brain health

Negative Thinking Takes its Toll on the Brain

Negative thinking slows down brain coordination, making it difficult to process thoughts and find solutions. Feeling frightened, which often happens when focused on negative outcomes, has been shown to decrease activity in your cerebellum, which slows the brain’s ability to process new information-limiting your ability to practice creative problem-solving. Additionally, the fear factor impacts your left temporal lobe, which affects mood, memory, and impulse control. . . . Start by thinking happy thoughts, looking on the bright side, and refocusing your brain when negative thoughts occur. Your mind has the ability to determine how your brain thinks about what happens in your life. Use it to your own advantage to reframe events and think positively.

Source

Get Up and Get Moving. Your Brain Will Thank You Later

People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise improves blood flow and memory; it stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking. Be fit. Be smart.

Source

Singing, Cognition and Dementia

As British researchers reported in the journal Dementia, a group singing program developed by the U.K.-based Alzheimer’s Society, called “Singing for the Brain,” may help improve aspects of memory, sociability, and mood in people with dementia. Though there’s no evidence that memory-dependent activities, such as singing, can prevent dementia, many experts think they may help delay the onset of some age-related cognitive problems.

Source

A Happy Brain Needs Exercise

Check this out

Various types of exercise can offer this benefit, but walking at least two miles, biking, or running may be especially effective. “Steadily walking puts your brain in a neuroplastic state, which means it can build connections between cells more easily,” Susa says. “When walking to new places, you need to visually and mentally explore where to go next. Each place you see can bring different ideas to your brain, connecting different meanings.”

Source

The Centers for Disease Prevention and ControlTrusted Source notes that learning new dance moves can increase your brain’s processing speed and memory. In other words, bust a move on the dance floor and your brain will thank you.

Want to test it out? Give one of these dance activities a try:

• Take a salsa, tap, hip-hop, or contemporary dance class.
• Try a Zumba or jazz exercise class.
• Watch an online video with fun dance moves you’ve always wanted to learn.
• Grab a partner and learn to ballroom dance.
• Gather your friends and go line dancing.

Source

Turn on YouTube or something similar, you’ll have all the free dancing tutorials you can handle right in your living room. I’d write more, but I’m going to practice the Texas Two Step.