The other day, I saw a bumper sticker on a car driving in front of me. It said: "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." I thought to myself, how can you tell?
When clients see me as a dietitian, they are (for the most part) ready and willing to do something about their physical health.
Most would agree that healthy eating habits and regular exercise are only part of the equation and that other issues (stress management and sound sleeping habits) would need to be addressed as well to achieve greater health.
However, most are not aware of the importance of their mental health for their overall well-being. I'm talking about mental fitness.
MENTAL FITNESS
While the importance of physical health and fitness is commonly acknowledged and well communicated to the public, there is not yet enough attention being paid to the importance of mental fitness - not even by the medical profession.
This is no coincidence. Traditionally, the mind and the body have often been treated as two separate entities, each belonging to radically different realms. In this view, the body is seen as a material thing which inevitably ages over time and eventually succumbs to mortality.
On the contrary, old age is believed to provide us with experience, knowledge and wisdom.
MIND - BODY
Of course, today we know much more about the interconnectedness between the mind and the body. Clinical studies have shown that physical fitness impacts our mental capabilities as well. Newsweek magazine has recently published several articles on the subject. It states that a "rapidly growing movement in science [is] showing that exercise can make people smarter" and that exercising can coax "the human brain into growing new nerve cells, a process that for decades had been thought impossible, simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic workout regimen."
One connection is obvious: Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain and the additional oxygen stimulates the brain cells. What's new is that scientists assumed that the brain could not make new nerve cells once they were lost. This assumption is no longer valid; there is sufficient evidence that genuine neurogenesis can be achieved by physical exercise.
Regular trips to the gym, however, can only be part of the story. How about the notion that an active brain functions better than a "lazy" one? If the mind is not stimulated, it loses strength regardless of our physical condition. And how can we stay mentally fit when we get older and our physical capacities inevitably decline?
AVOID JUNK
So, what would a workout regimen for the mind look like? As a dietitian I suggest that you start by improving your diet for your mind. Avoid junk and focus on good nutrition. Of course, that is not an easy task. In this day and age, we are constantly exposed to news, messages and advertisement. There is this tremendous noise level we seem unable to escape.
To stimulate the mind, it is not sufficient to watch TV or browse the Internet - not even quality programs or the news. Your mind wants more than being entertained. There are better, more challenging things to do. Here are just a few ideas I recommend: If you are so inclined, learn a foreign language - it's never too late for that. (At nearly 70 years old, I'm trying to learn Swahili.)
Read constantly, but be discriminating about your literary choices. Write often, if only a diary or letters to friends and family. Travel to other countries, if your time and finances allow you to do so. Join Toastmasters, if you enjoy (or are afraid of) public speaking. And always keep up your curiosity and hunger for knowledge. There is such a thing as intellectual poverty. It is a terrible condition to suffer.
Timi Gustafson, R.D. is the author of The Healthy Diner - How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun. Her book is available in local bookstores on the Internet at www.thehealthy diner.com. You can e-mail her at tmg@timigustafson.com.
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