Aging and Memory Loss: Top Ways To Maintain A Healthy Brain

As we grow older our bodies age slowly on the outside and the inside. Depending on how you take care of yourself, one side might age faster than the other. A perfect example is the brain. It stores everything we learn throughout our lives, and the older we get the harder it is to remember. However, there are certain things we can do that will slow the aging of our brain and the memory loss that accompanies. Below I have listed five things you can do that will help keep your mind sharp and prevent memory loss as you age.

Play Games

Playing games that trigger your memory helps your mind stay in shape. Practicing to remember is like exercise for the mind. Games like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and matching games are all proven to delay brain decline.

Nutrition

Certain nutrients are known to help the brain preserve memory. For example, Omega 3 fatty acids repair our brain cells. You can buy Omega 3 supplements online or eat the foods that they occur in naturally. Foods like oatmeal, brown rice and salmon all contain Omega 3's. Also, vitamin B12 promotes healthy brain function. Good sources are shellfish, beef, and milk products.

Get Enough Sleep

When we sleep our bodies heal and repair at a faster and more efficient rate than when we are awake. Not getting enough rest and having irregular sleeping habits slows this process down and we lose our edge.

Exercise

Working out keeps you looking good on the outside but exercise does even more for us on the inside. By doing cardiovascular exercises such as swimming, running, or cycling and mixing in strength training three to four times a week you will get much-needed oxygen to the brain. This optimizes brain function and performance.

No Smoking & Drinking

Drinking kills your brain cells and studies have shown that cells killed by drinking do not replenish. Furthermore, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol puts you more at risk for developing dementia as compared to those that don't do one or the other.

Memory loss is typically something that naturally occurs as we grow older. By putting forth the effort and taking care of yourself you can lessen and delay the effects of age. However, conditions such as Alzheimer disease and dementia are not something that naturally occur with aging. If you experience any symptoms related to these conditions you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Dementia is treatable and the rate of Alzheimer disease slowed, if treated early.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8411202

How to Become Younger: 6 Tips

Your thoughts, relationships, and eating affect the way you are. When we were younger, we didn't care about taking care of ourselves - but as we got older our bodies changed. We don't have to think of "old age" as the same as our parents. We can change the dynamics! Learn how to jump-start those conditions and flourish! You'll be much better off. You'll want to go places and do things again. Think about how your life will be better!!! Learn how to become younger by changing these 6 interrelated conditions:

Perception

Since your thoughts influence your biology, that means that you have the power to reverse your age by changing the way you view aging. It's the first step to becoming a more vibrant version of yourself. It's very simple - just change your perception!

Young Mind

When you detach from a particular outcome, you open yourself up to the possibility and to the universe. Learn how to focus on the process instead of the outcome. This part is so important - most people just wash over it. And it's so simple.

Healthy Relationships

When your relationships are based on compassion and empathy, your biology responds by releasing of feel-good chemicals. This enables you to not only do what you would like to do, but also free of ailments which would 'punish' you after the fact.

The Mind-Body Connection

Practicing conscious breathing for just a few minutes a day can reduce wear and tear on your body and slow the aging process. Please don't under-estimate this one! Simply breathing a certain way can not only make yourself feel better - but it can also project a calm you can't get anywhere else.

Eating the Right Way

Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and more from the six taste groups. Focus less on restricting what you eat and more on listening to what your body needs. Listening to what your body needs instead of what you taste buds want. They don't have to conflict!

Exercise

Exercise can, and should, become a healthy addiction. Aim to do something active every day, seven days a week. Keep it simple and make it fun!

These 6 steps maybe simple-but following the program will not only extend your life, but it will be so much more quality driven! Isn't that what we all are looking for - Quality?

They are so simple, and you won't believe how you will look and feel. Ready to take on the world like when you were younger!

The six steps may not be that complicated (and there not) - but, the best things in life are the simplest!!!

Adapted from EzineArticles.com/8608236

Nutrition Tips for Better Memory

Do the foods we eat affect our mind and memory? Absolutely certain foods can have a significant impact on health and behavior and affect your mood and concentration skills.

Junk food, for example, including fatty, sugary snacks, triggers pleasure centers in the brain. That's why when bowls of candy or chips are in front of you, it can be hard to stay away.

Think of your brain this way- it only weighs about three pounds - that's a small portion of an adult's body weight, but it consumes about 20 percent of your daily calories. That's a good motivator for having a brain-healthy diet.

Follow these tips to stay on course and boost your brain's fitness:

Memory Boosting Food

In order to memorize and retain new information our brain cells have to make new connections. One way they do this is when we get excited about something or have deep feelings and emotions.

Acetylcholine is the "messenger" that keeps our brain cells on high alert for new information. You'll find acetylcholine in eggs, liver and soybeans. Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower also seem to help improve memory.

On memory tests, researchers have found that people who eat these foods do better than people who do not have these foods on a regular basis.

Concentrate on These Foods

Good concentration skills depend on a steady flow of messages between brain cells. The first step in improving concentration and focus is by eating healthy food at regular intervals throughout the day.

The brain also needs myelin, a fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers so signals can be more easily sent from one brain cell to another. These nerve fibers are like electrical wires in a well-oiled machine.

You can do your part by eating healthier and keeping the "machinery" of your brain in top shape.

A diet that includes myelin includes oily fish, walnuts, pumpkin and flax seeds. So don't skip meals, pack snacks with seeds and nuts and you're on your way to improving your concentration. 

Lift Your Spirits

Our moods, good, bad and everything in between, involve an exchange of electrical "messages" carried by neurotransmitters between the brain cells. One of those transmitters carrying messages to the brain is dopamine. Foods that are sugary and fatty have dopamine which is why we may feel good when we eat these foods. But soon, there is a sharp drop off of feeling good.

A healthier way to feed your brain is with precursor, the molecules that form dopamine. One of those precursors called phenylalanine can be found in food like soybeans, edamame, beets, almonds, eggs, meat and grains.

Chocolate can help boost your spirits because it drives up dopamine, but use it as a pleasurable snack not as a large part of your diet.

More Healthy Eating Tips

Keep an eye on your blood pressure. Even in healthy older adults, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the brain and reduce the brain's oxygen supply. This can result in nerve cells that are damaged, a factor that can impact decision-making and memory.

Instead of eating salty foods, cut back on sodium and eat plenty of fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains.

A healthy diet will help you maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight can have a negative impact on your brain's health regardless of whether you have diabetes or high blood pressure. Lower your intake of sugars and white flour and eat plenty of fiber-rich foods, and use olive and canola oils.

Adapted from EzineArticles.com/8495291

Foods to Eat to Burn Fat and Gain Muscle

Certain foods are better at burning fat and gaining muscle. Here is an in-depth look on the various foods that may or may not help you with achieving your muscle growth and fat loss goals.

Carbohydrate Sources

Processed breakfast cereals are never a good idea. Even flavored oatmeal is not that healthy due to its high sugar content. You are better off going with instant oats and flavoring them with artificial sweetener and fruit, or even better, just fruit. Barley cereal is also a very healthy choice of breakfast food.

The great thing about a healthy breakfast cereal is that it will be rich in complex carbohydrates. These are the long-lasting carbs that leave the body with a constant flow of energy. They are not immediately converted into fat. Not only that, but they help with reducing hunger and cravings throughout the morning - an accomplishment that many really need to make when trying to lose a lot of weight.

Some other healthy sources of carbohydrates include whole grain and whole wheat breads, rice, and green, leafy vegetables.

Fat Sources

Fat intake is important, but it's something that many people mess up. Fatty steaks and pork chops are not the way to go. Healthy fats can be consumed through eggs, fish, skim milk, low-fat cheese, almonds, walnuts, and other healthy nuts, and organic peanut butter.

Make sure to avoid getting any fat through junk food, processed meals, and pastries, and switch from margarine to butter or cooking oil!

Protein Sources

Protein is usually a nutrient that is hard to mess up - most sources of protein are good. However, one important thing to note is to avoid breaded meat like the plague! Breaded meat is full of unnecessary carbohydrates and it takes up calories that could have been used in a much more efficient way.

Some examples of great sources of protein include fish, lean meat, non-fat mozzarella, natural soy beans, eggs, yogurt, nuts, and seeds.

What's In Your Diet?

Ask yourself that question. Think about the nutritional values for each of the foods that you listed. If you have to, go to the cupboards and actually read them. Are they all quality sources of their high-numbered nutrients or are they just full of unhealthy nutrients?

It's easy to make a list of which foods are healthy and will help you with gaining muscle and losing weight. But the truth is that both of these come down to what your entire diet consists of - you can't lose weight if you're eating 5,000 calories a day and you can't put on muscle if you only get trace amounts of protein each day either.

Re-assess your diet and then begin adding in some of the healthier sources of nutrients in place of the foods that you were previously using, which shouldn't have been a part of your diet in the first place.

Adapted from Ezine Articles