According to recent research, Alzheimer’s rates have plummeted over the past 20 years among Americans with higher levels of education. While the reasons behind these findings are not yet clear, the best brain health advice continues to be “use it or lose it.” Lifestyle choices can provide the neuroplasticity exercises to use it so you don’t lose it.
Brain assets are similar to financial assets: plan A is to keep them growing! The brain grows new connections whenever it gets worked hard enough, at any age. This fantastic cognitive ability to change and grow throughout life is called neuroplasticity.
Different activities on or off the job will push your brain to grow. The key is to make sure all your brain assets have a chance to work in your daily life. This keeps your brain portfolio balanced and positioned for growth.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to grow your brain assets:
- Look at the list of brain assets below.
- Figure out which of your brain assets is least active right now.
- Pick an activity to exercise it and get started!
You may have fun moving outside your comfort zone–or even discover a hidden talent! To learn more about brain assets, see Chapter 3 of Better with Age: The Ultimate Guide to Brain Training.
Parietal Lobe (yellow) : physical/hands-on activity such as camping, dancing, drawing, running, walking, water aerobics, working out
Occipital Lobe (green): visual activity such as art, movies, photography (if your job requires a lot of time with a computer or paperwork, try working a a different area!)
Temporal Lobe (pink): auditory activity such as acting, learning a language, listening to music, mentoring, playing an instrument, singing, volunteering
Frontal Lobe (blue): planning ahead/strategy activity such as bridge, chess, improvisation, golf, public speaking, tai chi, yoga
Default Network (red): self-referential activity such as autobiographical writing, journaling, making big life decisions about meaningful activity, commitments, or relationships
