Fine-Tune Your Brain
A new language: Learning a foreign language forces your mind to think in new and original routes and demands an active memory. Languages that are similar to English, such as a Romance (Spanish, Italian) or a Germanic language (German, Swedish), offer syntactical challenges, while languages with unfamiliar alphabets, like Russian or Yiddish, extend a host of fantastic double dares to you and your brain.
Music: Music is also a language. Learning how to read music and how to play an instrument will develop your creativity, especially if you feel you have no musical capacity. Some scientists believe that the best way to develop your mind is to focus on areas where you feel you’re the weakest.
nutritionThe right foods furnish the chemicals necessary for your brain to develop healthier connections between cells, as well as provide armor for those cells to resist damage. The result is a mind that is empowered to handle new challenges.
CholineCholine is a fat-like B vitamin and serves as a cell nutrient. As such, it promotes brain health and recent studies show it can help boost memory.
Where to find choline: Eggs, nuts and meat.
Omega-3 fatty acidsOmega-3 fatty acids are components of brain cell membranes that need to be refreshed with a new supply of fatty acids. Learning something new creates new connections between cells, which require new membranes to cloak them.
Where to find omega-3: Oily fish like salmon, trout, mackerel and sardines, as well as fish oil supplements. Fresh tuna is good too, but stay away from canned tuna, as the oil is replaced during processing.
AntioxidantsAntioxidants like vitamins C and E and beta-carotene protect healthy, living cells from the molecular damage done by free radicals.
Where to find vitamin E: Apricots, nuts, whole grains, fish oils, and vegetable oils.
Where to find vitamin C: Citrus fruits, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, cantaloupe, and peppers.
Where to find beta-carotene: Milk, carrots, broccoli, peaches, and egg yolk.
PhytochemicalsPhytochemicals are plant compounds found in fruits and vegetables. Research suggests that they may help boost memory.
Where to find phytochemicals: Blueberries, strawberries and spinach.
brain strainMaking a commitment to tweaking your lifestyle and your diet can sharpen your mind for years to come. An adage claims that wisdom is a primary benefit of getting older. While experience may provide some wisdom, without fine-tuning your brain now and again through exercise and nutrition, it’ll become incrementally more difficult for you to sort out that wisdom.