Challenge: Mental Fitness
Here are some excerpts from several articles in Fitness magazine by Maura Kelly, all about keeping your brain in top form. It’s all about knowing the right moves, from foods that feed your mind to habits that will stimulate your neural connections, increasing vital learning and memory skills.
1. Exercise Your Mind
To be at your sharpest, hit the ground running. “A challenging exercise regimen increases blood flow and oxygen throughout our bodies and activates growth-stimulating hormones in the brain that help form new cells there,” Dr. Hogan says. No wonder a recent study found that fitness buffs have a larger hippocampus — the region of the brain that plays a crucial role in learning and memory — than couch potatoes do. Active people may even be smarter: Exercise makes tough mental tasks, such as plotting strategy, easier to do by forging new connections between our brain cells, says Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, an assistant psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh and coauthor of the study.
Working out also helps reverse the effects of chronic stress, which may hurt your brain. “When we’re under constant pressure, our bodies become flooded with cortisol, a stress hormone that changes the structure of the brain, shrinks the size of the hippocampus, and hinders our ability to learn and remember,” says Raj Shah, MD, medical director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Exercise appears to lower cortisol levels and “rebuild” mental muscle by revving up the process that generates new cells and neurons. “In addition, physical activity may produce endorphins and other natural chemicals that calm us down and help us focus,” Dr. Shah explains.2. Consistently Fuel the Fire
Food is the fuel that keeps your brain running, but noshing on the right stuff is key. “You need a huge variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for maximum brain health,” says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and physiological science at UCLA. That means piling your plate with as many different fruits and vegetables as you can every day, including “berries and apples, because they contain a lot of vitamin C and flavonoids, both of which are powerful antioxidants that keep your brain cells in prime condition,” Gomez-Pinilla says. Broccoli and spinach have more vitamins A, C, and E than most other veggies do. And fish is crucial because it’s chock-full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which keep the membranes of brain cells strong. Be sure to eat every few hours to regulate your blood sugar. If it gets too low, you won’t be able to think straight.
Foods that Promote Sharp Thinking:
PROTEIN: Provides a steady supply of energy, helping your brain stay charged all morning. Protein also increases levels of epinephrine and dopamine, two chemicals that make you more alert.
- Tuna, salmon, mackerel, walnuts = full of omega-3s, which reduce inflammation and allow the brain to function properly
- Nonfat plain yogurt
CARBS: Provide a dose of glucose, which gets you going.
- Colorful fruits and vegetables = contain an array of brain-boosting antioxidants and nutrients
- Spinach and other dark green veggies = Loaded with vitamin E, which helps neutralize the free radicals in your body that damage brain
- Whole-grain cereal, like Grape-Nuts or Kashi GoLean
- Blueberries, strawberries, apples = Potent antioxidants that have been shown to spur brain-cell production and help improve memory
OTHER:
- Coffee = Caffeine, a stimulant, speeds up your brain and can boost memory and reasoning
- Green tea = Rich in flavonoids, which improve mental performance
3. Develop healthy mental habits
For optimal brain performance, get plenty of sleep. When participating in potentially dangerous sports, always wear a helmet. Focusing on one thing at a time rather than multitasking will increase your capacity to learn and remember. Provide your brain with mental challenges every day, like doing crossword puzzles, solving logic problems, or reading nonfiction, for instance. Finally, don’t smoke — or if you do smoke, quit — so that your brain receives a consistently sufficient flow of blood. These healthy habits will allow your brain to demonstrate peak performance!
