Boost Your Memory with Healthy Diet and Exercise

Are you finding things a little harder to remember as the years go by? It's normal to forget things here and there as we're inundated with information on a daily basis, but new research suggests we can potentially boost our brain power and enhance our memory capabilities by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.

Whether achieving or maintaining a healthy weight is your goal, it's important not to focus too much on the number on your scale without its proper interpretation - body composition is just as important. The more lean body mass you have and less excess fat mass, the better off you are! Researchers have found that maintaining a healthy weight with less fat around the midsection has been linked to better memory as they believe that carrying around excess levels of fat on the body can impede healthy brain functioning. This is because it causes stress on the body, raising cortisol levels which have the potential to interact with brain neurons.

Researchers have also found that regular exercise promotes the growth of new, healthy brain cells and enhances long-term memory. Furthermore, regular exercise also boosts the circulation of blood throughout the body, including in the brain, and helps relax blood vessels for an overall beneficial effect on the brain and memory capabilities.

In addition to the benefits of exercising, we can't ignore the benefits eating right. We know that healthy diets plentiful in essential nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids are not just good for our bodies, they also help keep our brains cells in tip top shape and prevent age-related memory loss. The best approach, based on mounds of research, is to follow a Mediterranean-style diet, including lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lean meats, whole grains, beans, legumes and olive oil.