This doesn’t just relate to sports…it can relate to our brain health and overall wellness.
As June, and Alzheimer and Brain Health awareness month wraps up its a great motto to keep in mind. I love “awareness months” because as with any subject, in order to make changes you first need awareness. As Alzheimer’s, Dementia, depression, anxiety, and other brain related issues grow, mounting a good offense is a much better strategy than just assuming it will happen statistically, or pray it doesn’t affect us.
The strategy for optimal health, which includes brain health, isn’t a magic silver bullet, but rather a strategy of prevention by giving your body what it needs to keep inflammation at bay and function as it was designed. That includes finding that balance of several factors:
What we eat:
Too often people fear fat because of food marketing tactics. Our brain NEEDS fat and cholesterol, just don’t confuse this with poor quality GMO laden fats. It needs a variety of high quality fats that provide omegas, as well as short and medium chain fatty acids. Toxins from food, stress and medications inhibit the function of the brain and the transporting of key hormones and minerals.
How we think:
Our brain believes what we tell it, and when we continue to tell it stressful, scary or sad things, it builds on that increasing the rate at which we think those things. Training the brain to notice thoughts, rather than just blow them off, and feel feelings is what builds resilience in the brain.
How we move:
Exercise isn’t just to burn calories so we can eat junk. Exercise is as much for our brain as it is our body. Movement pumps out toxins, calms the mind and decreases stress and anxiety.
How we find stillness:
There isn’t a part of our body that doesn’t benefit from resting and restoring. Constant movement and barrage of thoughts and worry, keeps cortisol levels high, depletes the adrenals, and can cause the body to store food as fat without absorbing proper nutrients.
Too often we function on all or none, yet changing our relationship and perspective with these things be it food, thoughts, movement, and stillness allows a health shift for our body and mind.
Check out the 9 minute meditation “slowing the pace of your thoughts” to notice your ability to find stillness in your mind, which translates to strength for your body.