7 Essential Secrets to Longevity

Just as physical exercise makes your body fit, mental exercise helps your brain stay alert especially when you grow older.

A recent study published in “Psychological Medicine” highlighted the fact that the risk of dementia is lowered by 46 percent for individuals who have high mental stimulation. Mental stimulation also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other mental ailments by nearly half.

If you wish to have your mental faculties functioning at optimal levels well into your old age, try out these useful exercises that help your brains in achieving high mental stimulation:

1. Play Brain Teasers

Keep Your Brain Healthy by Playing Crosswords

Games such as jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, crossword puzzles as well as electronic games are excellent for improving your mental faculties. Not only will these games help you improve your memory but they will also help you stay alert.

2. Diet: Consume Healthy Fats

Eat Walnuts: Rich in Healthy Fats

You need to provide your brain with a regular supply of healthy fats. Some food products which contain such healthy fats include walnuts and fish oil from wild salmon. Fish oils are a major source of omega-3 fatty acids. These are useful for everything from cardiovascular health to brain protection. Also make it a point to eliminate Tran’s fats (a type of unsaturated fat) completely from your diet while increasing the intake of less saturated fat.

3. Learn a New Skill

Learn how to dance to sharpen your brain!

Learning a new skill is an excellent way of staying mentally alert. It will not only give your brain a much needed workout but will also keep your mind sharp. Go ahead and learn a new sport such as tennis or maybe an activity like fishing. A very good idea is to learn something you have never done before. For e.g.: If you enjoy dancing then go ahead and sign up for salsa lessons. Not only will you stay fit, but you will also have a whole lot of fun. Remember that when you learn something new, multiple areas of brain become active.

4. Meditate

Meditate to Rejuvenate Your Mind

Meditation is one of the best exercises that can rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. It helps your mind stay calm and thereby makes it more alert. It is an excellent practice, especially if you want to enjoy a long, healthy and stress-free life. There are various types of meditations that you can choose from. Choose a type that you are comfortable with and which you can easily practice.

5. Enjoy Outdoor Activities

Let Nature Relax Your Brain

A good way to spend some quality time with your family would be to go outdoors for a picnic or to the beach. Spending time in a place of natural beauty is far better than catching the latest flick on television. Nature has its own way of relaxing your mind. So whenever you do get an opportunity, do visit that spot you always wanted to visit.

Related article: Five Quick Ways to
Supercharge Your Memory

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Mental Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.