Simple, sustainable habits to keep your brain young
Professor Kerryn Phelps has been in general practice for the better part of four decades. So, she knows a thing or two about health. Something she's particularly passionate about is brain health, and her new book provides tips and tricks on ensuring your brain goes the distance.
In all her time in general practice, Professor Kerryn Phelps has come to realise that often, people’s greatest fear is the possibility of losing their intellectual capacity.
What she discovered through extensive research though, is that while ageing physically may seem inevitable, ageing cognitively is not.
“There is a certain level of concern, verging on panic, if people start to notice that their memory is going, or they feel that they’re becoming forgetful, that they can’t remember details or the name of somebody that they’ve met,” Phelps explained.
In How to Keep Your Brain Young, Phelps provides accessible evidence-based information and every day practices that can be implemented in a practical and achievable way. “It was really a deep dive into preventive neurology,” Phelps said.
As Sydney begins the process of reopening following more than 100 days in lockdown, Phelps says it’s the perfect time to look at everything we’ve all implemented, ensuring we keep these changes in place.
“Things like getting out for an hour a day to exercise, working more from home, reading more,” Phelps suggested. “People haven’t been able to go to out to entertainment, so they’ve learnt a language or started learning a musical instrument.”
According to Phelps, keeping your brain young as you age starts even before you’re born. This means, for parents, it’s about putting your child on the right path as they grow.
“I want people at all ages to be thinking about the impact of whatever they’re doing in their lives is going to have on their future brain health,” Phelps said.
“For example, don’t encourage your children to take up a sport where brain injury is a likely possibility. Think about nutrition in a mindful way, look at your diet and the various nutrients required for your brain to have the fuel it needs to do the work that it does.”
Phelps says education, at all ages, plays a huge role in brain health.
“A holistic education that involves maths, science and literature.
“You may not remember all those calculus equations from high school, but they did a lot of work in forming the wiring patterns in your brain.”
Phelps suggests that you continue to learn, whether that’s through reading, formal or informal education, taking up a new skill or even learning the latest dance moves.
Your brain is such a precious organ that is influenced by almost everything you do.
“To look after your brain is to look after every aspect of your being, your personality, your thoughts and your intellect. It’s a revelation just how much you can actually physically do to enhance your brain function.”
How to Keep Your Brain Young is published by Pan Macmillan Australia, $34.99 (RRP).
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