How to age-proof your brain for higher performance & longevity

?In the Arena is LinkedIn News’ weekly human potential podcast hosted by (me)?Leah Smart. You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to show up daily to live a better & more meaningful life. Each week, this newsletter shares learnings and practices connected to the conversations.?Subscribe to the show's newsletter?here. This week we're sitting down with Marc Milstein Ph.D. , about why prioritizing our brain health should start today and simple ways to do it.

This week, we’re excited to share some of our favorite moments from my conversation with Dr. Marc Milstein and the Book The Age-Proof Brain: New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity & Fight off Dementia. Dr. Milstein's special interest was inspired by family members whose aging process he's observed, his own experienced dementia, including his grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s and his own health issues. I wanted to talk to him because to function optimally, we must pay attention to our physical health.

And though it’s easy to be negatively impacted by harmful conversations about how our bodies should look, we don’t want to miss the empowering science and knowledge that, if used preventatively, could extend and/or save our lives.?

Here’s where Dr. Milstein started:

…we need to take care of our brains and we need to think about it even before we notice any changes. One way I like to think about it is that if you look out at the ocean and you see the waves, those waves could be the symptoms of memory loss or any symptoms of any, you know, a mental health issue.

And if you look past the waves, it seems calm. But beneath the surface waves are there. We just don't see them until they get close enough to the shore.

And, what I mean by this is that sometimes things can be happening, you know, years or decades in our brain and in our body before we'd ever see the symptoms. And that's not a, a message to scare us.

But it's a message to say that if we can think about taking action now and realize that our brain is precious. We don't get a second one. There are no transplants. And we want to be aware that the things that we do each day do add up over time. We can have control over our brain's destiny.

Where can we start? As it turns out, our brains can be older or younger than our current age. Making your brain younger is one of the best things we can do to prevent a wide range of cognitive issues. Without access to a brain scanner, Dr. Milstein says we can use the acronym, BRAIN, to consider how “old” our brains are.

Balance- How is your balance?

Try yoga, dance, or intentional movement to support balance

Recall- How well do you remember things?

Try a trivia night or go grocery shopping without a list.

Assessing – How are you getting through the day? Struggling or forgetting appointments?

Make tasks "stick" by adding something funny to them. ?

Intensity- People who walk a bit faster, have younger-looking brains.

Pick up your walking pace a bit.

Number- How old do you feel?

Choose an activity you can do to make you feel younger.

What’s are the best foods for brain health?

Dr. Milstein is hoping to simplify how we think about eating. With so many diets popping up for consumers, it can be easy to get lost or give up. If you don’t know where to start, try his recommendation below:

• Make sure you see a variety of colors on your plate
• Stay away from ingredient lists that “look like a science experiment.”

3 ways you can start improving your brain health:

Walk: get in a morning walk outside.

Connect: invite a friend or detach and have a mindful moment.

Taste the rainbow: Consider if you can pronounce the ingredients of the things you're about to eat. If not, minimize those foods and find ingredients you can pronounce like colorful fruits and vegetables.

Will I see you In the Arena: Live on 11/10?

We're re-imagining In the Arena: Live and would love your submissions.

Is there a challenge you’re facing right now or an area of your life you want to uplevel?

And if you could share it anonymously and be a fly on the wall as thoughtful people exchanged knowledge and ideas on that topic, would you??

I hope so.

It’s not every day we get that sort of opportunity. So on 11/10, we’re trying a new approach to "In the Arena" Live to do just that. Here’s how it works:?

??Submit your anonymous story about a current challenge here?https://lnkd.in/eeQZV4Rr

??My team will select one relatable topic and read your story on In the Arena Live

??You’ll hear from other bright minds on how they’d think about it?

??? ♀?And get coaching questions from me

FAQs:

What topics can I submit??

Any that you feel, if explored, would enhance your overall well-being...and perhaps help someone else too.?

Is this anonymous??

Yep! We do not require emails or names, but you can share a name you want us to use!?

In my experience, my internal compass has always pointed me in the right direction but people along the way have helped light the path. Not with answers, but with new ideas and perspectives. So even if your story isn’t picked, you might hear something you needed.?

See you there and ???? mention someone in the comments you think might enjoy this live experience!

In many places around the world, when it comes to the health of our brains (and our bodies), we tend to have more choices than we perceive. Dr. Milstein is sharing the small but mighty lifestyle adjustments we can all experiment with to improve not just our health, but our sense of influence in relation to it.

Until next time...which will you try? Walking, getting connected or tasting the rainbow?