#MyBrainHealthMatters and Yours Does Too

Your brain is always changing - it is either moving forward or backward. You are the one who drives this remarkable engine and decides which direction it goes. Be proactive, not reactive. Your brain's future - your future is at stake.
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Summer is just around the corner, which means you don't need to look very far to find the latest diet and fitness tips to help you get fit. Swimsuit season gives us a reason to focus on taking care of our bodies, but what about our brain, arguably the most important part of our body?

The unfortunate truth is that we only stop to think about this complex organ that is infinitely integral to our health when something goes wrong with it.

This is something I really hope we can change. Why? Because #MyBrainHealthMatters and yours does too.

Tremendous efforts have been directed toward better understanding how the human brain works and fails to work, especially over the last decade. But we have only begun to scratch the surface. We need to make some changes in order to get to the next level.

Consider that the brain is the most powerful, most staggeringly intricate electro-biochemical machine ever created. Above and behind our eyes are 100 billion neurons in a small calcium shell, laced with organic pumps, channels and switches. No one argues the fact that the brain is essential to our very being - so why gloss over what we can do to keep it sharp?

This month is Mental Health Awareness Month, which seems like a great springboard for the Center for BrainHealth's new campaign to get people talking and thinking more about brain health and fitness. Conversations will be focused on ending age-old stigmas and empowering people to speak up and seek help, but let's also talk about the importance of your brain's overall health.

You may be missing out on opportunities to help keep your brain healthier longer and enhance your daily life experience. Your brain's health drives your ability to perform complex thinking tasks, build social relationships, block out distractions, achieve your dreams, relish your memories, and generate new ideas and innovations; thanks to the complex molecules and neural networks that make it all possible.

We already have the potential to dramatically improve the human cognitive capital of all Americans, regardless of age, even those who have experienced serious brain illness or injury. Our research shows that the brain is dynamic, adaptable, flexible, and repairable. Your brain continues to manufacture new cells, grow, change and repair itself, and form complex connections throughout your entire life.

Making even small lifestyle changes like nurturing your brain with adequate sleep, physical exercise, and a healthier diet can garner a huge return. Avoiding toxic mental practices like multitasking and the comfort of status quo is crucial. If you are mentally 'coasting', you are going downhill and losing cognitive capacity. Instead, actively pursue brain health fitness by giving your brain adequate downtime and keeping it engaged with decision-making, deep thinking, and critical reasoning. Elevating our brain spans to match our ever-expanding lifespans will reap significant rewards to benefit our communities, our cities, our state, our country and the world.

Time for a paradigm shift is urgent. Right now is the time to change the way we think, talk and act about our brain. Let us begin to put our brain at the center of our health focus. Start today - acting as if your brain health matters.

Join in to kick off this campaign. #MyBrainHealthMatters because the present moment is the precious moment. I want the present to remain in focus, intellectually fulfilling, and socially active so that we will have the greatest brain capacity for a long time to come.

We have made great strides in our understanding of the brain over the last decade, but that knowledge is not being translated into action to build brain health. Your brain health matters!

Changing the way you think can change your brain at the molecular level. Imagine that - from mind to molecule. Create noticeable changes in your thinking habits and immediately you will experience a positive impact on your mental energy, visionary thinking, productivity, efficiency, and focus.

Your brain is always changing - it is either moving forward or backward. You are the one who drives this remarkable engine and decides which direction it goes. Be proactive, not reactive. Your brain's future - your future is at stake.

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