Page 36 - Healthy Brain Living Book

aging can be engaged, rewired, and utilized before they are lost.

We know that many areas of brain tissue exhibit plasticity, which

means these areas are not set in stone. The stimulation resulting

from dancing can positively engage these areas.

If you try new things like dancing, researchers say you are

opening up new pathways in the brain that improve mental

capabilities. If you keep many brain pathways active and

simultaneously generate new pathways, this will help maintain

your brain’s health and fitness.

The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able

to process and remember information. Novel stimulation, like

learning a new type of dance, is essential to exercising the brain.

The point is to challenge the brain and stimulate those pathways

for better brain health in the long term.

We are creatures of habit, and there is nothing wrong with doing

what we are good at doing. If you’re a passionate chess player,

don’t stop, but try something new too. When you memorize

new dance steps, you stimulate seemingly unconnected neural

pathways, a result that is important for good health as you age.

So, dust off those dancing shoes and get going!

Tip #3 - gREEn Thumb = hEalThy bRain

It’s long been known that gardening is a great way to enjoy the

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