Walgreens 23 health tips

Walgreens 23 health tips--       Feel Good Every Day

23 ways to Boost Your Brainpower

If you want to boost your brain, you have to focus your attention on good self-case, says David Alter, Ph.D. co-author, with Henry Emmons, M.D., of Staying Sharp (Touchstone). Try these simple, science-based tips.

1)           Take a French class. Learning a second language can help your brain process information and help you focus more sharply to avoid distraction. It may even help delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in some people, according to exciting new research from Singapore Management University.

2)          Write in red ink. A fascinating new study from the University of Regensburg in Germany found that the color red “binds” into our memory better than other colors—making it ideal for recalling what’s on your to-do list.

3)         Play ping-pong. Table tennis has been lauded for its ability to improve attention and concentration. Japanese researchers also found that in players older than 50, ping-pong improved brain function by activating specific neurons, and showed promise in preventing dementia as well. (Plus, it’s lots of fun!)

4)          Close your eyes. Research from the University of Surrey in the U.K. found that closing your eyes while recalling an event could help you remember details 23 percent more accurately. How does it work? It’s thought that once visual distractions are removed, your brain focuses more efficiently.

5)         Brush your teeth with the other hand. Using your dominant side to tackle a daily task or two is a great way to challenge your cognitive function by spurring your brain cells to produce growth-stimulating molecules.

6)         Lower blood sugar. Diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, so work with your doctor on was to minimize your risk factors. (A healthy blood sugar is less than 100 after fasting.) If you already have diabetes, controlling it will help prevent dementia.

7)         Do a Daily Meditation. In just eight weeks, a daily mindfulness break can improve connectivity throughout the brain network in 55-to-90 year olds, according to ongoing research from Wake Forest University. What’s more, meditation may slow Alzheimer’s progression and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol within the brain.

8)         Eat Avocadoes. “It contains medium-chain fatty acids, which increase your brainpower by reducing inflammation,” says Emmons.

9)         Consider a Daily Low-Dose Aspirin. An ongoing National Institutes of Health clinical trial is testing the theory that taking an aspirin could lower the risk of dementia. Talk to your doctor about whether this could be right, and safe, for you.

10)    Fall-Proof Your House.

11)    Mind your Bs. B vitamins lower homocysteine (an amino acid), which is linked to dementia. You can find them in enriched read, pasta, rice and cereal, plus poultry, beans, dark leafy veggies, papayas, oranges and cantaloupe.

12)    Shake Your Booty. Aerobic exercise can actually increase the size of your hippocampus—the part of your brain which helps you learn and remember.

13)    Become a Tourist in Your Own Town. Seeing fresh sights can rewire your brain to use new parts of itself, therefore, helping it to work better than ever. “Once a month, sit down with the community calendar section of your newspaper and choose an activity you’ve never tried before—see a new play, or go to the local art museum if you’ve never visited it,” says Alter. “New experiences allow the brain to flex like a new muscle.”

14)    Color. Thought you outgrew your crayons? Adults everywhere are rediscovering their artistic sides and snapping up adult coloring books. This new trend can ease stress as well as put you in a meditative frame of mind. Both of these benefits are great for the brain. (Visit Parade.com/coloring for free downloadable coloring pages.)

15)    Go Fish. Eat your omega-3s found in salmon and other cold-water fish) or take a supplement. A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found eating any kind of baked or broiled fish once a week helped spur structural brain changes that boost memory.

16)    Enjoy a Glass of Red Wine. Fresh research from Texas A & M University found that resveratrol, an anti-oxidant found in red wine, improves memory, mood and learning capacity.

17)    Munch Peanuts. This yummy snack is also backed with cognition-boosting resveratrol.

18)    Find Your Sleep Sweet Spot. Getting good sleep is the best thing you can do for your brain long term,” Emmons stresses.

19)    Start a Pinterest Page. Pursuing new ideas that interest you is a powerful way to exercise your brain. Curious folks have lower rates of dementia, says Alter.

20)    Surf the Internet. Suring for into on the web actually improves the neural circuitry of your brain, keeping it healthy, according to research from UCLA.

21)    Don’t skip your Morning Coffee. A John Hopkins study found that regular consumption of 200 milligrams of caffeine—the amount in one strong cup of coffee—has a positive impact on how much you remember for a full 24 hours after drinking.

22)    Hang our with Friends and Family. Social connections benefit brain health, experts say. Have lunch with your friends, take you grandchildren trick-or-treating or go for a  long walk with your partner.

23)    Look on the Bright Side. Make a point to regularly ask yourself, “What if everything went right instead of wrong?” Positive thinking can actually activate your brain’s physical ability to adapt and change. Former President Jimmy Carter, 91, who responded to his recent cancer diagnosis with “optimism, vitality and determination,” is a great example of this, Emmons says.