Did you set a new challenge for the new year? A few months ago, I asked my primary care physician what I could do to remain cognitively sharp as I age, He’s a young guy and the best doctor I’ve ever had. He scheduled an extended appointment to get a baseline for memory tests and other indicators of cognitive acuity. Taking these tests set my mind at ease. It’s a valuable yardstick for anyone over fifty. But he offered far more than the tests. He gave me a prescription for growing brain power. Even more important than retaining our mental capacity and creativity is to continue to grow our brains. The prescription, or more correctly, the challenge consisted of three parts. I expected the first two, but the third challenge was a complete surprise.
The First Challenge: Exercise
Did you guess this was one of the best ways to grow brain power? Much science exists to prove this and explain why, but one of the most obvious is that exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, Makes sense. But don’t take my word for it. The Cleveland Clinic posted this. I’m guessing many of you already resolved to do this in the new year. Right?
The Second Challenge: Eat Healthy
You may be saying, “Doctors tell everyone this for whatever ails them, No surprise.” Specifically though, there are foods that feed the brain and help us grow our brain power. I’m no dietician or chemist but I do know that eating a full range of the food God created for us provides a plethora of important trace minerals and vitamins. He even color-coded it. We need to eat a colorful array of fruits and vegetables as close to natural as possible so all the magic is not processed out of them. Was eating better in your plan for 2023? I recently decided to up my culinary prowess and make this the year to master the cooking of fish— something I never seemed to have achieved. We subscribed to a monthly shipment of wild-caught Alaskan seafood and I’ve been studying techniques and trying new recipes. It’s been fun. If you’d like to dig deeper, an excellent article on nutrition and the brain is found here.
The Third Challenge: Shock Your Brain
This is the one that surprised me. When he said it, a mental picture of the barbaric apparatus that inhumanely treated mental illness by the use of electro Shock Therapy came to mind. I guess by the look on my face the doctor knew an explanation was needed. It involves no electricity, thankfully.We shock our brains by doing difficult, challenging tasks. “I’m learning Mandarin Chinese,” the doctor said. By the time he gets home from a day of seeing patients, he hits the internet and works for at least an hour. By the time he’s done his head hurts. “That’s the sign,” he said, “that you are shocking your brain.” You need to do something so difficult, so stretching, that it feels like a brain ache. It’s much the same as when you exercise, your muscles ache. That’s an indication you’re building strength whether it is muscles in your body or your brain.
It made sense to me but I decided to do a little scrounging around the internet to see if this was backed by science. Indeed it is. Along with a myriad other challenges for better brain health. As creatives— as writers— we need to keep our brains in tip top shape. I’m experimenting with ways to shock my brain with ever harder challenges.
What about you? Have you set any challenges for the new year?
Let’s Talk about Our Favorite Read–2022
Barb had set challenge for me
which is beyond a trifle;
next Christmas what she’d like, you see,
is a custom double rifle
that is built upon the action
of a side by side shotgun;
although this be a heavy tasking,
it should be rather fun.
And 470 Nitro
is the caliber preferred;
to Africa she’d like to go
may well be inferred,
but meanwhile she would gladly stalk
any T. Rex wand’ring down the block.
To be clear, she wants me to build this beast, not buy one.
It won’t be easy, but is quite possible.
Mandarin Chinese is supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn. Inwish I could say I’ve launched an exercise, eat right, learn Chinese initiative, but I haven’t. I continue to look for new, more difficult weaving techniques and knitting patterns that are so complicated I can’t do them while watching TV. They require notes and total focus, usually early in the day after my two cups of coffee. I’m finding new recipes and learning that Indian food is lots of chopping and prep to get that perfect flavor. And I’m reading books outside my normal preferred genres and finding I actually like some of them. Continuing to learn has always been for me one of the reasons to continue on. Good to know it helps sharpen my cognitive skills too!
Wendy, I made no resolutions or challenges, but funnily enough, yesterday on a whim I started a free program online for learning a new language. It’s on a site called Duolingo. There you can learn Klingon, if you’re so inclined! I wasn’t, but there are many languages from which to choose. Wonder if anyone can guess mine?
Lori
Did you know Klingon has no word for please?
No, but I am not surprised.
Learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek are still on my BID list. But it would’ be easier to take my old college math books off the shelf and do a few calculus or differential equation problems—the ones with the answers in the back so I’d know if I got them right.
This was so good to read today. I’ve been thinking about how to keep my brain active since I’m the age I am (63 and don’t mind saying it!). I’m not sure what “shocking my brain” looks like for me, but I know it’s worth consideration.
Thank you, Wendy.
I intentionally took college algebra forty years after my last math class just to get the synapses firing again. “Brain shock” describes it well. It felt like a semester in the electric chair.
This is valuable information. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Surely, some of our writing days count for making the brain hurt. Of course, most of the time it’s pleasure, but there are the days…
Such good info! I have been slowly working through a book about brain health (You, Happier by Dr. Daniel Amen) and your Dr’s advice lines right up with his. As for shocking my brain, I am trying to learn more about Instagram to help out my writing platform. It definitely makes my brain hurt, but is no Chinese curriculum. Maybe next time, ha!
Thank you, Wendy, for your very thought-provoking post. You’ve provided excellent tips for keeping our brains and minds healthy and strong. 🙂
One thing I have been doing for the last 50 or so of my 77 years is declaring aloud on a daily basis Scripture verses related to health. Three of my favorite are:
1 Corinthians 2: 16 – I have the mind of Christ.
2 Timothy 1: 7 – I have a sound mind.
Psalm 103: 5 – My youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
These are all God’s promises to those who believe Him and follow Him. There are many other verses I also declare regularly.
The Word of God is Life. Scripture tells us in Proverbs 18: 21 that death and life are in the power of the tongue. So what we speak about our health and other aspects of our lives is critically important. Like you, I choose Life!
Thank you again for your care and concern for your readers. You are a blessing! 🙂
I LOVE THIS! Truth.
I have these verses taped to my bathroom mirror now. I’m a huge believer in the power of rhema, the spoken Word, but I had not applied these truths to my cognition. This is a wonderful application.
Today is my 70th birthday. I’m pondering a number of things, and your article, Wendy, really “hit me where I live!” I know, I know, I know I need to be more physically active. I am already paying attention to what I eat. But the brain shock was a shocking delight! And I know what I want to do! Yes, of course I’m a writer and have story ideas galore, but….but….I want to learn ancient Hebrew. Tried and failed once before. But I’m older and wiser now….so…look out brain, a shock is coming! Hebrew flashcards, here I come! Thank you, Wendy! I’ grateful for your words! Grace and peace.