When we try to stay on top of our exercise routines and diets, it’s usually in order to keep our bodies as healthy as possible. It is, after all, where the most visible signs of an unhealthy lifestyle tends to appear.
Yet, our lifestyle choices will also affect how well our brains age as well as how well they function when we reach our retirement years.
That’s why you should try to focus on exercising your brain just as much as your body – and try to find the kind of food that’s good for your mind as well. Here is a handful of easy tricks to get you started so that you can enjoy being yourself for a bit longer.
#1 Exercise with your mind as well as your body
First of all, it’s important to look at the types of exercises that can give your brain a good workout as well. It’s actually quite easy to draw these conclusions yourself once you’ve understood the basics; the best kind of exercises for your brain are those that require some form of thinking and planning.
Dancing, for example, is a great activity as you need to put your mind into it as well as your body. The different moves can be difficult and it’s easy to mess it up if you don’t focus. Compared to running, for example, dancing is an activity where you simply cannot put your brain on autopilot – at least not in the beginning.
Yoga is also one of the best workouts for your brain, and specifically because of all the balancing postures. To stand on one leg while twisting yourself to the side so that your upper body is reaching towards the ceiling while your other leg is pointing backwards will, undoubtedly, require a proper brain booster.
#2 Socialise and laugh
While exercising can be a bit of a choir, socialising and having fun with your loved ones certainly isn’t.
It is so important to keep this in mind if you have an elderly family member that you’re looking after; our health, according to some doctors, is in our mind – and it’s better to share a meal of burgers and fries with your family while laughing and talking rather than eating a bowl of vegetables on your own.
If possible, it’s usually better to let your loved one continue living at home or even in your home if you have the capacity and the space for it. Read up on the benefits of home care, first of all, and keep in mind that it might be a much better solution for their mental health.
#3 Eat fatty foods
Finally, you should also think about all the delicious food you can eat to keep your brain stronger. Since your brain is mainly made up of fat, it makes sense to feed it this kind of food as well.
Eat nuts, fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, as well as avocados and bananas to enjoy the combination of a healthy mind and body at once.
