Can We Really "Boost Our Brains"?

Have you ever heard about brain-boosting foods? Certain foods can improve your mental abilities. That's certainly the case. Fatty fish, avocados, and whole grains have nutritional components that can upgrade your mental wellness.

Eating the right foods and avoiding others can improve physical and mental health. This can keep your brain healthy and able, but can you actually "boost" mental performance? Your brain constantly grows as you are a child, but is it possible to make it more capable as an adult?

The answer to both of those questions is a resounding ... YES!

Cognitive Impairment and Mental Aging Are Not Inevitable

People sometimes talk about having a "senior moment." This refers to the idea that decreased mental abilities are simply a fact of aging. This used to be considered common knowledge. We now know it is possible to slow down, stop, and even reverse damage to mental functioning.

Your brain can both learn and grow no matter how old you are. This is because of a complicated process called brain plasticity. Plastic can take on many forms. So can your brain, constantly changing at cellular and molecular levels.

The Key to Boosting Brain Health Is Regularity

While your brain isn't a muscle, it is similar to your muscles in one important way. It can be strengthened. You can make it stronger and less likely to suffer from mild and serious mental health issues. You can improve your memory, your recall, your brain's processing speed, and other cognitive functions.

You need to regularly challenge your brain for this to happen.

You can't lift weights one time and enjoy muscle growth that doesn't shrink for the rest of your life. Once a bodybuilder stops working out, his muscles stop growing, and he loses muscle mass. The same is true with your brain. It needs to constantly use its processing ability to grow and stay healthy.

You can grow new brain cells by doing mental exercises often. These cells, called neurons, are created by a process called neurogenesis. You are much more capable of growing new brain cells as a child than an adult. However, adults can also improve overall mental health through neurogenesis.

What must you do for your memory and other brain-based functions to improve while lowering your odds of developing mental illness?

Do new things. Go to unfamiliar places. Challenge your mind with crossword and sudoku puzzles. Socialize more. Add regular physical activity to your life. Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest at night. These are just a few ways to boost your brain health. Since mental health positively influences physical health, when you upgrade your brain, you upgrade your body.

Interested in learning more about boosting your brain? Sign up for the Brain Boost Bootcamp Online Course here. You will get amazing insights and resources you can use to enhance focus, boost problem-solving skills, reduce stress and anxiety, improve long-term and short-term memory and foster a positive emotional state.