ThisNext Blog

Over at Dumb Little Man, we just we discovered some very smart advice on keeping your brain healthy as you get older. Here, three of the Alliance for Aging Research’s top tips on protecting your noggin against the effects of aging.

1. Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet

That includes lots of omega-3 fatty acids, either through cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna or through daily dietary supplements like Vitamins Home omega-3 softgels (recommended by Rusty) or Eskimo 3 Fish Oil Supplements (selected by Cosmicopia). “Wave goodbye to winter dry skin and bad moods, this is my staple all round fixer upper,” says the latter of her favorite omega-3 source. “The eskimos know their stuff.”

2. Stay Mentally Active.

Crosswords are the classic brain-booster, so consider picking up a copy of The New York Times Premium Crosswords. “Brings back the good old days of Cavalier Daily crosswords (old NYT crosswords re-published in the UVA paper) done during engineering lectures,” kristinabella reminisces in her shopcast.

If you’re bored with Sudoko, try your hand at Kakuro, a game that “should reign supreme in the number puzzle category,” according to KarenC1983. Deeming Kakuro “a bit more challenging than Sudoku, a lot more addictive,” she quite astutely points out the puzzle’s anti-aging effect: “Not only do you have to watch out for repeating numbers, but it also involves addition…Math makes your brain young.”

For more mind-strengthening math, check out Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. “Brain Age activates your brain by testing you with math problems, reading and logic puzzles,” explains beckyk. And after completing the tasks, the Nintendo DS game lets you know exactly what your own “brain age” is. The program’s become surprisingly addictive for ThisNexters like wiredd, who shares:

I am shocked that a successful game can be made out of solving math problems, remembering words, and other puzzles that could otherwise seem like schoolwork. But I’m totally hooked - I play every day for about 15 minutes and love to compete against friends.

Maybe anything can be made into a game if it’s as well designed and executed as this software. It includes problems that have basic speech and handwriting recognition, which is pretty impressive for a portable device like the DS.

3. Exercise Regularly.

Crucial to cardiovascular health, which greatly impacts brain health, working out can stimulate circulation and protect against conditions like stroke and Alzheimer’s. If you’re looking for a simple fitness routine, get yourself a Digital Jump Rope from the Discovery Channel. “No, it’s not one of those silly kid ones that makes a noise every time you start jumping, and it’s not pink,” assures Coolest Gadgets. Here’s what makes the jump rope even more spiffy than the one you used to twirl around while doing the double dutch way back when:

The cool part is the digital counter built into one of the handles. That little screen will show you the number of repetitions, elapsed time, and your total calories burned. Don’t think jump roping for exercise is silly, it’s a great cardiovascular exercise.