Tip of the week: How to keep your brain sharp
Keep learning; Exercise; Avoid pesticides; Talk more
Keep learning. Each time you try something new, you lay new connections between neurons and fend off neurological decline. Study a new language or just attempt a new recipe. If crosswords are old hat, time yourself; racing against the clock “forces your brain to think flexibly.”
Exercise. Aerobic workouts promote brain activity, but even “slow-and-steady” strength training seems to help, by boosting a neuron-nourishing protein.
Avoid pesticides. Heavy exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of dementia. To limit your pesticide intake, buy organic produce or visit ewg.org/foodnews/summary to learn which veggies are riskiest.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Talk more. There’s “a silver lining” to getting in political arguments. All conversation is brain exercise, and the most beneficial forces you to grasp another viewpoint.
Source: Martha Stewart Living
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?