3 Crazy Myths About the Aging Brain and a Few Legitimate Concerns

When you think about using diet and exercise to stay fit and healthy after 60, how many of those thoughts go into a fitness plan for your brain? Yes, in spite of what you’ve heard, diet and mental exercise can improve your aging brain! In today’s video, Dr. Sarah Brewer presents ways to counteract the myths about what getting older inevitably does to your brain – and how to tell when you really do need help. Brain Myth # 1: Your Brain Can’t Change after 60 This myth overlooks the fact that even when you’re asleep, your brain is awake and busily cleaning house. Dr. Sarah explains how it clears out any unused connections to make room for new ones. Every time you exercise your brain with a new task, it builds connections. Read a book on an unfamiliar topic. Study a new language. Take classes to broaden your horizons. Sit down with a crossword puzzle. Or entertain yourself with our online games ! All these things will challenge your brain. And a mentally stimulated brain is constantly creating pathways. Myth #2: Memory in Older Women Must Fail Many of us have walked from one room to another and not remembered why. But is this a sign that we’re headed for catastrophic memory loss? Not at all, says Dr. Sarah. Specific brain-friendly foods and supplements can actually strengthen memory in older women. Her favorite suggestions? Leafy Greens Popeye was right! Eating your spinach – or kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other green vegetables – boosts your brain function. They’re loaded with chlorophyll, Vitamin K and a range of B vitamins. But their real power comes from nitrates. Your body converts nitrates to circulation-boosting nitrites that flood your brain with those nutrients and oxygen too! For maximum nutrition and absorption, […]

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