Does a Brain Good

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

15 Mar 2006 08:00 AM

I've talked about this before, but there's a new study that was released by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (try saying that five times fast) that states older Americans may be able to improve their memory through physical fitness, stress reduction and healthy eating.

It's more than just physical exercise though; mental exercise can help stimulate creative and mental functions as well. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, but an exercised mind is a strong and flexible one.

Some great ways to do your brain good include:

• Brainteasers
• Crossword Puzzles
• Memory Exercises
• Word games

You should increase your physical exercise to include brisk daily walking and stretching. Try for a minimum of 30 minutes per day and eat a healthy diet. Long-life starts now and by eating healthy, exercising regularly and strengthening the brain, it can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

It's interesting to realize that your memory can be trained. You can exercise it. You can flex it. You can make it better and stronger. A friend of mine is working on his memory - he complains regularly that his memory is terrible, but he's been doing more puzzles lately and working on brainteasers.

There's been some measurable improvement in his memory - and if he keeps it up, hopefully it will continue. We can control our brains. We can make them better and improve our memories. It is possible through small, simple lifestyle changes to achieve improved memory, stronger minds and healthier bodies.

If we can live such long lives, let's make those most of all of our years and not just the younger ones.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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