In my first blog I wrote about the importance of “using it before we lose it”. I’d like to expand a bit more on this so that you can understand that the power to slow down the aging of our brain is easier than you think.
Approximately 20 years ago scientists thought that the brain was hard-wired. They believed the brain we were born with is the brain we will have for the rest of our lives. Neuroscientists around the world, together with advancements in neuro-imaging studies like fMRI’s, showed us that the brain is constantly changing. It is not static and we are in control!
Our brain reacts to what stimulates it. It is constantly analyzing our environment through all of our senses in milliseconds!. Truly the fastest computer on the planet is in our head! As it’s doing this it's looking to make connections to other areas of the brain so that they can “fire together”. When they fire together quickly and in synchrony we have a learned skill or behavior. When they fire poorly; the skill is weak or behavior is faulty. For example a person who is not a good reader has neurons that don't fire well together with other areas of the brain necessary for this skill to be proficient. If you are a good reader then you have fast acting neural connections! This is how a skill is formed and once a skill is learned it is learned for life. That's any skill! It can’t be unlearned. Isn't that amazing?!
So why am I talking about this? Well our brains begin to shrink once we slow down our learning. In other words, when formal education ends. Let's think about it. When we went to school we had formal education 6 hours per day, 5 days a week for years! Once we graduated and learned how to perform at our jobs, well that was pretty much the end of our learning. Yes we learn something new everyday but it's not enough for the poor brain that is craving that stimulation! So it begins shrinking. Shrinking brain means neurons that are dying off. Stress is another killer of neurons but we will talk about that in another blog. For now it's important to know that our brains begin to shrink in our 20’s and the shrinking picks up speed once we hit our 60’s. Every day we lose more and more grey matter!
Ok so it's not all doom and gloom and that's why I'm writing this blog. You need to know how to slow down the aging process. As neurons die we need to have a arsenal of new ones being built! We call that cognitive reserve. It's like having a back-up generator for when we lose power in our homes.
Remember the brain is in a constant state of readiness for new information. It’s not true you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! In fact it’s vital for our brain health to keep learning and stimulating the brain no matter what your age! If 90+ year-olds can learn a new craft or card game to build new neurons so can you!
I'm going to provide you with a short list of my favorite activities below. Just remember, you are never too old to learn!
Be social! The more diverse your friends the more stimulating the conversation and the more you will learn!
Relax! Today there is no excuse not to find a way to wind down and alleviate your stress. We have apps galore, YouTube videos, yoga, meditation and more. Stress kills neurons so we need to get the stress in our lives under control. Learn how "belly breathing" or "Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique!
Eat healthy. Ok I don't need to say it but I will. If you feed your body junk well your also feeding your brain junk. It's difficult to work optimally when it's trying to manage all the sugar and salt flowing throughout your vascular system.
Exercise If you know me and if you don't now I hope you will soon, I hate to exercise. That's why I'm telling you if you are anything like me, just do anything that gets your body moving! Dance! Stretch, Walk.
Brain Exercise. Ok I will say it again; Stimualate your brain! It's nice to be comfortable but that lends itself to being too set in your ways. Get out of your comfort zone. I hate traveling long distances by car but I push myself to do it anyway. We all hate changes to our normal daily routine. It "throws us off". But you need to greet these changes as an opportunity for growth. Read to learn!! Learn a new game. Learn a new skill. Learn to dance, sing, play an instrument. Take up a hobby that interests you to obsession. Dive in and excite your brain!
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