We can improve brain function by challenging ourselves more, as this helps make new nerve cells and connections, and changes brain structure at any age. Stop believing the story that your brain doesn’t work anymore as you get older, because the brain can adapt at any time in life if challenged.
Focus on learning new skills that you are not very good at, as the challenge of being an amateur provides greater cognitive benefit than being a professional. Choose new skills that you enjoy and can continuously learn and improve at, as enjoyment ensures adherence and long-term benefit.
When learning new skills, aim for focused 20-30 minute chunks to push the limits of your current ability, as this is the optimal period for cognitive challenge before fatigue.
Support your brain’s ability to adapt to challenges by providing nutrients, sleep, recovery, and avoiding toxins.
Engage in physical movement, specifically resistance training, to improve the structure and function of certain brain areas, as well as being your most important glucose sink. Aim for two to three sets per muscle group per week as a minimum effective dose, or 8-12 sets per week for optimal balance.
When performing resistance training sets, push yourself until you reach voluntary muscular failure (where you can’t do any more reps), regardless of the number of reps, as this is what stimulates strength gains.
Choose movements with a coordination component, like Tai Chi, yoga, or dancing, for greater cognitive benefit than simple exercise, as they combine music, social, and movement components.
Prioritize social connection as it supports both physical and mental health, and its absence is a known stressor in animal models of cognitive decline.
Learn a language, even late in life, to improve cognitive function and protect certain brain areas.
Prioritize a diet that is accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable for you, as this is the starting point for supporting your health. If your current diet makes you feel great and objectively supports your health, there is no need to change it.
Ensure your diet includes a reasonable number of whole foods (plants, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish) to get sufficient B vitamins (B12, folate, B2, B6) for brain health. If vegetarian or plant-based, take a B12 supplement.
Include some seafood in your diet for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which are critical for brain development and function, and support B vitamin efficacy. If you don’t eat seafood or animal products, consider testing your omega-3 levels and supplementing with algal sources if low.
Actively work to improve your blood sugar control (e.g., by reducing spikes after meals), as this has been shown to improve cognitive function and reverse decline.
Aim to avoid increased waist circumference, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure, as these are components of metabolic syndrome and indicate poor metabolic health.
Aim for an HbA1c level between 5% and 5.5% for the lowest risk of mortality at the population level. If borderline, check fasting blood sugar.
Aim for a waist-to-height ratio close to or below 0.5, as this is a good cutoff associated with a lower risk of mortality.
Utilize household items like bags of sugar or cans of beans as weights for resistance training if gym access or specialized equipment is limited.
Understand that literally any amount of physical activity, even a brisk walk or short resistance session, is beneficial for your health, so don’t let perceived effort or time constraints deter you.
Avoid hyper-focusing on optimizing every individual blood test number; instead, consider all results in context with your overall health and how you feel.
Aim to be in the top 50% of the population for muscle mass to ensure sufficient strength for health benefits.
After building desired strength or muscle, you need significantly less training volume to maintain it (e.g., 2-3 sets per week) than to actively build it.