Mind Games: The Fun Way to Keep Your Brain Healthy
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month
Lost your keys? Walked into a room and forgot why you were there? Forgot all about an important appointment or deadline? It happens.
Mind Games: The Fun Way to Keep Your Brain Healthy
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month
Lost your keys? Walked into a room and forgot why you were there? Forgot all about an important appointment or deadline? It happens. And the older you get, the more likely you are to experience age-related memory loss.
Some memory loss is a normal part of the aging process. But what if you could do something to keep your brain healthy longer, remember more, and ward off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia?
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month
Mark it on your calendar and celebrate by having a little fun.
A recent study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that playing word and number games keep your brain sharp as you age.
Researchers looked at the brain health about 19,000 people over age 50 and compared it with the amount of time they play word games or solve puzzles.
They found that people who play word games like crossword puzzles and Scrabble have brains 10 years younger and healthier than those who don’t. And if you like games of reasoning and strategy, your brain may be eight years younger.
Play games to keep your brain healthy
Want to keep your brain healthy as you age? Or at least be able to find your keys the next time you lose them? Make it fun:
- Play chess.
- Solve a crossword.
- Complete a Sudoku puzzle.
- Or play another game of strategy or game with words.
When you keep your mind active by solving problems and puzzles, you’re also keeping connections in your brain healthy to support problem solving, reasoning and memory.
Exercise Rx: Take a Dose of This to Boost Happiness
Regular exercise improves mood, mental health
You’re in a funk. You’re feeling blue. You’re down and depressed. Everybody’s experienced those feelings at some point in time. But what happens if you’re always feeling that way?
About 35 million (1 in 6) adults who feel this way, take antidepressant medications to improve mood, feel happier, and boost productivity. But it’s no secret that medications have side effects.
Just listen to a TV commercial for prescription medicine or read the fine print for a magazine ad.
Is there an alternative to medication to treat depression and mental health problems? New research suggests there is. And it’s free. The prescription…Exercise.
In the study published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, researchers helped about 100 patients diagnosed with depression and other mood disorders learn to exercise.
Participants followed a fitness instructor for 60 minutes and learned to exercise. The results: 95 percent of the participants reported lower levels of anger, anxiety and depression. They also reported higher self-esteem and overall mood.
Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day
Want to improve your mood and your health? Be more active. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate physical activity for most adults. It’s easy:
- Go for a walk.
- Ride a bike.
- Play with your kids.
- Hit the gym.
- Pick an exercise activity you enjoy and make time for it.
For decades, doctors have prescribed medication to treat depression and mental health problems. But that may change, says lead researcher Dr. David Tomasi.
“The general attitude of medicine is that you treat the primary problem first, and exercise was never considered to be a life or death treatment option,” says Tomasi. “Now that we know it’s so effective, it can become as fundamental as pharmacological intervention.”
Feeling down? Lace up your walking shoes and head out the door. Exercise is medicine.
Adopt the No-Diet Habit to Lose Weight
Keep a food journal to lose weight, make healthier food choices
Looking for the next fad diet to shed a few pounds? Captivated by a late-night infomercial that promises crazy weight-loss results in record time? Or thinking about taking diet pills to tip the scale in the right direction? If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably considered all of the above.
After all, about 70 percent of all adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health problems.
But fad dieting isn’t the answer. In fact, research shows that up to two-thirds of people who follow a fad diet lose weight, then gain it all back, plus a little extra.
Why? Most fad diets recommend eating habits and diet restrictions that just aren’t sustainable for the long term.
So what should you do? Don’t diet. Do this instead…
Keep a food journal to lose weight
In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers followed 1,700 overweight people for about 2.5 years. Everyone in the study received information about healthy eating habits, and was encouraged to keep a detailed food journal. Here’s what happened:
Researchers found that people who kept a daily food journal for the entire study lost twice as much weight, and kept it off, as those who didn’t.
Why does it work? Keeping a food journal helps you be more mindful of your food choices. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. For examp