How To Keep Your Mind Fit

With the new age, there is a new person and a different brain. As we continue aging, our minds age along with us. This has been always a horrible and most feared outcome of aging. But as we all know this type of impairment is inevitable. Whether you are young or old, keeping your mind in good health should be the first thing you're supposed to think of. Did you know that in order to leave a good, richer and more fulfilling life you must have a stable and strong mind? It is also known that a sharp mind leads to great success. Here are some of the ways to keep your mind fit and healthy

Get mental exercise/stimulation

Research has indicated that activities that our brain involves itself in can generate a new connection between nerve cells and also new brain cells. Some of the mentally stimulating activities such solving a puzzle, or a mathematical equation, scrabble, crosswords, reading and doing arts and crafts are the activities that one is supposed to indulge in. So let's keep our minds busy.

Physical Exercise

Exercising on a daily basis or regularly can increase the number of tiny blood veins, which transports oxygen-rich blood to the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking. They also increase and generate new nerve cells and connection between brain cells. This betters the efficiency of the brain for the aging animals. Did you know that exercise lowers blood pressure, balances blood sugars, and reduces mental stress which helps not only the brain but also your heart? Now you know.

Here are some of the physical exercises or activities that you need to engage yourself with not only when you are free but also create time to do just a few of them. Swimming, going for a hike with friends, dancing and trying to create your own routine at the comfort of your home, attending some yoga sessions which helps you to relax your muscle and the whole of your body and you can also try bike riding.

Check your diet

They say a good diet helps both the body and the brain. This is because diet builds a network between the mind and how your whole body functions. It is recommended that your diet should be made up of vitamins, carbohydrates (less of starch) and proteins. First, you are supposed to have at least three to four meals a day. Your breakfast is supposed to be the first and very crucial meal to start your day. Ensure that your breakfast is a heavy one and can sustain and provide the energy that you require to start the day.

It is advisable that one should supplement his or her diet in a brain-healthy way. Did you know that supplements not only exist in pill form but also in other forms? Take an example of Omega-3 amino acids which comes in liquid form. It is one of the best supplements available for healthy growth of the brain most especially for young children. Another example is green tea. Green tea is full of antioxidants which makes your brain to stay strong. Also, do not forget taking water. Water is an essential commodity to our body. Water keeps you oxygenated and detoxified leading to a healthy body and also a sober mind.

Build on your social networks

Did you know that when you keep your brain active, it lowers the risk of you getting dementia? This type of disorder makes one forget and have reasoning impairments. Just building on your social network can really help you. Be active and engage yourself in different types of conversation with your friend and the outside world via social media platforms.

Avoid this or moderate the intake of the following:

Our lifestyle really matters a lot on how our brain works. Everybody should either stop or limit themselves to what they take in as food.

Heavily processed food: Nowadays people are very lazy in going to the kitchen and cook for themselves; rather they choose to buy foods that have been processed. This type of food has a lot of artificial content or rather ingredients, preservative which is not healthy for our body. It is recommended that you eat healthy and fresh food. People should take food which they know their source.
Avoid white sugar: Taking in refined sugar can really cause an increment in blood sugar levels which hosts a lot of health complications. You are recommended to take honey or sugar cane which is sweeter and more natural.
Avoid fast food: Most if not all of the Junk food are full of fats and they are of a low quality which is not something that one can always wish to have, every time you get hungry. Avoid or reduce your intake for you to be mentally fit.
One should also avoid hydrogenated vegetable oil which is found in margarine. They hold high cholesterol levels which leads to low or less blood flow to the brain.
Reduction of caffeine intake. Just the reduction your caffeine intake really saves you big. But research has shown that caffeine if taken in with moderation may help or rather be of benefit to your brain.
Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol is not harmful, but excessive consumption of it is harmful to your health. Who is it harmful, you may ask? If you take alcohol to the extreme levels, it may end up damaging your brain and you may end up having
Avoid high fructose corn syrup which an artificial sweetener which plays tricks with your mind, making you feel you are hungry when perfectly you know you are not.
Animals products have the most saturated fats thus you are supposed to replace them with good healthy vegetable oil.
Environmental pollutants: Toxic gases are emitted into the air and eventually inhaled by people. The unhealthy gases affect our brain and are not good for our bodies too. It is recommended if you notice extreme air pollution in your town you should consider moving.
Heavy metals. Heavy metals alter the defensive blood-brain barrier and are not easily flushed from the body. Two sources of heavy metals are mercury found in many fish and lead found in places such as some job sites.

Keep safe

This is one of the greatest ways of promoting a fit mind is by protecting your brain from any injury or harm.

The following are some of the best ways of protecting your head from injury

Avoid smoking: when one smokes, the smoke occupies the part which initially was meant for oxygen, as we all know oxygen is essential to a healthy brain. At some point, the smoke can make you suffocate due to lack of enough oxygen in your brain.
Driving: driving carefully and safely is also one of the precautious measures to a fit mind. Most of the car accidents on our roads cause a lot of damage to our brains due to the impact of the crash. A lot of people are left with trauma not knowing how to handle certain issues.
Sports helmets: Helmets are one of the greatest attire used nowadays by most of the people doing sporting activities such as; skiing, rollerblading, and mount climbing, zipping and cycling. The helmets help in protecting the head from any damage caused by accidents.
Handrails: This is for those people walking on steep stairs, slippery grounds and in bad weather where you can easily fall. You should consider having handrails which can really be of help to you for they provide support to you.
Drugs: drugs can diminish your brain capacity and sometimes they can cause brain damage due to either overdosing or using certain types of drugs. It is highly recommended to be drug-free.
Repetitive injury: any continuous head injury can change a short time situation to generate long-term brain damage. Some of the sports like rugby, football and boxing are of the highest risk of repetitive injury. People who play such games should be cautious of what they are doing and always protect themselves.

Reduce stress

Mental health and stress go hand in hand. Any place or topic on mental health you will come across stress and stress management. Stress is the body's reaction to a harmful situation. Reducing stress leads to a fit mind.

Here are some of the ways to find stress relief and relaxation.

Emotions: Learn and understand yourself. Always identify your emotions and work on how to control them. Do not ever hold on your emotions. Do not ever hide or even pretend on your emotions
Meditation: Meditation helps a person to improve focus and stress relief. It also betters your brain.
Taking a hot shower: Take a hot shower for a few minutes, you will feel the stress departing from your mind, be relieved and this helps your body feel refreshed.
Relaxation exercises and fun: Some of the relaxation exercises teach your body the way to be calm. When it comes to fun, take time off from your work place, from all family responsibilities and enjoy life. Learn to create time for yourself and treat yourself once in a while.
Learn to approach life and its challenges positively. You will always be empowered and get to appreciate what you have accomplished in life.
Smile: Smile and laugh always for it makes your life a better one. Also, when you laugh and smile often you get to touch and motivate another person's life.
Sleep: Stress levels can also be reduced when one gets enough sleep. This allows your brain to relax and refresh.

Stimulate Your Senses

An experience that involves one or more of your senses serves to stimulate brain activity and help keep your mind sharp and on the toe. The following activities will provide you with plenty of sensory experiences you will enjoy while strengthening your mental acuity.

Massage. You should get some massage once in a while to relax your mind and body at the same time. Massage helps your muscles to reduce tension.
New food: You should try out new food, most especially food from different communities. Different types of herb and spices always stimulate your sense of taste, smell and sight.
Garden: you should take the initiative to plant some herbs and flowers. Gardening is one of the great multi-sensory experiences, as you feel the soil, hear nature and the environment, taste herbs you've grown, and appreciate the color and beauty of the flowers you planted.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is essential to keep your mind fit in order to build on its capacity. It is easier for one to normally concentrate on other parts of their body forgetting that even their mind needs to be treated with care and also needs to be protected from any harm. You should also try and follow on some of the things mentioned above in order to achieve a fit mind.

It is important to look into the diverse ways that keep your mind fit, but always remember to pick what works for you and if possible mix different routines.

This will not only put you ahead of everything, but it will also ensure that you develop holistically, mind, body, and soul. You should do this so as to age gracefully both in body and mind, you would not want to be young and with a tired mind, would you?

I hope you are looking forward to keeping your mind fit, we sure are!

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