Here’s a tip for free: Protecting and
expanding your mind is key to a happy
life. And it’s much easier than you think...
MIND
A beautiful
YOU MIGHT SPEND HOURS
STRIVING TO IMPROVE your looks
and body – but how much time do you put
aside to target your mind? No-filter skin,
toned legs and Kardashian-glossy hair are
all well and good, but it’s your mind that’s
key to both your mental and physical health.
If you’re up for paying it the attention
it deserves, an ever-increasing body of
scientific research suggests it’s now
possible to improve and protect our
brain power in ways that were previously
unimaginable. Central to these is the
idea of neuroplasticity: the mind’s ability
to adapt physically, forming new neural
pathways, as we learn something new.
An example? In a study by University
College London, London taxi drivers,
who spend an average 34 months
familiarising themselves with 25,000
streets around the city, were found to
have developed a significantly larger
hippocampus (the area of the brain
associated with spatial navigation).
So by giving our brains a regular
workout, we can hone them into shape
and become smarter, more focused and
quicker to learn, right? It’s highly likely.
But the jury’s still out on what these
‘workouts’ may actually entail. In an
era when we’re living longer than ever
before, and the number of people with
dementia is steadily increasing – currently
more than 342,000 Australians are living
with dementia, which is expected to
increase to 400,000 in the next decade- anything that aims to reduce that risk
by boosting brain power is big business.