8 Ways to Keep Your Brain Fit

By Anne-Marie Botek, AgingCare.com Editor

Cognitive reserve, the term used to describe the mechanism by which a person’s mind can compensate for damage to their brain, has become a buzzword in the medical community, thanks to its connection to one of the most infamous issues of modern aging: dementia.

Research indicates that people who have solid stores of cognitive reserve are generally less likely to exhibit the classic signs of dementia—short-term memory loss, difficulty multitasking, etc.—even if their brain scans indicate mental damage. This is because cognitive reserve effectively makes the mind stronger and more nimble, enabling it to come up with ways to compensate for disease-related loss of functioning.

Seek out and embrace new challenges; your brain will thank you

Shlomo Breznitz, Ph.D., founder of Cognifit and author of Maximum Brainpower: Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom, feels that finding ways to consistently engage the brain with new and stimulating experiences is the key to cultivating more cognitive reserve and staving off mental decline.

No matter what age they are, Breznitz stresses that starting a cognitive fitness regimen may help a person ward off the symptoms of dementia. “Our cognitive skills are not fixed. At all ages the brain has the ability to respond to new information and new stimuli,” he says.

More confusion now may mean less confusion later

According to Breznitz, the twin traits of novelty and variety are invaluable when coming up with activities to enhance cognitive reserve. Sudoku and crosswords alone won’t work, he says. You’ve got to get creative when coming up with ways to stimulate the brain.

In the same way elite athletes and their trainers use the concept of muscle confusion (varying the types and duration of exercises to expose weaknesses and challenge muscles in new ways) to maximize their physical fitness, switching up the things you do to engage your mental muscle can help maximize your mental fitness.

“Challenging the brain helps maintain cognitive vigor and capacity. And maintaining our cognitive health maintains our quality of life,” Breznitz says.

The Curiosity Challenge: 8 Ways to Construct Cognitive Reserve originally appeared on AgingCare.com.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Fred H.

7:37AM PST on Mar 2, 2013

Thank you AgingCare, for Sharing this!

March 2
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Meryl C.

6:00AM PST on Dec 4, 2012

Great ideas thanks for the info

December 4
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Emefa D.

5:06AM PDT on Sep 27, 2012

Thank You for the suggestions! I'm enjoying everyone's comments! gardening, music, art, writing, dancing..expanding consciousness, I love it!!

September 27
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Bill and Katie D.

8:44AM PDT on Aug 10, 2012

Gardening is good too!
Keep moving and all!
thanks

August 10
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Diane K.

12:59PM PDT on Aug 2, 2012

I find leisure reading helps. Music, if you like a challenge, like learning to play an instrument, or relearning one you learned to play when you were a child. Thanks for the tips.

August 2
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Valerie A.

5:19AM PDT on Aug 2, 2012

Thanks

Inari T.

12:52AM PDT on Aug 2, 2012

Interesting - I think trying to master a musical instrument would be good brain training for me!

Dale O.

8:25AM PDT on Jul 31, 2012

Working the brain always helps your personal growth, new learning situations help keep the mind fit and expands horizons. Some universities offer courses, full time for five dollars to those 65 and older, such a wonderful idea!