Canyon Ranch (Massachusetts)

Are you giving your brain enough TLC? The best way to prevent or delay brain aging is to take care of yourself - and your brain - as early as possible. Once your brain has aged, the damage is much tougher to undo.

As with any part of your body, you need to start by feeding your brain correctly. Try these simple dietary goals for slowing brain aging:
. Eat fish at least twice a week.
. Eat less meat and dairy fat.
. Eat a diet rich in colorful antioxidant vegetables and fruits.
. Eat primarily whole grains, and fiber-rich foods like nuts, berries and beans.

If that sounds like the Mediterranean diet, you're right. Studies show this diet benefits the brain. In fact, a recent study of 1,880 New Yorkers over 5.4 years found that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 40 percent.
Your diet can affect the health of your brain, but so can many other factors including stress, mood, exercise, sleep, your attitude and engagement in life experiences, and mental agility training.

Give Your Brain a Workout
Like a muscle, your brain has plasticity - the ability to grow, repair and develop new connections well into adult life. One of the best ways to enhance your brain's neuroplasticity is moderate aerobic exercise. Researchers have shown that daily, moderate aerobic exercise actually "wakes up" dormant stem cells in the brain's short-term memory center, producing new neurons and helping counteract the effects of aging.

Brain exercises can help promote plasticity too. But crossword puzzles and duplicate bridge may not be enough "heavy lifting." Most effective are brain exercises that increase processing speed, such as learning the game Guitar Hero or the fast steps of a salsa dance. Some companies, like PositScience, have developed computer games for adults that focus on just that - building up the speed of our reactions and making our brains functionally younger in the process.

Rest and relaxation
Feeding your brain well and exercising are great, but brains also need rest and relaxation. Sleep is the time when your brain schedules repair work. It's much easier to do repairs if parts of your brain are "taken offline" while you sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation is almost epidemic in our culture, and that doesn't allow the brain to repair itself or stay healthy. There are lots of ways to help get better sleep, but trying to stay on a schedule and minimizing sleep disruptions are two of the best.

And don't forget the relaxation part! Stress, pressure, responsibilities, deadlines and multitasking all take their toll, and even your brain needs to go on vacation now and then. Take a trip, go to the beach, get a massage, read a book or just spend time with friends or family to allow your mind to relax and recharge. Meditate, do yoga, practice breathing or use other mindfulness techniques to give your mind a vacation from its otherwise constant vigilance and worries.

Taking care of your brain is a vital component of staying younger longer and enjoying activities with friends, children and grandchildren to the fullest, no matter what your age.
You might say it's a no-brainer.