By Kate Lohnes

When you go to the gym, eat your vegetables or work a crossword puzzle, you probably don’t consider how these activities can benefit your brain.

But maybe you should.

Like the muscles in your body, your brain needs nourishment and exercise. As scientists explore this fascinating organ, more and more research demonstrates the need for good brain fitness, too. And some medical professionals are seeing an increase in the number of people who are thinking about their brain health.

“Patients have a lot of questions about brain function that I’ve noticed in the past six months to a year,” says Keith Lewis, a physician at Healthy Life Doctors on Northwest Boulevard in Upper Arlington.

So how exactly do you keep your brain in tip-top shape? The foods you eat or the activities you enjoy don’t just affect your thighs or waistline – they also impact your brain (for better or for worse).

This is your brain … on exercise
Physical activity is good for more than your biceps: doctors and health professionals say it can benefit your brain as well.

“With any type of health condition, if you ask any health practitioner, ‘What should I do (to improve my health,’ lifestyle change and exercise is the first thing that pops into the head,” Lewis says.

Exercise has a wide range of effects on the brain: Physical activity can improve a person’s mood, alertness and feelings of well-being by increasing production of “brain chemicals” such as serotonin and dopamine. Physical activity can also stimulate nerve growth, Lewis adds, and help mental clarity and sharpness.

Clinical research in the past several years supports the idea that exercise is good for the brain, says Dan Shook, director of preventative health services at Mount Carmel Health. In fact, physical activity, especially aerobic or cardio-based activities, can change the physical shape of the brain.

“There have been neuroimaging studies that show certain physical activities do elicit physical changes in the brain,” Shook says. “Certain parts of the brain are more enhanced and the brain tissue increases. Cardio activity can elicit brain cell stimulation. It can help grow brain cells and nerve cells.”

According to Shook, brain benefits for school age children come with more rigorous activity —about 60 percent of a child’s maximum capacity — whereas for adults, moderate levels of exercise can get the same results. This could mean something simple, such as exercising for 20 or 30 minutes several times a week, or taking a walk around the block once a day.

Shook and Lewis both say some activities work double duty when improving brain fitness. Dancing, for example, not only gives you a good aerobic workout, but also engages memory and motor skills. The same goes for activities like video games, including Dance, Dance, Revolution and games for Nintendo’s Wii Fit.

“It’s like a little motor skills challenge,” Shook says. “It’s engaging your brain synapses to work. That’s a mental task and a physical task thrown into one.”

In addition to exercise, certain mental activities can be just as helpful for your mind. The AARP’s Web site says continuous learning and challenging will help you stay sharp as you age.

According to Jane Sindel, recreations supervisor at the Upper Arlington Senior Center, it’s important for people of all ages to mentally challenge themselves. With much of the programming at the center, Sindel says she and others strive to promote programming to engage the brain.

“(It’s important) to age with an active mind,” she says. “The brain isn’t a muscle that we can put on a treadmill or have pump weights, but we know now that certain activities stimulate the brain to create new neural pathways.”

That means trying new simple yet effective brain exercises. For example, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand makes your brain rethink the entire process, Sindel says. Also, driving a new way home from work or learning a new language stimulate different parts of the brain you haven’t worked before.

Lewis also recommends vocabulary challenges like crossword puzzles or Scrabble, number puzzles such as Sudoku or strategy games such as chess to hone mental acuity. Socialization with other people also plays a large role, he says, because it keeps you engaged and happy.

Brain food
Before you dive into that bag of potato chips, consider this: the foods we eat can impact our brain function as well as our hips or gut.

Researchers and health professionals are buzzing about fatty acids, particularly Omega-3 fatty acids, which come primarily from fish and seafood. Fats make up a large portion of the brain, says Barbara McSheffery, a UA dietitian and owner of McSheffery Nutrition. Therefore, Omega-3 fatty acids are important for the structure of the brain. McSheffery says Omerga-3s are also good for brain development in babies: many baby formulas contain Omega-3 supplementation, and pregnant women are encouraged to get a good amount of Omega-3s through diet.

“You should try to get about 12 ounces of fatty fish a week,” she says. “Two little cans of tuna a week and you’d be in pretty good shape.” For people who do not like to eat fish, McSheffery suggests supplementation such as fish oil capsules that will also give you the same benefits.

Good eating habits are just as important to brain function as the foods you eat. For example, eating breakfast provides your brain with fuel to begin the day: without it, you might not be so mentally sharp.

“You run out of gas if you haven’t eaten anything since 6 p.m. the night before,” McSheffery says. “You’re pretty much running on empty.”

Kate Lohnes is assistant editor of Upper Arlington Magazine.

Try these simple techniques to engage your brain:

- Locate an item in your purse (or coins in your pocket) by touch rather than sight.
- Take a different route while driving.
- Take a cooking class.
- Use your opposite hand to move a computer mouse or operate the TV remote.
Sources: The AARP and The Franklin Institute Online

What other foods make good brain food?

Foods with protein contain amino acids, which help the neurotransmitters in the brain connect and communicate. These foods include fish, chicken, cheese, yogurt, nuts, some grains and seeds and legumes.

Foods with glucose fuel your brain, giving it energy to operate. These foods include whole grains and fruits and vegetables that have less sugar.

Foods with antioxidants (micronutrients) protect brain cells from damage and/or mutation. These foods include mostly colorful fruits and vegetables, such as citrus fruits, blueberries and green, leafy veggies.
Source: The Franklin Institute Online