I ran across this article recently, as I was looking for something else. I wrote it as I was researching the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Women. (yet another reason I am so committed to exercise--I need all the mental fitness I can get these days).
Need a problem solved? Work out for 25 minutes! Physical exercise may be as healthy for your mind as it is for your body. This was the finding of a 1997 study at Middlesex University in England; participants scored higher on a creativity test after a 25-minute aerobic workout. Physiological changes in our bodies, enhanced by exercise, such as increases in metabolism, cardiac activity and oxygen flow to the brain heighten our creativity and memory. It's physical exercise that paves the way to mental relaxation by clearing our minds, letting our creative thoughts flow more freely.
Use It or Lose It
The advice we follow for physical exercise is also true for mental exercise. Mental exercises help strengthen mental acuity and have beneficial effects for everyone. The decline in specific mental abilities associated with aging--memory loss, problem-solving blocks or sluggish thinking--are not inevitable as you age. Using your brain to learn a new language, solve crossword puzzles, master a hobby or engage in a friendly debate stimulates blood flow and strengthens nerve cell connections in the brain. Memorizing techniques encourage the brain to work more efficiently and may reduce age-related memory loss. The Memory Clinic at UCLA recommends trying to visualize a picture in your mind to help you remember a person’s name or a street name. Or instead of trying to verbally remember, write it down and study it for a few minutes. (this writing down technique has been very helpful, sometimes we all just have too many things on our minds to focus)
Create a Mentally Fit Lifestyle
To keep your mental skills sharp:
1. Involve yourself in an organization, club or friendship that gets you out and interacting with others.
2. Overcome monotony in your life. Monotony generates mental and emotional lethargy and resignation.
3. Try something new. Take a class on a topic you’ve always been interested in, start a new hobby, sign up to learn a skill or craft, learn a language, meet and interact with different people.
4. Have daily interactions and talk to others to keep up with the world around you.
5. Find an exercise that works for you. Take a brisk walk outside or dance to a favorite song. It’s never too late to start exercising, and reap the benefits from it. If your muscles are not used, you lose them.
6. Volunteer to help someone in need; it in turn may add to your own healthy self-esteem and bright outlook.
Some healthy lifestyle behaviors that also play a role in mental acuity:
- Eating foods rich in antioxidants (Vitamins C and E and beta-carotene) and B vitamins may enhance memory
- Eating fish may slow the deterioration of brain function with age.
- Getting enough sleep has been shown to help memory and concentration.
- Gum chewing has been linked to better performance on memory tests.
Here, a note from Dr. Rita Redberg, cardiologist and co-author of Betty Crocker Cookbook for Women
Memory Worries?
If you’re like most women, you’ll experience some forgetfulness from time to time. Not to worry. Some lapses in memory are inevitable as we age. If it starts to disrupt your family life, it’s time to talk to your doctor. Also review any medications you take with your doctor. Some combinations may affect memory, and switching to a different dose or drug may take care of the problem. Simply modifying your diet and making sure you are getting enough sleep may also help.