Many people will argue that exercise is the most crucial part of your health. Others say that the more critical piece is diet.
Yes, I agree they are both important, of course, but the MOST Important part of your health is your Brain Health.
When it comes to health, it’s easy for many of us to turn to things like weight, cholesterol level, risk of cancer, blood sugar level, and heart health. But, unfortunately, we forget about brain health.
Those other things are easier to grasp because we see them. We feel them. We do not know what is going on inside our brains. But here is the crucial point: when you put your brain first, everything else, health-wise, falls into place.
The brain is ground zero. Do not forget that it is what makes you. Your heart ticks, but your brain ultimately makes you tick-tock and determines your quality of life. Without a healthy brain, you cannot make even a favorable decision.
With brain health comes not only a healthy body, weight, heart, and so on but also a stronger sense of confidence, a more solid financial future, and increased overall happiness.
Then we need to focus on brain health. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, affects one in nine Americans aged sixty-five and older, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 6 million people are living with this disease.
Let me walk you through the self-assessment. This will give you where you are now with your brain health and work towards improving it, so the quality of life improves as we all age.
- Do You suffer from any brain-related ailment, or have you been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment?
- Do you avoid strenuous exercise?
- Do you sit most of the day?
- Are you a woman?
- Have you been diagnosed with cardiovascular (Heart) disease?
- Are you overweight or even obese?
- Do you have metabolic disorders like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, diabetes, and high cholesterol?
- Have you ever been diagnosed with an infection that can lead to chronic inflammation and neurological effects? (Like Lyme disease, herpes, syphilis?)
- Are you on medication with possible mental side effects, like antidepressants, antianxiety, blood pressure, statins for cholesterol, proton pump inhibitors for acid reflux like Prilosec, or antihistamines?
- Have you had a brain injury, suffered head trauma impact from an accident, or played an impact sport? Have you been diagnosed with a concussion?
- Do you smoke or have a history of smoking?
- Do you have a history of depression?
- Do you lack social engagements with others?
- Did your years of formal education end at high school or earlier?
- Is your diet high in processed, sugary, fatty food and low in whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fresh fruits and vegetables?
- Do you live with chronic, unrelenting stress? (Constant pressure and having trouble coping)
- Do you have a history of alcohol abuse?
- Do you suffer from a sleep disorder (like insomnia or sleep apnea) or poor sleep regularly?
- Do you have hearing loss?
- Does your day lack cognitive challenges in learning something new or playing a game that requires a lot of thinking?
- Does your job lack complex work with people through persuasion, mentoring, instruction or supervision?
- Are you over 65 years old?
- Does Alzheimer’s run in your family, or have you been diagnosed with carrying the Alzheimer’s gene variant APOE3 OR APOE4, or both?
- Do you care for someone who suffers from some form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease included?
If you answered yes to five or more questions, your brain could be in decline or maybe soon, and you can benefit from the information from a book written by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Keep Sharp.
This book isn’t just about avoiding disease. It is about making your brain as sharp as it can be at any age.
I am a good student learning all about various aspects of health. How to improve the quality of our life is the key. Starting with your brain is essential!
If you want an easy way to incorporate brain buildings foods to stay sharp, check out the benefits of celery juice here:
https://simplehealthylivingcommunity.org/the-miracle-behind-celery-juice/