your health as you age, especially in regard to memory. Whatever your age, you can help prevent memory loss, which can happen through:

• The hippocampus, which is responsible for forming and retrieving memories, often becomes damaged over time.
• Hormones that stimulate neural growth decline with age.
• Blood flow to the brain decreases with age.

Brain-healthy Diet

The brain requires a daily supply of nutrients to function properly, and what you eat affects how your brain works. Here are the foods to incorporate in your brain-healthy diet:

• Antioxidants found in green tea, cocoa, and red wine
• Beans and nuts
• Folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 found in eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and whole grains
• Fruits and vegetables
• Omega 3 fish oils found in fatty fish like salmon
• Less sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, oil, and red meat
• Whole grain bread and cereal

Good Routines

Having a regular daily routine, including when you wake up, eat, take care of tasks, and go to sleep, is important for your brain to find familiarity and structure. Sleep also plays an important role in many cognitive functions like emotional management and memory consolidation, the mental process of organizing memories for later recall.

Physical Activity

Exercise improves memory by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that aids in learning and memory. In this way, using your muscles can improve your mind. Exercise also increases the connection between brain cells, called synapses, resulting in a more adaptive brain that processes information faster. If you’re looking for a form of exercise that helps your brain and body, give swimming a try! Swimming relieves stress, elevates your mood, and improves your mental health, sleep, immune response, cognitive response, and memory.

Maintain Good Health

Having high blood pressure increases your risk of cognitive problems later in life. Exercise and diet can help keep your blood pressure in check, but you can talk to your doctor about blood pressure-reducing medications. Limiting your intake of alcohol can also help reduce blood pressure.

You might be surprised to learn that diabetes is a risk factor for dementia. You can help prevent diabetes, and subsequently dementia, by watching your diet, regularly exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. If your blood sugar remains above average, you may need medication to control it. 

Bad cholesterol poses a risk to your arteries and can lead to dementia, so controlling your weight and avoiding tobacco use will take you far in improving your cholesterol levels.

A moderate head injury can increase your risk of cognitive decline, and even injuring your head without sustaining a concussion can still mean diminished function as you age. Protect your brain by preventing falls and wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle.

Social, Emotional, and Mental Wellness

People who displayed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation scored lower on brain health tests, and while not a conclusive indication of memory decline, it can certainly lead to it. Building strong social connections has long been associated with a lower risk of dementia through recall of names and faces and fighting loneliness. Brainy activities like reading, crosswords, or other puzzles stimulate new connections between nerve cells and help the brain generate new cells.

Learn more about your options for memory care with individualized resources based on your needs through our 5-minute survey powered by Roobrik here.

At Life Enriching Communities (LEC), we’re committed to ensuring patrons feel well-equipped to plan their future and age how they wish. Explore more resources on senior living or contact us today to learn more about our legacy of services and programs that bring meaning and purpose to every stage of life.