What is Brain Fitness?

Brain Fitness is a combination of improving the physical and mental health of your brain. This is accomplished through nutrition for the brain, physical exercise to increase brain power, and mental exercise to increase brain connectivity.

Have you heard of the term Brain Fitness yet? If not, Guest Posting you probably will. There is an emerging industry in maintaining and even increasing brain function as we age. The industry is still in its infancy and is supported by emerging science that points to methods we can use to activate our brains. If you imagine a brain diagram, these programs can increase the connectivity between different brain parts.

The timing is also perfect, as a large percentage of the population is aging and the needs of baby boomers are driving the economy at large. One thing baby boomers want is to distance themselves from a mental cowardice. There are companies in this market that have established themselves nicely. For example, Sharp Brains and Posit Science have already created some good product lines.

There is more than meets the eye.

I would like to provide an expanded definition of Brain Fitness. Although the term is not yet in the dictionary, one definition of the word fitness from Webster is "good health or physical condition, especially as a result of exercise and proper nutrition." I think this should apply to Brain Fitness as well.

The brain is a very unique organ because it is the only organ that is both physical and mental. The mind, the mental component of the brain, is the target of the current Brain Fitness industry. Programs that increase brain function and brain activity will encourage new connections and new circuits and help keep the brain alive.

But the ability to form these new circuits and connections also means that the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, etc. It also depends on the physical health of the brain, which functions according to the same rules as The physical health of the brain depends on quality nutrition, physical activity and adequate sleep – just like the rest of the body.

We Need Mental and Physical Health I've covered these factors and the factors that contribute to mental development before. Think this way. If you put one of the best race car drivers in the world, say, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in an old Ford Pinto and you put him in a race, could he compete? No. But put him in his high-performance #8 car and he'll smash the track.

In this case, the driver is like your mind. What Brain Fitness products will improve are skills, knowledge and speed of decision making. The car is like the physical brain. The most skilled rider won't stand a chance unless you have a high-performance machine.

This is not a perfect analogy because Brain Fitness programs help create new connections that enhance the physical brain. But you also need proper nutrition to provide the best raw materials, physical activity to improve the delivery systems of these ingredients, and adequate sleep to help keep these systems in tune.

We must focus on both of these approaches to maintain healthy brains throughout our older years. But don't make the mistake of thinking this is only for the baby boomer generation. All of the things we do as children and young adults contribute to how efficiently our mental machines will work throughout our lives.