EXERCISE YOUR MIND

We spend a lot of time worrying and taking care of our physical appearance about our physical appearance, hair, beard, shape, clothes, shoes and our income. Sure we exercise and diet some times, but the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and still, some of us are struggling with obesity. The amount of time we worry about our physical appearance is staggering and I wonder how many of us are disturbed by the performance of our brains and minds. I wonder how much time we spend cultivating our minds making sure our mind stays alert and sharp as we age.

As we age, slow cognitive sets in, we practically walk into a room and forget what we went there to look for, sometimes we forget names of people we just met and sometimes we laugh about it, like it’s a joke saying “I’m getting old” when it’s really not funny.

Initially, people experience confusion and even memory loss which may be mistaken for signs of normal aging when in some cases, it’s signs of Alzheimer’s disease. But by stimulating your mind, you restore clarity, and preserve your memory even down to your youth. So how do we keep the brain young and vibrant while we age?

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SLEEP
You need to get at least 7 hours of sleep every day. Yes, it’s very important that you sleep well, so your brain relaxes. A bad night sleep can affect our moods and brain capabilities and performance. Take your sleep as a priority. Do not deprive your brain of its resting hours.
DIET.
Did you know that our brain is made up of 60% fat?
A healthy diet free from processed food Is essential to brain health and clarity of mind. A diet full of high sugar, high carbohydrates, fatty foods that have been processed, too much junk food, have been shown to affect process of cognitive levels of the brain. Vitamins, essential vitamins obtained from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables are important to a healthy brain. You have to choose good healthy fats that contain omega 6 fatty acids required for good health.
RELAX. As the teenagers would say, take a chill pill. Don’t stress yourself too much, laugh smile and spoil yourself whenever you can. All work and no play make jack a dull boy. You don’t want to be dull do you? Watch some comedy and laugh your heart out, enjoy the breeze, sunshine and keep your brain happy.

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CHALLENGE YOURSELF. Yes, try something difficult and challenging that you don’t do normally or you don’t think is quite easy. Work on word and number puzzles and games that are brain racking (Sudoku, crossword puzzles, chess) Maybe learn a new language. These games challenge your brain and helps keep your mind alert and it also helps you to concentrate on a particular thing so that your attention span becomes longer.
PHYSICAL EXERCISE. Regular exercise keeps the mind young, keeps it healthy and evidence shows that fitter people have bigger brains and better memories. Even brisk walking for 30 minutes a day is beneficial.
LOVE. Yes baby, love and serve others, practice loving kindness especially to difficult people. Feelings of love neutralize shame, walk away when angered and count up to ten after taking a deep breath. This reduces your stress levels and the cortisol levels that run through your blood in a moment of rage.
Serve the world, do some selfless service but don’t take up too much work; Donating to charity, helping out friends and family and being nice to strangers especially elderly.

do math in your head and make a list of groceries in your head and try to recall an hour later.
draw a map from memory after visiting a new place.
challenge your taste buds by trying to define what condiments were used to make a particular food.

learn to look after your brain just as you look after your physical appearance. If you neglect it, it won’t serve you for long. Exercise it like a good muscle and develop it by engaging in tips listed above. You’d eventually find out your mind is not as foggy, your thoughts become as sharp and you easily make good decisions when you try these tips. What have you got to lose?