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Exercise for the nervous system: brain fitness

brain fitness

Physical fitness is a common theme of daily life in the modern world.  Children are taught related skills in school, and in the adult world, a variety of media information serves as a continual reminder of the importance of a body that is physically fit.  In contrast, there is very little understanding of brain fitness, even among highly educated individuals living in developed nations.  Indeed, such individuals may confuse learning with brain fitness, when in fact the two categories are quite distinct.

What is brain fitness?

Brain fitness is a general category referring to an individual’s ability to adequately address the cognitive demands associated with a normal lifestyle.  Brain fitness is much more than merely being able to learn new information, or even to learn it quickly and thoroughly.  Instead, brain fitness encompasses every area of cognitive function, from being able to navigate complex social relationships, to planning ahead, and assimilating information from multiple sources in order to form new conclusions.

Brain fitness activities

The normal cycle of aging often has a negative impact on brain fitness.  However, an exciting new area of research in neuroscience is examining how mental activities specifically designed to exercise the brain can help individuals maintain cognitive function in the face of this challenge.  According to some researchers, appropriate brain fitness exercises can actually help to slow down the rate of cognitive decline associated with the early stage of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.  Other researchers have concluded that the usefulness of brain fitness activities actually exceeds this limited threshold; it may be possible that cognitive abilities can actually be improved via brain fitness activities.

Promoting brain fitness

Targeted mental exercises that require sustained concentration and attention to detail are not the only ways to increase the chance of retaining or improving brain fitness levels.  Indeed, any sort of active mental engagement with a life or critical thinking activity can be helpful, which is one reason why social interaction is so important for individuals who have suffered from a stroke and are struggling to recover brain function.

General principles of good physical health also play an important role in brain fitness.  Good nutrition and daily physical exercise can assist with brain fitness, as can simply getting enough sleep and managing stress adequately.  The reverse is also true: individuals who suffer from chronic anxiety, depression, or other forms of stress can actually suffer a cognitive decline.

Brain fitness training is considered particularly beneficial for individuals over the age of 60, as this is when memory problems and other forms of cognitive decline can begin to seriously interfere with the normal activities of life.

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