cognitive fitness

We all understand the value of physical fitness although it is comparatively recently that we have accepted that the management of our physical wellbeing, as in controlling our diet and going to the gym and pounding along the track in the park, is now a permanent feature of our lives, to compensate for our otherwise physically idle state.  Now we have to consider that we should attend to our cognitive fitness.  Our brain needs some basics to be able to function properly.

The Harvard Medical School and other institutions have agreed that what we need for cognitive fitness is:

A brain-healthy diet such as the MIND diet

Good sleep

Stress management

Social interactions

Mental challenges — have you taken up Icelandic or tried to learn to play the viola lately?

Physical activity

This kind of program was developed in the late 2000s to build neural resilience against dementia and ageing, but it has come into prominence again as a defence against the distractions of digital technology that  constantly interrupt our thinking and are thought to shorten attention span. It is argued that as we  reduced our intake of fats to improve our physical health, so we should reduce our intake of social media to improve our cognitive fitness.