Cosmopolitan USA – June 2017

No time to waste!

Almost two-thirds

of Americans

with Alzheimer’s

are women,

according to

the Alzheimer’s

Association.

100

BODY

WE’RE OBSESSED

with warding off

signs of aging on

our faces and

fannies, but our

brains can shrivel

up too...we just

can’t see it hap­

pening. That’s

why the right food

and mental exer­

cise are critical—

and the time to

start is now.

Research shows

that information­

processing speed

peaks at 18 or 19

and short­term

memory peaks

between 25 and

35. The earlier you
    adopt these
    powerful lifestyle
    habits, the
    sharper your mind
    may stay, says
    David Perlmutter,
    MD, author of The
    Grain Brain
    Whole Life Plan.
    And the less
    likely you might
    be to succumb
    to memory
    meltdowns like
    dementia.

No time to waste!

Almost two-thirds

of Americans

with Alzheimer’s

are women,

according to

the Alzheimer’s

Association.

GET GOOD

IN BED

As in, good at

sleeping. Too few

zzz’s can impair

production of

crucial brain pro­

teins, which can

mess with your

memory now

and contribute to

dementia later.

Try for at least

seven hours a

night, unplug­

ging anything

that glows in your

bedroom, says

Dave Asprey,

author of Head

Strong. Even

small traces of

light can mes­

sage your

mind to stay alert

and awake.

CHOOSE

COMPLEXITY

Short­term, eating

simple carbs such

as bread and

pasta leaves you

hangry and foggy,

thanks to seesaw­

ing blood sugar

levels. Long­term,

it may raise your

risk for dementia

and Alzheimer’s

disease. “The

brain seems to

thrive in a low­

carb envi­

ronment,” says

Max Lugavere,

whose upcoming

documentary

Bread Head looks

at the link

between nutrition

and cognition.

Instead of reach­

ing for the bread

basket, stick

with complex

carbs like lentils,

quinoa, and sweet

potatoes.

STUDY UP

Want to make

your mind more

nimble? Learn

something new,

says psychiatrist

Daniel Amen, MD,

author of Change

Your Brain,

Change Your Life.

The great news:

Your brain isn’t

picky about what

you study—could

be juggling,

could be Manda­

rin. Research

shows that even

mastering Angry

Birds can increase

all­around cogni­

tive ability. (We

knew video

games were good

for something!)

FEED YOUR

FOCUS

Noshing on

foods high in

magnesium may

enhance learning

and memory

as well as reduce

inflammation.

“Having inflam­

mation in the

brain is like hav­

ing spotty

cell service,” says

Dr. Perlmut ter.

Help keep your

mental signals

clear with green

leafy vegetables,

almonds, black

beans, avocados,

and bananas.

Blueberries are

also full of nutri­

ents that can

boost recall and

potentially slow

memory loss.

EMBRACE

CALM

Chronic stress

batters the hip­

pocampus, a

brain area central

to memory and

emotion, and the

prefrontal cortex,

which helps

manage analytic

thought, says

psychologist

Elissa Epel, PhD,

coauthor of The

Telomere Effect.

Becoming a hun­

dred percent

Zen isn’t exactly

realistic, but

you can protect

your noggin

by managing

your reaction to

stress. Medita­

tion, tai chi, or

even some daily

deep breathing

can help.

You work hard on that bod, but how buff is

your brain? These simple actions will

strengthen and preserve your sexiest asset.

BY JESSICA CASSITY

Build a

Beautiful

Mind

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