Disclaimer: Mind-Body-Spirit-Wellness is an informational blog. The authors discuss human biology, exercise, nutrition, health, and wellness. However, the authors are not doctors or medical professionals. Site information is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute any professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
This is a hard topic to write about.
Therefore, we must write about it.
What is Dementia?
According to the CDC, “Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging.”
Not A Part of Normal Aging
Scroll up and read the sentence of that last paragraph again.
Now read it one more time.
Once more.
That’s right, just because older adults are at an increased risk of developing dementia does not mean all elderly will develop Alzheimer’s or diminished brain or memory functioning. Memorize the “not part of normal aging” statement so you can understand why we can write the next few paragraphs truthfully.
Risks Are Not Expectations
The elderly have an increased risk of dementia, as do African-Americans and Latinos. Poor heart health, high blood pressure, and diabetes increase the risk, as does repeated brain injuries.
But risks are not expectations.
Here on the Mind-Body-Spirit-Wellness blog, we like to focus on functional health and wellness by providing tips for avoiding future health issues.
Below, you will find the top five actions you can take to obliterate your risk of dementia, no matter what your age.
Action #1—Exercise
Why exercise? Well, if you think of your body as a machine, regular exercise, stretching, and raising your heart rate are the primary tools that keep your “machine” from seizing up and rusting.
What you do for your body, affects your brain as well.
Think of dementia as rust growing on the “gears” of your brain. What’s the best way to handle rust? Keep the gears oiled and moving regularly to avoid a rust takeover.
With every workout, and each stretching session, you keep blood flow pumping to vital areas in your brain. You flood your brain with lubricating fluids and nutrients, especially if you make that workout challenging.
Exercise every day and those “gears” will stay rust-free even as your body ages.
Action # 2—Stop Eating Crap
Nutrition plays a huge role in preventing dementia in your later years. If you’ve read our previous posts, you know we are big on keeping a healthy diet because it prevents high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. A diet filled with fatty fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, fresh vegetables, quality protein, and healthy oils can ward off the toughest physical diseases, and it does the same for dementia.
Your body is a series of systems. When one system breaks down, it influences the breakdown of associated systems. If you want to beat dementia, this is how to do it: avoid processed foods, excessive sweets, chemical-filled “franken” foods (like Coke, Cheetos, Oreos, and Twinkies), fast food, and fried foods. Fill your plate with fresh, nutrient filled foods at least 90% of the time.
Action #3—Dodge Excessive Toxins
Smoking vastly increases your risk of dementia. So does excessive alcohol drinking. I don’t think we even need to talk about hard drugs like heroin or ecstasy. If you regularly indulge in any of these, get some help and stop today.
If you live in an area close to chemical-producing factories, or if the air close to your home is regularly smoggy, make a plan to move. Moving isn’t easy or economical, but with enough research and help, you can do it. Your life is worth it.
Action #4—Get Friends
Exercise is good.
Exercising in the zone and getting your heart rate up is even better.
Do you know what pushes you to the best level? Exercising regularly with friends.
Your friend circle is so important, popular books like The Blue Zones and Ikigai talk about regular, fun, social interaction as though it is a healthy action that ranks as high as eating fresh organic food or quitting smoking.
In fact, one study of elderly persons in Italy found smokers who met with their friends regularly actually lived longer than non-smoking solitary people.
Do not start smoking.
Join a gym with classes. Start a swim club. Check out CrossFit. Sign up for Zumba. Go out once or twice a week and line dance, contra dance, salsa, or tango. Whatever your choice, dive in and love it and laugh with your buddies who enjoy the activity along with you.
Action #5—Stop Stressing
Life is stressful. That’s a fact. Your job is to have a plan of attack.
If you are a person of faith, meditating on what your faith communicates regarding leaving your stressful thoughts behind, will help you the most. Research shows this actually works.
If you need to talk to someone or have a patient-doctor relationship for therapy, do your best to get some help. Don’t go it alone.
The point is this: have a plan for minimizing your stress. Stressing out creates inflammation in your body and brain and that boosts your risk of dementia.
If you are a person of faith, meditating on what your faith communicates regarding leaving your stressful thoughts behind, will help you the most. Research shows this actually works.
If you need to talk to someone or have a patient-doctor relationship for therapy, do your best to get some help. Don’t go it alone.
The point is this: establish a plan to decrease stress in your life. Stressing out creates inflammation in your brain, thereby boosting your risk for dementia.
To Sum It All Up
Your dementia plan of action is:
- Exercise daily
- Eat a healthy diet regularly (occasional treats are okay)
- Dodge the toxins
- Get out with friends
- Ditch the stress
Have your best brain and live your best life!
MindBodySpiritWellness 