1) Take Fish Oil Supplements - Fish oil supplements are great for preventing virtually all mental diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. They stabilize mood and help promote maximum brain functioning.Fish oil supplements have been proven as effective as actually eating fish. They stabilize brainwave patterns and increase overall brain activity. In fact, there are currently many studies that show fish oil prevents A.D.D. from developing.
2) Exercise Daily – Exercising daily has been known to be good for the brain and studies have shown that it prevents Alzheimer’s. Exercise builds new neural connections in your brain and is one of the only activities that causes “Neurogenesis” – the production of new brain cells.
3) Do Sudoku’s & Crossword Puzzles – Sudoku’s and crossword puzzles cause people to critically think and naturally increase their brain activity.
4) Read Something Challenging Daily – Reading something challenging daily causes synapse growth and increases thinking ability. By challenging your brain and using it will help prevent you losing it!
5) Eat Healthy – Eating healthy is a huge factor in determining a healthy brain. The food you put in your body is what your brain is forced to work with.Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables will actually enhance your executive brain functions.
6) Engage In A Debate – By engaging in a debate, you are challenging your brain’s ability to generate a stimulating conversation which requires rapid thinking and high levels of focus. This is VERY good for you! To start one of these, just ask someone “who should be president?”
7) Turn Off The T.V. – T.V. promotes less mental activity and a lazy brain. Rip that T.V. chord out of the wall, take it to the street, get a baseball bat and beat the plasma and high-definition straight out the back of the cathode ray tube! …Or, just turn it off… and go do something else.
8) Control High Cholesterol – Eat properly, exercise, consider fish oil, consider taking a cholesterol medication if you need to…lower cholesterol correlates with a reduced risk to develop Alzheimer’s.
9) Get Enough Sleep – We all know that sleep is good for the brain, yet most people still do not get enough. Have some self-control and set aside at least 8 hours of sleep each night. As we age, we still need plenty of sleep. Sleep refreshes the brain and promotes relaxation and releases anti-aging hormones.
10) Practice Meditation – Meditation has been known to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, promote positive thinking, and reduce depression and anxiety. Meditation also increases memory, alertness and task-performance. Meditating increases the thickness of gray-matter and increases overall brain activity.
11) Think Positive Thoughts – Positive thinking reduces stress, makes people feel happier, and is a trait associated with longevity and a healthy brain. Set aside 10 minutes a day and focus only on thinking positive thoughts. It will make you naturally feel more energized and happy.
12) Get Adequate Vitamins (Especially Vitamin E) – Vitamin E has been studied in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and is found to be somewhat helpful. Recommend getting adequate amounts of all vitamins. Pop that daily multi-vitamin and consider taking some extra Vitamin E…
13) Reduce Stress – It’s never a good idea to unnecessarily stress yourself out. Some stress is healthy, but too much actually kills brain cells with excess amounts of cortisol. Use techniques like deep breathing, self-hypnosis, and brainwave entrainment to reduce stress.
14) Write In A Daily Journal- Writing is a great activity to keep your mind stimulated and reflect on daily activities. Writing definitely stimulates the brain in profound ways that talking doesn’t. Go buy a journal to write your thoughts in each day, it will be a great investment!
15) Get Out Of The House! - Get out of your house, go do something outside. Get some sunshine on your skin, exchange smiles with a stranger, experience the beauty of nature! Just being outside can really have an significant impact on your mood and brain.
16) Do Some Neurofeedback – Neurofeedback promotes brainwave flexibility and the conscious control of mental activity to reduce stress, increase focus, and keep a healthy brain.
17) Listen To Music – Listining to music is severely underrated for keeping a healthy brain. Listening to music stimulates increases of activity in the right hemisphere of the brain. The right hemisphere is associated with emotions and creativity. If you bump some tunes while exercising, you could really give your brainpower a big energy jolt.
18) Play Nintendo – Contrary to popular belief, limited amounts of Nintendo is actually good for the brain. Nintendo promotes altered brainwave patterns in the visual cortex and overall brain flexibility. It is only when Nintendo playing time gets out of control that it isn’t good for overall brain function… About 30 – 60 minutes of Nintendo each day will actually benefit the player’s brain.
19) Drink Fruit Juice – A study has been done showing seniors who drink fruit & or vegetable juice at least 3 times a week have a lower risk of developing A.D. than those who don’t. The antioxidant action of “polyphenols” is well noted to help prevent A.D. is found in many other A.D. prevention studies.
20) Eat Curries – The consumption of curries have been studied in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Apparently, people from India eat a lot of curries and have a significantly reduced Alzheimer’s disease rate than the United States. It has been found that eating “curries” actually prevents Alzheimer’s via an enzyme found in the curries. This enzyme reduces “free radicals” in the body and is great for the brain!
21) Don’t Do Drugs- (Drugs are bad for you…) Drugs kill brain cells, make you naturally more stressed out, and decrease healthy brain activity. Just stay away from them; common sense…
22) Cut Alcohol Consumption – Alcohol isn’t good for brain function. Either cut alcohol consumption or make a conscious effort to reduce your alcohol intake.
23) Play Brain Fitness Games (i.e. “Brain Age”) – Games like Brain Age for the Nintendo DS and “Big Brain Academy” do actually challenge your brain and promote quick thinking. The nice thing about these games is that they chart your progress.
24) Consider Taking “Statins” – A class of drugs created to lower cholesterol levels that includes: Lipitor, Crestor, & Zocor. Studies have shown that these drugs can aid in Alzheimer’s prevention.
25) Selective Estrogen Receptor Molecules (SERMs) – These drugs (i.e. Evista) were made to prevent bone-loss from Osteoperosis. These SERMs have also been proven to be effective at lowering the risk of developing “cognitive impairment” – a memory disease which often precedes Alzheimer’s.
26) Change It Up, Do Something Different! – Your brain grows new connections when it’s environment changes. Experience more in life, stop following the same daily routine. Your brain actually grows when it is exposed to a new atmosphere. Get out, get change!
27) Control High Blood Pressure – Know your blood pressure, get it checked regularly, avoid salty foods…you know what to do. Lowered blood pressure is associated with a reduced Alzheimer’s risk.
28) Plan Your Day – By planning at least a couple of activities in advance for each day, you will always have something to look forward to. This is good for your brain because it keeps you excited and wards off depression.
29) Hang Out With “True Friends”- Being with people that truly care for you and always love you benefits you emotionally and mentally. You will naturally be less stressed and always have someone to share a stimulating conversation with.
30) Live For The Moment – Take whatever action you need to “today” to make your dreams come true “tomorrow.” You never know what could happen to your life… Though this last one may not relate to preventing Alzheimer’s disease, it is generally a good rule for everyone to live by!
