No one doubts that our body needs constant training. Physical exercise makes us stronger, more enduring, allows us to walk long distances and withstand great exertion. And if we stop training, all the achievements will soon come to naught, and it will be difficult for us to lift even our own weight off the couch.
This is the truth, known to one extent or another to everyone. And everyone knows how to develop and train their bodies.
But few people think that physical health is directly linked to mental health, and the organ responsible for it – our brain – also needs constant nourishment, exercises that will allow it always be in tone.
The health of the brain depends primarily on the condition of its blood vessels. With age, a person is increasingly susceptible to a major vascular disease – atherosclerosis. This narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels due to permanent cholesterol deposits. You can’t stop this process, but you can slow it down significantly, if you build your lifestyle correctly and follow certain rules.
The Brain
It’s only worthwhile to get busy, and you’ll see that the basic principles governing brain and body health are very similar. They boil down to three basic concepts:
- Good nutrition;
- regular aerobic exercise;
- Getting enough and healthy sleep.
But what about exercise? The brain can’t do push-ups, squats, and runs. Or can it? Let’s break down exactly what exercises you need to do to keep a tenacious mind and a clear memory into old age.
Action!
The brain, like the body, needs exercise and effort. Choose challenging tasks that you can’t do with a bang. Read difficult books that you need to think about. Solve non-trivial crossword puzzles, where the nyt answers is not on the surface. Do everything to make your brain “move”.
This will be the mental equivalent of jumping, jogging, and push-ups.
Increase the load!
Feeling that your old accomplishments are coming too easily? Increase the workload. Make the tasks harder. Make life as difficult as possible, force yourself to look for solutions.
On the other hand, you need to carefully monitor, so as not to exceed their own boundaries of the possible. Do not push yourself too hard, trying to do the impossible. Just as it’s easy to stretch a muscle and tear your back, it’s just as easy to overwork your brain, leading to sleep disturbances, bad moods, and an inability to perform the simplest tasks.
Know how to rest!
No, rest in this case is not a plunge into complete rest and relaxation. Rest for the brain is a change of activity. You can pick up a new book or do some exercise. They fill the blood with oxygen and stimulate mental activity.
Choose the right kind of activity!
It has long been proved: a person cannot progressively develop if he or she does not understand why he or she needs it. Proper motivation is the key to success in any endeavor.
Ideally, if out of all kinds of mental activity you can choose those that bring you maximum pleasure.