If your getting up there in years you probably have read or heard something in the press that your brain needs lovin’ attention to stay healthy. Despite the fact our bodies are extraordinary machines they need maintenance, and that is so with your brain too. The May 1st, 2006 issue of Bottom Line magazine has a great article on ways to keep your brain healthy and alive.
What’s one of the first things you should do? (aren’t I sounding like a nag already?) You should exercise. Ah yes, the very activity that can make you healthier, help you shed pounds, and improve even your mood will even help your brain. Dr. Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph. D, professor of health-care sciences and psychiatry and Director of The Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at The George Washington University says, in the Bottom Line article, that 30 to 45 minutes at least four days a week is what is needed. The more vigorous the better based on what kind of shape you are in now (if your just starting out, a brisk walk including going up and down some hills is sufficient; work harder as you get fitter). Interestingly, aerobic workouts are preferred over strength training since they appear to increase the networks of blood vessels in the frontal par of the brain and stimulate the release of chemicals that improve brain cell survival and plasticity.
Another strategy cited in the Bottom Line article is to stimulate your brain. Not by an electric probe plunged into your ear mind you, but by mentally challenging yourself. Mental activities that really push your capacity to learn are what does the trick; leaning a new language, learning how to play an instrument, playing scrabble or chess, or even doing a challenging crossword puzzle. Such activities can increase the connections of the cells in your brain by at least 20% and literally help in the formation of new brain nerves.
Did you know your brain has two halves? Surely most of us know that, (thought it’s not always clear which half is working at a given time, especially on Monday mornings!) but what you may not realize is that you can strengthen both sides. Bottom Line’s article points out that engaging in creative activities draws on both sides of your brain and thus strengthens the entirety. What could you do? Paint, draw, or even write (ah yes, now blogging may be considered a therapeutic exercise not just frivolous banter!).
Finally, keep those friendships. People who maintain active social schedules - such as going to church, getting together with friends and spending time with family - have lower blood pressure and less risk of stroke. In addition, folk who engage in such practices have lower levels of stress hormones that can damage the brain leading to an increase in anxiety and depression.
So get tough with your brain! Get it going on these regimens and you too may preserve one of your most important assets - your mind 
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