Supporting a Healthy Mature Brain - Jane's Mindful Musings

A little confession. Sitting down to write this Mindful Musings post and before settling in, I decided to get a glass of water. During the journey into the kitchen getting distracted by something random, I came back, sat down and then remembered why I went in the kitchen to begin with. This has played out FOUR times now in the last 15 minutes!!

Yes, I know you are all nodding your heads in understanding and hopefully having a little chuckle because if we don’t laugh about it we might feel like we are going crazy. But, water in hand now I am ready.

Now 60 years old and having entered fully into menopause at 51, I am not new to this rodeo, but I still get frustrated. Our brains are such a complex organ and we still know so little about how they work, but scientists believe that the changing level of estrogen has an effect on our brains.

Estrogen is known to contribute to language skills, attention, mood, memory and other brain processes. So it is no wonder we struggle with “brain fog”, tend to forget recently learned verbal information and have trouble concentrating.

So what can we do to keep our brains active and healthy as we navigate through menopause and beyond? There are five activities consistently suggested and we have all heard before.

Overwhelmingly, exercise is listed as the number one activity and considered vitally important for our brain health. It is unclear how movement remodels our brains but studies suggest it increases production of hormones and neurochemicals that prompt creation of new neurons, synapses, blood vessels and other tissues that connect and nurture brain cells. 

So in other words, exercise bulks up our brains and substantially drops our risk of developing dementia. Only 30 minutes a day of heart pumping exercise is considered enough to create a difference. So my Sole Sisters, let's get our Ramble on!!

A healthy diet and getting enough sleep are also important. I know this is easy to say with many of us struggling with getting a good night’s sleep. Between night sweats and insomnia a restful sleep can seem like a thing of the past.

Connecting with others also contributes to brain health. We are social animals and we need to interact and enjoy the mental stimulation that comes with connecting with others to remain mentally healthy. 

Having just moved to a new country (Spain) has been a challenge for me. Building a community of like minded women, especially as we grow older can be difficult. Slowly, my tribe is emerging and I have a few beautiful women who I have the privilege of spending time with and are part of our Sole Sister community.

And lastly, learning new skills or hobbies helps support our mental health as we age. Taking classes to stimulate our curiosity and reading regularly are great ways to keep our minds engaged. I enjoy playing a variety of games, particularly those that involve numbers or words. These games can evoke childhood memories and rekindle our sense of playfulness. How many of you are hooked on Wordle?

So my Sole Sisters, this week get out there and Ramble with a friend, eat a healthy snack along the way, play a game with family or friends and then fall into bed for a restful night's sleep.

-Louis Cozolino