Brain Maintenance 101

I’ve recently read a good article by Alvaro Fernandez of SharpBrains fame about the importance of starting brain maintenance earlier rather than later. 

Mr. Fernandez goes on to state that “In my view, not enough young and middle-aged peo­ple are ben­e­fit­ing from this emerg­ing research, since it has been per­ceived as some­thing ‘for seniors.’ Granted, there are still many unknowns in the world of brain fit­ness and cog­ni­tive train­ing, we need more research, bet­ter assess­ments and tools. But, this does not mean we can­not start car­ing for our brains today.

OK, so what how best care for our brains?

His list is pretty straight-forward: “Focus on four pillars of brain health: physical exercise, a balanced diet, stress management, and brain exercise. Stress management is important since stress has been shown to actually kill neurons and reduce the rate of creation of new ones. Brain exercises range from low tech (i.e. meditation, mastering new complex skills, lifelong learning and engagement) to high-tech (i.e. using the growing number of brain fitness software programs).”

Here’s a link to the full article: http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/01/11/it-is-not-only-cars-that-deserve-good-maintenance-brain-care-101/