Some Tips for Healthy Living (not necessarily in order of importance)
Even though these tips were primarily developed to reduce impact of dementia, they are, also, relevant for general mental health and well-being which includes building holistic strategies to maintain financial, social, mental, emotional and physical health:
- socialisation or social engagement (maintain social connections and participate in community activities to stimulate cognitive well-being; it is about the quality of relationships, eg friendship groups; belonging to a community that supports you; social connection, not isolation; on the other hand, loneliness
"...is as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
"...good relationships actually enhance wound healing, strengthen your immune system, lowers your cortisol stress levels..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
Some different types of friendship groups:
i) just friends (such as acquaintances, colleagues, etc; friends from work, outside work activities, etc )
ii) trusted friends (closest friends and loved ones you trust and consider confidantes)
iii) rusted friends (friends who you have lost contact with)
iv) emerging (new friends)
NB Friendships under ii) & iv) are the most important
(more details see)
- optimistic (this is linked with a positive mindset, ie focus more on the positives and less on the negatives; understanding that the brain's default position is for the negatives)
- gratitude (your thoughts can influence your brain and body chemistry, ie it changes your brain chemistry, strengthens your immune system, reduces your muscular pain, lifts your mood and improves your overall quality of life; make gratitude a daily practice by starting a gratitude box, ie every time you are thankful for something writing down on a piece of paper and put that paper in a box so that a later date, you can read your notes to remember things you are grateful for, or start a gratitude journal, ie record daily things you are thankful for such as experiences, opportunities, friends, life's lesson, beauty of nature, etc)
- be physical activity (engage in regular exercise, including aerobic activities and strength training; ideally need to get a 'sweat up'; this will enhance blood flow to the brain and support cognitive function
a) test your hand grip strength (your grip strength is a good indicator of your overall muscular strength and cognitive capability, ie
"...the weaker your hand grip, the weaker your memory, the weaker your cognition and the weaker your processing speed..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
Like the gut, muscles communicate with the brain.
"...You don't get weak as you get old. You get old if we allow ourselves to get weak..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
When you are using your muscles, they release a cocktail of chemicals called myokines that circulate in your blood and keep your organs healthy, especially the brain; your working muscles results in your brain’s production of a chemical called BDNF which stimulates the growth of new brain cells and connection between brain cells.
Need both aerobic and strength exercises:
i) walking is good for aerobic exercise (need to walk at a brisk pace, eg if over 65 years old need to
"...walk 250 m in less than 6 minutes or 1 km in less than 16 minutes..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
If you are able to do this, it means that your body is functioning satisfactorily.
However, the faster you walk, the longer you live!!!!
ii) hand grip/quad squats/push-ups/stress ball, etc are good for muscle strengthening
NB Alternating your aerobic exercises with strength training is recommended
- counter the nature deficit disorder (NDO)
"...People who don't spend any time in nature have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders and auto-immune diseases......nature nurtures us for so many reasons..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
As important as the bacteria in the gut (microbiome) are the bacteria found in nature (aero). When you are in nature you inhale aero biome that interact with the gut microbiome in a positive way.
Furthermore, trees release chemicals called phytons sides that strengthen your immune system, lower your blood pressure, lower your cortisol levels (which is a stress hormone) and improve your mood.
The minimal amount of time we need to spend in nature is around 120 minutes per week; it is best to take your daily walk in nature.
Furthermore, when in hospital, it is best to have a room with a view of nature as this will speed up your recovery and you will need fewer medicines; similarly, if you are in a prison ask for a cell with a view of nature: prisoners from these cells are better behaved, get sick less, leave prison sooner!!!
NB Dancing is a good way to exercise plus it stimulates the brain and encourages socialisation)
- promote your own mental stimulation and continuous learning (challenge your brain with new learning experiences, puzzles or games to strengthen neural connections and promote brain health, such as neuroplasticity; encourage people to step out of their comfort zone; maintain a curious and open-minded attitude; embrace new challenges and learning opportunities' learn new skills, such as learning to play a musical instrument or a new language, to keep the mind active and resilient.
NB Work on activities that give you meaning and purpose, ie what you are passionate about; work on activities that are challenging (push you out of your comfort zone), stimulating and enjoyable, ie make activities fun.
"...the greatest risk a person can take is not to aim too high and miss, it is to aim to low and hit..."
Michelangelo as quoted by Helena Popovic, 2024
Work on living a purposeful life by setting meaningful goals and maintain a sense of purpose to give your brain a reason to stay sharp)
- have healthy diet (adopt a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meat, whole grains, etc to provide essential nutrients that support the brain function; reduce the intake of processed foods, fatty meats, junk food, emulsified foods (they play havoc with your gut bacteria and cause inflammation), foods that contain additional chemicals, etc; need to be careful of food with thickeners, vegetable oils, trans fats, sugars, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavouring, colouring, dressings, etc; some dressings have up to 10 extra chemicals added.
NB Your bodies are only able to take a limited amount of these toxic foods like on special occasions, including birthdays, Christmas, etc.
"...Today by the time a child is 8 years old, they have had more sugar than the average person had in in their entire life a century ago..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
Processed foods contribute to every known physical and mental diseases:
"...Every 1% increase in ultra-processed food increases the risk of cancer by 1.2% and Type II diabetes by 1.5%......doubles your risk of getting dementia later in life..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
Reduce your intake of food from tins, boxes, cans, jars, packages, cartoons, etc while increasing your intake of 'unprocessed' food from nature)
- drink more water (maximise daily intake of water such as natural mineral water; reduce intake of artificial and processed drinks, alcohol, etc
"...Every soft drink is a bullet to your brain......by drinking one small can of soft drink a day, by the end of the year you'll be almost 7 kg heavier and have increased your risk of type II diabetes by 22%..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
It is a similar story for fruit drinks as when you juice fruit, you remove the fibre and you are left with concentrated sugar and water.
Soft drinks and fruit juices provide
"...too much sugar in too short a time for your liver and brain to handle and sugar is actually toxic to the brain in large quantity. It actually slows down your processing speed..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
It is best to add natural food waste like strawberries, leaves, limes, lemon, rock melon, etc to give flavour to water.)
- have quality sleep (ensure adequate and restful sleep; aiming for 7 to 9 hours per night (includes napping), which is crucial for memory consolidation and overall brain health; if you
"...average less than 6 hours of sleep a night, you have a 30% increased risk of dementia......reason for this is sleep is when your brain detoxifies......when you sleep, the spaces between your brain cells expand and the glymphatic fluid flushes through your brain and washes out the toxins..."
Helena Popovic, 2024
Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnoea which can be a major cause of poor cognition; learning to play the didgeridoo can be just effective as a CPAP machine for treating sleep apnoea!!!!)
- stress management (practise relaxation techniques and manage stress effectively to protect against cognitive impairment)
(for more detail, see elsewhere in Knowledge Base)
- maintain oral health (maintain good oral hygiene, as gum disease has been linked to an increased risk of mental decline)
- monitor hearing and eye health (address hearing and/or sight loss promptly by using hearing aids and/or glasses; as hearing and/or eye loss are risk factors that can result in reduced brain stimulation)
- reduce use of plastics (they are used in almost everything and found everywhere, and increasing amounts of plastics, including 'micro-plastics', are polluting the environment, including the human body and brain; this increases the chances of major diseases)
- stimulate your sense of smell (improving your sense of smell improves your memory, your processing speed and verbal fluency; the sense of smell is improved via the use of a diffuser, for a couple of hours every night, with essential oils, such as lavender, rose, lemon, peppermint, cloves, etc in your bedroom; around 20 seconds daily can stimulate your sense of smell)
- have a sense of humour (don't take life, or yourself, too seriously; see the funny side of things; laughter is a good way of reducing stress and getting the right hormones working in your body)
- be disciplined (develop holistic, appropriate, realistic strategies and implement them so that they become habits)
- don't live in the past (learn from the past and don't ruminate on past mistakes; look towards the future with a positive mindset; live in the real world, ie be aware of what is happening)
NB Some of the above tips are more powerful and effective than the recommended medicinal treatments, such as tablets, pills, fluids, etc.
(main sources: Helena Popovic, 2023 & 2024; Lucy Dean, 2024b)