There are no magic solutions for optimizing cognitive well-being, but you can incorporate beneficial and rewarding activities into your brain health routine—and make them fun.

By Vonetta Dotson, Ph.D.

BRAIN HEALTH encompasses many aspects of health, including mental and cognitive. When your brain is healthy, your mood and cognitive skills are better, your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is lower and you age better, with fewer functional limitations.

You’re probably inundated with social media posts, ads and books that tout brain health “solutions” that aren’t based on science. For example, there is no scientific evidence that brain health supplements lead to any measurable improvements in cognitive function. There is no quick fix, so don’t be fooled by advice that suggests otherwise.

Leveraging science to maintain a healthy brain: Decades of research show the benefits of healthy lifestyles for healthy brains. You can benefit from starting these brain-healthy habits regardless of your age. For example: Exercise regularly, engage your brain, maintain social connections, get good sleep, eat a balanced, heart-healthy diet, manage your stress and mental health and take care of your heart.

Fitting brain-healthy behavior into your busy life: The idea of adding brain-boosting activity to your to-do list might sound daunting, but with a little planning, creativity and flexibility, you can optimize and preserve your brain health even while being pulled in many different directions. Some suggestions:

• Take small brain breaks. Research shows even five- or ten-minute blocks of brain-healthy behavior can have short-term and long-term benefits. You can set aside ten minutes
  at the beginning or end of your workday for a brisk walk, a period of meditation, yoga stretches or a Tabata workout that doesn’t require any equipment (you can find free videos online). Small breaks can add up to big benefits.
• Make a plan. Factor in brain-healthy behavior the way you plan for important work events. Think ahead about your goal, identify potential barriers, brainstorm solutions to those barriers and then take the steps necessary to make sure you follow through. For some brain-healthy activities, you might want to set an appointment with yourself (for example, blocking your calendar to make sure you have time for a workout).
• Combine brain-healthy behavior. You can get more bang for your buck if you participate in activities that combine multiple healthy behaviors. For example, if you walk and talk for a meeting with a colleague or work out with a friend, you’re combining physical activity and social activity. Or you can combine social activity with cognitive activity if you go to a museum or cultural event with your family.
• Have fun. Try to make the activities fun or relaxing. Have a karaoke dance party with your family, start a jogging group with your friends, organize a book club, learn to play an instrument or take a cooking class to learn brain-healthy recipes. Activities like these examples can be enjoyable, but they’re also investing in your brain health.

There is no quick fix, so don’t be fooled by advice that suggests otherwise.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but set specific, realistic goals to optimize your brain health. And give yourself grace—it’s OK if you don’t meet your goals. Figure out what got in the way and make a new plan to try again. Make it a priority and don’t give up! Your brain will thank you for it.

VONETTA DOTSON, Ph.D. is president of CerebroFit Integrated Brain Health (cerebrofit.org), which offers holistic services online and in the Atlanta metro area to support brain health. She is also chief of neuropsychology at Mass General Brigham, a Harvard health care system. She published the book “Keep Your Wits About You: The Science of Brain Maintenance as You Age” in 2022. Contact her at vdotson@cerebrofit.org.