GREAT ADAPTATIONS

As you’ll see in lots of different articles on this website, I have outlined the most crucial areas for brain health, breaking them into seven categories. They are:

PHYSICAL FITNESS

STRESS REDUCTION

NUTRITION

MEDITATIVE ARTS

NEW LEARNING

OUTREACH

and CREATIVE THOUGHT or IMAGINATION

Each of these areas are absolutely required for your brain to function well. When you are aware of these areas and doing even a little something related to each one, you are not only giving yourself a better-functioning brain, you are protecting your brain against age-related changes and unexpected stressors. I’ll give you the “Cliff Notes” for brain health below so you can get started right now. For more about each of these, go to The 7 Great Adaptations for Brain Power.

Start your day with a little protein, an egg or some peanut butter, or add fish oil or lecithin to your diet today. Go for a brisk walk, or to a yoga class. After you get home, sit for a moment with your eyes closed and breathe deeply, focusing on the exhale. Commit to memory one new thing of particular interest to you: A word in an unfamiliar language, a term related to the arts, or the lyrics to a song. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and ask how they’re doing. Take five minutes to settle into a feeling of gratitude, focusing on something tangible in your life for which you are profoundly grateful.

That’s Brain Fitness 101. If you do all these things, you have shifted into the Seven Great Adaptations for Brain Power. Congratulations! Keep going!