Numerous studies have shown that adopting healthy habits helps maintain our brain and reduce the risk of forms of dementia such as the much-feared Alzheimer’s disease.
Among these habits, which do wonders for our cognition, there is of course regular sleep, meals rich in antioxidants and daily physical activity.
Small changes stimulate the brain
But a new study is shaking up this routine a little by affirming that having a healthy life is good, but knowing how to make small changes from time to time is better.
This study found that people who had diversity in their daily activities scored higher on cognitive and executive functioning. Episodic memory was also better for those who had greater diversity in activities.
Shaking up your daily routine when you’re making an effort to eat well, exercise, and sleep regularly may seem daunting. But scientists say that regularly changing our food choices or physical activity leads to increased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain responsible for cognitive and behavioral processes.
Changing your routine helps reprogram your brain
“Changing your routine forces you to keep your brain active. This increases mental stimulation. It can be something as simple as trying a new recipe or learning a new skill,” the researchers explain. à Eating Well.
If your lifestyle habits (even good ones) are too routine, if you always do the same things, you do not give your brain the opportunity to be challenged. Whereas by giving it the opportunity to solve new problems, you stimulate its neuroplasticity, that is to say its capacity to reconnect at the cellular level, which improves memory.
So what new thing are you going to try today?
Source: www.topsante.com
