Aging Backwards Tuesday Tips #6: The Brain Game

Use it or lose it. We've all heard that phrase about a million times, but when it comes to your brain, it's good advice.

Many studies have been done on the "aging brain," including one called the MacArthur study that identified 1,200 healthy people between the ages of 70 and 80 whose mental abilities ranked in the top third compared to others in the same age group. They kept track of these participants for ten years and determined which people remained high-functioning. The results showed three factors separated the high-functioning subjects from the others:

• They were more consistently physically active, taking daily walks or doing other types of exercise.
• They remained mentally active, doing crossword puzzles, reading interesting books, playing bridge three times a week and engaging in hobbies.
• They met challenges with confidence, rather than buckling under misfortune.

Train the Brain

Just as your muscles benefit from exercise, so does your brain - studies have proven it time and again.

One such study involved 23 healthy people, average age 23, who were taught to juggle. After three months, MRI scans showed enlargement of the gray matter in their brains. Gray matter is responsible for higher mental functioning. When the participants stopped juggling, their brains shrank again, strongly suggesting that mental exercise has valid positive effects on brain function.

Another study tracked 469 people, ages 75 - 85, none of whom suffered from dementia at the start of the study. They tracked them for up to 21 years. The people who participated in the most leisure activities, including reading, playing musical instruments, playing board games and dancing were at 63 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia.

Aging Backwards Brain Boosting Tips:

1) Do crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzles are a terrific way to sharpen your brain and besides, they're fun. If you've never enjoyed crossword puzzles, it could be because you don't know the "insider secret." On Monday the puzzle is the easiest and it gets progressively more difficult as the week goes on. This is true for virtually every newspaper. So if you're a crossword novice, try the Monday puzzle first. Many people have free time on the weekend, so they pick up the Saturday or Sunday puzzle and find it impossible. Start with baby steps on Monday. Also, if you can't finish the puzzle, put it down and pick it up again the following day. You'll be surprised at how easily the tough answers from yesterday can come to you. Check out Merl Reagle's [Sunday Crosswords](http://sundaycrosswords.com/) for some super fun and "punny" crosswords. Caution: Merl's puzzles are for the more advanced.

2) De-stress. When high levels of the stress hormone cortisol are released into the bloodstream, you can experience memory loss and confusion, according to a study done at St. Louis University. Fortunately, as the levels of cortisol decreased, the study participants' memories improved.

3) Learn another language. Research has shown that fluency in two or more languages may prevent some of the effects of aging on brain function. The study found that people who are bilingual are better able to stay focused on a task than those who speak only one language.

4) Switch hands. If you're right-handed, try a "left-handed day," and vice versa if you're left-handed. It will feel awkward at first, but after a while you'll get accustomed to the switch and you'll find that being ambidextrous can come in handy, especially if your dominant hand is ever out of commission due to a cast or a nasty cut.

5) Get your beauty rest. Scientists from the Luebeck University in Germany did a study that concluded a good night's sleep can help solve problems. Volunteers were shown a number puzzle which had a "hidden code" embedded in it, revealing the answer. Those who were kept awake overnight had far less chance of solving it and the scientists believe it's because the brain appears to restructure information from the previous day during sleep, providing insight into problems such as these. That may also explain why the tough crossword answers can come so easily the next day.

6) Practice memorization. With today's technology, we no longer need to remember numbers - they're all stored in our phones and PDAs. Make a concerted effort to memorize lists and/or numbers to keep your brain active. I like to memorize my grocery list, but of course I always bring the list with me, just in case.

7) Eat your wild salmon. The dietary deficiency that tends to frequently show up in depression, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease is a lack of omega-3 oils, the fatty acids found in cold-water fish like salmon, herring and cod. Earl Mindell, RPh, PhD, writes in his book, Earl Mindell's Supplement Bible, "There's a reason why fish is known as brain food. It is a rich source of docosahexaenoic acide (DHA), a fatty acid that is found in high concentration in the gray matter of the brain. DHA is instrumental in the function of brain cell membranes, which are important for the transmission of brain signals."

So, for an "Aging Backwards" brain, use your "opposite" hand to eat a nice meal of wild salmon in a stress-free environment while doing a crossword puzzle in a foreign language and then get some sleep.