Is There Anyone Upstairs?

Brain health is a serious topic and the effects of poor brain health affect many of us and our loved ones. So, this week I wanted to share with you some top tips on how to maximise and improve the health of our brains.

The brain is a fascinating thing, controlling every single function of your body 24/7. It never sleeps and it continues to keep us going through the good and the bad times.

We all know the brain is there for thinking, and most of us know it moves our muscles and body parts, but did you also know it controls your blood flow, your breathing, your digestive system and your immune system? Everything in your amazing body is controlled by the soft stuff inside your skull, the human brain!

As such we really should do all we can to maintain its health and longevity, so here are my top tips to maintain a great brain:

1. Movement
‘As the body moves, the brain grooves’. The brain only stays alive when the body is active. By moving our body we send messages to the brain to keep it functioning and alive. We see this too often as people age, they sit more and as a result the mind starts to decline. More important than a sudoku in developing and keeping the mind sharp, is movement. Try dancing and walking each day to stimulate the brain.

2. Omega 3
More and more research is being published each year to support the positive effects of omega 3 fish oils on great brain health. The research currently says there is nothing better, and really, we should be getting adequate amounts of fish oils each week, either through supplementation or from wild oily fish. If you are vegan or vegetarian, unfortunately there is not strong evidence yet to support brain health without omega 3 from fish body, however there is a growing body of research for Krill oil, this is the algae that fish get their omega 3 from.

3. Time out
Have you ever been so stressed that you lose your trail of thought or can’t find the right word, or even where you left your shoes? Long term stress has a detrimental effect on brain health. We see it short term but seldom think about it for the long term. Taking time out each day to be still and accept the thoughts we have instead of fighting them is a great way to improve your brain health. The great news is you can combine this with your daily exercise to maximise the health benefit for your brain.

So, there you have it, simple advice. Remember, the longer you wait to start the more of an issue there could be, so keep it simple and start today.

Here is to a brighter and more cognitive future.

With love

Tom