1. Individual risk factors assessment
2. Nutrition, supplements and brain-healthy diet
3. Physical activity and exercise
4. Stress reduction and management
5. Sleep health
6. Memory and information load management
7. Cognitive stimulation and training
8. Social engagement
9. Innovative cognitive enhancers/stimulants

Read also:

The Science Behind Dementia Prevention

5 Steps To Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease

Eating or consuming food is natural.

Food gives energy, and it is how we can carry out our everyday activities like walking and cooking.

However, there can be extra energy left from the food we eat.

Although a small part is stored as carbohydrates (glycogen) in the muscles and liver, the bulk of the excess energy is stored as fat.

This fat can be stored in different parts of the body: if it is stored in the chest, waist, hips and buttock region, it is called subcutaneous fat; while if it is stored between the internal organs in the abdomen, it is referred to as “visceral fat” or more popularly as “belly fat.”

There are several factors that determine where excess fat is stored in the body, some of which includes heredity and hormones.

Subcutaneous fat has little to no adverse effect on a person’s health and lifespan; belly fat, on the other hand, leads to major implications and is closely related to morbidity and mortality than body weight or body mass index (BMI).

Abdominal or central Obesity occurs when there is an excess storage of belly fat.

Abdominal Obesity which is also referred to as “potbelly” or “beer belly” is strongly associated with a lot of illness and diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids (elevated bad cholesterol and triglycerides), fatty liver, cardiovascular diseases (including heart attacks), stroke, dementia, and cancer.

Abdominal Obesity can be measured manually by measuring the waist circumference or more accurately by x-ray and magnetic imaging (DXA, CT, or MRI).

Body weight as a measure of body fat – BMI

BMI (Body Mass Index) is also known as weight/height ratio and is the official standard for measuring total body fat and is widely used by health professionals to advise about the health risks of overweight and Obesity.

However, BMI has several flaws, one of which is that BMI reflects body fat without showing how it is distributed in the body.

For example, an athlete who is fit might have little body fat, but because of he or she is muscular, the BMI would be high which does not truly reflect the amount of excess body fat in the body.

There are people in the normal BMI range with an excess of abdominal fat (aka as TOFI, thin-outside fat-inside), whose health risks are similar to those of obese people.

BIA or BMI?

BIA (Body Impedance Analysis) is another method used for estimating body fat.

The principle BIA uses is that since muscle tissue retain lots of water when compared to fat tissues, which contain little water.

So, a person with more muscle than fat will contain more water and will thus be less resistant to electricity as water is a great conductor of electric current.

BIA sends a weak electrical current through the body of the person to measured, and an estimation of the body fat percentage is made based on the body’s resistance to the electric current.

BIA has been integrated into more modern digital scales, which shows a person’s body fat percentage. Some of the more sophisticated scales can even offer a compartmental fat assessment, including visceral and subcutaneous fat percentages.

In summary, reducing belly fat is more important that barely checking body weight, as a person’s weight does not totally show the amount of excess body fat he or she has. It is thus best to calculate the BMI and also measure your body fat separately.

How to measure belly fat yourself

The easiest method of measuring belly fat involves simply using a flexible (stretch-resistant) tape measure.

Steps to measure your Waist Circumference (WC)

This technique requires that you measure the circumference of your “tummy” around the widest part of your belly.

The process is as follows:

• Step 1: Stand with your arms at the sides, feet positioned close together, and weight evenly distributed across your feet.
• Step 2: Wear little or no clothes so that your measurements are as close to your skin as possible.
• Step 3: Align the tape measure to the level of the belly button and circle the entire route around the body.
• Step 4: The tape measure should be placed gently on the skin and held at a level parallel to the floor.
• Step 5: Relax and avoid contracting any abdominal muscle.
• Step 6: Position the tape measure correctly, breathe in, exhale, and then take the measurement.

It is recommended to measure at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone.

The number that indicates abdominal Obesity for a man and woman is different.

For a man, the ideal size is 37 inches (=94 cm) and below, while a woman is 31.5 inches (=80 cm) and below.

A man with abdominal Obesity will have a waist measurement greater than 40 inches (= 102 cm), while that of a woman is anything greater than 35 inches (= 89 cm).

Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR)

Abdominal Obesity can also be measured by comparing the abdominal and buttocks circumference.

To calculate your waist to hip ratio, you’ll start by measuring your abdominal circumference.

Then measure your hips circumference around their widest part. Now divide your waist size by your hip size to get your waist to hip ratio.

Men with WHR above 0.95 are said to have abdominal Obesity or pot belly, while for women, the number is 0.85.

How to lose belly fat

Losing weight is the best way to lose belly fat.

However, by going on a low-calorie diet, you cannot determine the exact part of the body the weight loss will occur.

It is thus important to not only diet but also include exercise in your weight loss routine.

Structured exercises like visiting the gym and being physically active are more important than dieting.

Also, a combination of cardio and strength training is the best approach as opposed to specifically exercising the abdominal muscles to reduce fat.

Sandy McGrath, Personal Trainer for the National Institute on Aging, produced THIS 20-minute home workout which we feel is a great way to get you up and about each day.

Why not try it for yourself? Click on the video below and get moving!

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles below:

• Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds
• How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity
• A Daily Nutrition Booster
• The Great Benefits of Yoga

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you videos, blogs, and articles just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Lastly, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

Maybe tragedy has struck in the lives of someone you know and care for.

Thoughts Of Negativity.

The feelings, emotions, and decisions that can often result from these external forces can have a very real impact on how we think and what we perceive to be true.

Take for example, as horrible but very realistic as this example is if someone you love has been diagnosed or is suffering from cancer, or a disease, such as in our field of expertise, Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia.

It can hard to experience as a witness.

The grief it generates, along-side the guilt, frustration, exhaustion and anger that may come through daily dealing with the symptoms of this disease.

With this first-hand experience, the “fear” of also having Dementia can occur.

One might question their own future.

What if it happens to me too? How likely might this occur? Am I at risk?

Fear By Association.

It’s amazing how by simply associating the thought of something that happened to someone else, it may, in turn, happen to us, can cause such stressful emotions to arise.

The fear and anxiety these questions bring up in us can be absolutely paralyzing.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Today, we discuss how we can better respond to these thoughts when in the moment.

First: The Bad News.

There is no permanent way of removing all worries from our minds.

Our mind is designed to predict danger to keep us out of harm’s way.

We are built to worry as a means of survival.

So, when your mind tells you that you may be at risk of Dementia, ironically, this is your mind trying to keep you safe by scaring you.

But, here’s is the good news.

A worrying thought is not a fact.

It’s a worry.

And worry is simply thoughts about a perceived threat.

“Perceived” meaning it is not necessarily a real threat, but we simply “see” is a threat.

You see, even though your mind is suggesting you may get Dementia one day, this is not a fact.

These worrying thoughts and feelings, however, are completely rational and normal.

However, if you choose to believe everything your mind tells you, you may act in ways that are not healthy for you.

Imagine how the thought “I am doomed” might impact your actions differently from “I am in control of my life”.

When a question like “What if Dementia happens to me?” or similar enters your mind, try the following:

Step 1:

Take a nice deep breath.

Pause and ground yourself back into the present moment.

Breathing slowly will help your brain switch from a flight and fight state (which is what leads to anxious feelings and thoughts) back to recognizing you are safe at this moment.

Right now, you are well. “This was just a worried thought”.

Step 2:

Take a few more long breaths, and with each out-breath, let go of any tension you notice.

Allow the muscles to relax and allow any tension to melt away.

This will also help the brain disengage from the flight and fight response and calm the mind from predicting all these tragic outcomes.

Notice thoughts and emotions as they are.

Simply events of the mind and body.

Step 3:

Ask yourself these two little questions and see what arises for you.

1. What is most important to me right now? and
2. How can I take care of myself at this moment?

This may help you connect to actions that matter to you (i.e. taking better care of your health).

Again, engaging your thinking brain with a profound question about values will move the brain from fight/flight to being more present and aware.

Know that feelings carry valuable information you can use to guide your actions. Use this awareness for your own good.

These simple steps will not stop the experience of anxiety from taking place but will allow you to attend to the feelings that arise with awareness.

This will reduce being trapped by the worries and then acting in unhelpful ways.

Engage in this practice whenever you feel the need to nurture and self-care any worry that is painful to you.

Attend to the anxiety with an attitude of care and compassion and be aware of the fact that feelings are temporary, and this moment too shall pass.

Most importantly, learn to recognize that anxious thoughts and feelings are not truth or a representation of reality, and use these challenging moments to connect to the healthy you that you want to be.

These suggestions are to help you handle better the anxiety when it strikes.

However, be aware that there is no quick fix and it may be uncomfortable and challenging at times.

If you would like to know more about what normal age-related cognitive decline looks like, and the things you can do to protect yourself from Dementia, have a read of some of the articles below from Prof. Dan J. Sherman, MD, as you will find them packed with information and useful hints.

• Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds
• How Vitamin C And Vitamin E Can Help Prevent Dementia
• 5 Steps To Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease

For more information on what one can do to take care of their health, to prevent cognitive decline, protect their brain from the effects of aging, and promote healthy aging, click on the button below to SUBSCRIBE and we’ll send you weekly updates with news, blogs, videos and articles on how you can live your best brain healthy life.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our Blog, and if you have any comments, questions, suggestions or feedback, be sure to leave it in the comments below.

We’d love to hear that you were able to put some of our suggestions into action.

Until next time, Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

More and more research is pointing to the fact that physical activity and lifestyle choices have more to do with preventing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other forms of Dementia – once thought to be a normal part of aging – than pure genetics.

So, if you had a parent, grandparent or sibling with AD it doesn’t mean you have to follow the same path.

What You Need To Know

Statistics gathered from extensive research do point toward a higher risk of developing AD if you had a close relative with AD – as much as 50%, but that has less to do with genes and more to do with following their lifestyle patterns.

If for example, your parents were smokers who rarely exercised, you may have developed some of the same destructive habits.

What can you do to break the cycle and prevent AD?
Take action, and take control TODAY.

Even if you are in your 60s and 70s, you can reverse some of the damage done to your brain through poor diet, inactivity, or damaging lifestyle choices.

Scientists have discovered very recently that the brain has the ability to repair cells and neurotransmitters and improve cognitive function and memory.

Start with these 5 Simple Steps:

1. Eat Right.

It seems so simple, yet too many people just don’t get enough of the mind preserving antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables.

A well-balanced diet, free of dairy products and using low-fat sources of protein will protect both heart and mind.

2. Supplement where necessary.

Many diets lack the nutrients proven to promote brain health.

These include sources of essential fatty acids found in fish and specific herbs and minerals that can enhance cognitive function.

3. Exercise.

Originally it was thought that exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain cells.

This is still true, but a report prepared for the National Institutes of Health states that exercise can also stimulate the production growth factors, which are molecules produced by the body to repair and maintain nerves.

4. Lower Your Cholesterol.

Many people with early dementia or AD symptoms may have actually experienced small strokes that damaged the brain’s neurotransmitters.

By keeping cholesterol levels in check, the arteries are free and clear of plaque that can cause a stroke.

5. Exercise Your Mind.

Keeping up with current events, working puzzles each day, learning and memorizing new information all work to keeping the mind strong and alert.

It is normal for people to sometimes forget a name or date, but the more practice recalling such information the greater the brain’s ability to do this throughout old age.

In the case of mental challenges, the more you do the more you can push back the clock on cognitive decline.

Final Thoughts

Five easy steps, when you think about it, can do much to make aging an event to celebrate instead of dread.

With age there comes experience and wisdom, and we should all do whatever is within our power to be able to pass that on to the next generation.

Think you might need a hand in creating your ideal brain-healthy lifestyle?

You’re not alone. In fact, most of the people who engage with our articles and posts tell us the hardest thing about a plan to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia, is getting started, and knowing what works and doesn’t work.

We created our ProtectMyBrain Program to give people the tools and strategies they need to identify their individual risks and tailor a personalized plan to prevent these diseases from ever becoming an issue.

To find out if our ProtectMyBrain Program might be right for you, click the link below.

ProtectMyBrain Dementia Prevention Program

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this piece, and want to see more of our works relating to prevention and brain-healthy lifestyle, check out the links to some of our other articles below:

• Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds – Article
• How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity – Article
• Can Vitamin C and E Help Prevent Dementia? – Article
• Cognitive Decline: Can It Be Prevented? – Video
• Memory Loss: Is It Normal Or Abnormal? – Video

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you new feature articles and videos just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Finally, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below, and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

As such, more and more people are becoming concerned about whether or not the disease can be inherited, or passed down through genetics.

In reality, the chance of Dementia being purely genetic is actually very small.

The link between Genetics and Dementia

Only in certain rare types of Dementia (Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD), typically appearing at an early age (30’s-40’s), do we find an abnormal gene that can be passed from a parent to child.

While inheriting the disease directly is rare, genes are thought to play some role in other types of Dementia.

Genes can have multiple forms or ‘variants’, which when combined with lifestyle and environment, can influence our chances of developing a disease.

Our genetic variants also play a role in determining how healthy we are in other ways, such as our cardiovascular health.

This means that they indirectly raise or lower our chances of developing Dementia.

Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of Dementia and the genetics of Alzheimer’s are the best understood of all the common Dementias.

The vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease do not inherit it from a parent as a single-gene mutation.

Instead, the inheritance follows a more complex pattern.

The disease might skip a generation, affect people on both sides of the family, appear seemingly from nowhere, or not be passed on at all.

More than 20 gene variants (or regions within the DNA) have now been identified in AD patients, which to varying degrees, affect the chances of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The effects of these genes are subtle.

Different variants act to slightly increase or decrease the risk of a person developing AD but do not directly cause it.

These variants or ‘risk genes’ interact with each other and with other factors, such as age and lifestyle, to influence someone’s overall risk of getting the disease.

The gene with the greatest known effect on the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is called apolipoprotein E (APOE).

Approximately one-quarter of the general population inherits a gene variant (APOE e4), increasing their lifetime risk of developing AD by a little over two times.

A small percentage of the population (2%), receives a double dose of this gene variant from both parents, increasing their risk by three to five times, however, they are still not guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s.

Interestingly, one variant of the gene (APOE e2) is associated with a lower risk of developing the disease and is found in 11% of the population.

So, what does it all mean?

In summary, while genes are very important in building and maintaining our bodies, environment and lifestyle are also involved in a person’s physical characteristics, as well as their chances of developing a particular disease.

A predisposition to the disease can depend on whether we smoke, exercise, have a healthy diet and so on, as well as the genes we were born with and our age.

This matters because people tend to think of the effects of our genes as inevitable or completely fixed, but in most cases, this is simply not true.

How Can We Help Prevent Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease?

At BrainFit Resorts, we are not attempting to diagnose Dementia or determine your genetics, this can be done by your physician.

Our role is to assess your risk of developing Dementia or a related disease, based on modifiable risk factors.

We focus on what you CAN control, that is to say, lifestyle choices that serve to maintain cognitive skills and prevent cognitive decline and Dementia.

No matter your genetic makeup, we will teach you how to profoundly change your quality of living, both in the present and as you ease into in what can be the best years of your life.

We hope this article provides you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you want to see more of our articles relating to dementia and ways to prevent it, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity – Article
• Can Vitamin C and E Help Prevent Dementia? – Article
• Memory Loss: Is It Normal Or Abnormal? – Video
• Cognitive Decline: Can It Be Prevented? – Video

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you new feature articles and videos just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Finally, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below, and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.