The New York Times published a great article today about the concept of ‘cognitive reserve’. Essentially the concept is that the more you experience during life, the better your odds of aging gracefully.

We have been promoting the four cornerstones of brain fitness in our recent posts and the article does a good job of summarizing some of these. The highlights of the report are:

1. Mental activity of all kinds helps slow or prevent cognitive decline. Staying engaged in life and keeping your mind active helps strengthen brain circuits that may slow down the aging process.

2. Physical activity boosts the brain’s ‘executive function’. Study after study has shown the benefits of physical exercise. Where the brain is concerned there seems to be real value in strengthening brain circuits that control decision making and problem solving abilities.

3. Social experiences help prevent dementia. Several studies have implicated social activity in cognitive health. The more extensive a person’s social network, the better the brain seems to work.

You can read the entire article by following this link.

two other things I would add to these are the value of nutrition and appropriate rest and sleep to boost cognitive fitness.