Choose to be in charge of your health by taking small, five-minute actions daily for your well-being, as your outlook and perspective are crucial for improving brain health outcomes.
Focus on lifestyle changes to address the underlying reasons for brain decline, as current Alzheimer’s drugs primarily treat symptoms and don’t prevent recurrence of issues like amyloid buildup.
Chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s develop over decades, so proactive lifestyle changes in your 20s, 30s, and 40s are crucial for building resilience and protecting future brain health.
Recognize that daily habits, whether positive or negative, have a cumulative, compounding effect over time on your longevity, mindset, and brain health, making consistent effort crucial.
Prioritize exercise as the most impactful intervention for overall health and longevity, recognizing it as medicine that transforms your muscles into “pharmacies” benefiting your brain, rather than solely for physical appearance.
Engage in strength training as a fundamental part of exercise to increase muscle mass (which declines after age 40) and release myokines, muscle-based proteins that preserve brain synapses, aid neuron survival, and reduce inflammation.
Aim for 2-3 sessions per week of compound movements like squats, bench presses, and lunges, lifting heavy enough that you struggle or shake by the sixth repetition to maximize muscle gain and myokine release.
Commit to at least 3 hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming, at a conversational pace (65-75% of max heart rate), ideally in 45-minute sessions.
Dedicate 20 minutes per week to high-intensity training (Zone 4/5), such as sprinting or walking up steep hills, to boost blood flow to the brain, increase natural killer cells, and inhibit 13 types of cancer.
Regular moderate aerobic activity releases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a growth factor that increases neural connections and the density of the hippocampus, the brain region vital for memory.
Enhance brain function by performing physical exercises like bodyweight squats while simultaneously engaging in mental challenges, such as counting backwards by seven from 100, to stimulate neural connections and grow gray matter.
Improve thinking speed, reaction time, and vision by engaging in activities that combine physical movement with cognitive demands, such as throwing a tennis ball against a wall or playing badminton.
Strengthen neural pathways and improve vision by using an eye patch to temporarily black out one eye while performing simple drills like throwing a ball against a wall, forcing the brain to work harder.
Stimulate and improve language production in your dominant brain lobe by practicing saying different words that begin with specific letters (e.g., F, S, A).
Ensure sufficient deep sleep (Stage 3/4) to activate the glymphatic system, which uses cerebrospinal fluid to wash out debris, environmental toxins, and amyloid beta proteins that accumulate in the brain.
Sleep at least 7.5 hours per night, adjusting for demanding days, and prioritize regularity by maintaining consistent bedtimes and wake times 80% of the time to support overall health and gene expression.
Prevent negative gene expression changes, such as upregulation of tumor-producing genes and downregulation of immunity genes, by avoiding chronic sleep deprivation (e.g., sleeping only six hours a night).
To quiet a racing mind before sleep, write down worries in a journal and establish consistent evening routines, such as going offline and dimming lights by a set time, to help your brain settle.
Actively manage chronic stress to prevent inflammation, a root cause of neural network damage and synapse death; ensure adequate recovery from daily stressors to prevent amyloid buildup.
Get your inflammation levels tested using a high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) blood test, aiming for a result below zero to monitor and manage chronic inflammation.
Supplement with 5-12 grams of creatine monohydrate daily to enhance cellular energy (ATP regeneration) and provide neuroprotective benefits for the brain, with higher doses recommended for increased brain health.
Take Omega-3s (EPA, DHA) as they are crucial anti-inflammatory agents that improve cell membrane fluidity and constitute 20% of the brain’s lipid component, vital for brain health and potentially ameliorating amyloid plaques.
Use a reliable Omega-3 Index test, such as OmegaQuant by Dr. Bill Harris, to measure omega-3s in red blood cells, which can guide supplementation and highlight dangerously low levels common in the population.
Get tested for genetic risk factors like APOE4 to understand your predisposition to Alzheimer’s, as this knowledge can serve as a powerful motivator for adopting proactive lifestyle changes.
Ensure sufficient rest and recovery to allow your brain to clear amyloid beta proteins, which are produced in response to stress and inflammation and can build up without adequate downtime.
Engage in three to four hours per week of maximal aerobic training (Zone 3/4) to potentially reverse the age-related decline of your heart by 20 years, as shown in a study of 50-year-olds.
Increase your VO2 max, as every milliliter improvement is associated with a 45-day life extension, and moving from average to above-average fitness can add five years to your life.
If currently inactive, begin with short, easy movements like a 10-minute walk or a gentle hill walk, as pushing too hard initially can demotivate you by reducing dopamine release.
Take precautions to prevent exercise injuries, as they incur significant costs beyond direct pain, including fear of future activity, reduced movement during recovery, and prolonged delays in returning to baseline fitness.
If sedentary, begin strength training with accessible bodyweight movements like push-ups or wall sits, or find beginner workouts online, as you don’t need a gym to build strength and muscle.
Explore supplements like Ashwagandha, Turmeric, or GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) to help downregulate cortisol, inhibit inflammatory pathways, and settle a racing mind, aiding in falling asleep.
Actively engage in brain-supporting activities to ensure your brain cells are rich with connections, as Alzheimer’s is characterized by a decline in these neural networks, leading to cognitive symptoms.