Did you know that your body produces new cells and replaces itself every decade or so? Different body parts requires different amount of time to regenerate but on average, you are literally a new you every 7 years. For example, did you know that your skin tissue are recycled every 2 weeks or so? This is why you can easily heal from a cut. Did you know that you get new blood - or should I say red blood cells - every 4 months? Did you know that you get a new liver every 300 - 500 days? Even your bones regenerate - about every 15 years. On average, you literally get a new body every 7 years or so. Your body does this by dividing (generating) cells and getting rid of the old and problematic ones through your lymphatic system. What has this got to do with you? Well, it wasn't until recently that this discovery was made. It is even more recently that (1998 was the first study that found out about this) that scientists found out that even adult brain do re-grow brain cells. This means no matter how old you are, you CAN have the mental function of a teenager. But this ability to regenerate depends on a number of factors. Thus you see some people were able to heal in days while others live a life of constant sickness. The same is true for your brain. Some elderly perform better in memory test than teenagers. The question is how did they do it? In this article, I'll introduce to some of the things these people from older generation do to keep their memory, keep their mind sharp and keep their independence. Of course, you could use the same principles I'm about to share to improve mental functions even in your younger years. 1. Some scientists have speculated that your body is made up of hundreds of systems. One of the most popular systems there is, is of course the immune system. Part of your immune system is something which I've briefly mentioned earlier. It's called the lymphatic system. The fact is, ALL of us have cancer cells, harmful bacterias and other nasties in our body. What kept us from developing any sickness is your lymphatic system. What it does is it capture these problematic cells and bacterias and transport them out of our body. People who take great care of their body allows their lymphatic system to work they way it should. Thus he/she rarely get sick. People who do get sick do so because the nasties in them build up and reaches a tipping point. Unfortunately, the lymphatic system is not like your blood - it doesn't have a pump (your heart) that blows it to all parts of your body. Instead, it relies on your movement to get transported. So if you live a sedentary life, it is inevitable you'll frequently get sick. What has this got to do with your brain? For one, your lymphatic system is also responsible for getting rid of the junk in your brain - namely the dead brain cells. The lymphatic also allows other organs in your body to work optimally and this directly affects your body. For example, a stronger heart means increased blood flow to your brain - thus it gets more oxygen and able to work better than it would otherwise. So if you want to renew your brain, step number 1 would be to exercise. Numerous research have shown that exercising encourages the release of a host of beneficial chemicals - everything from lifting your mood, allows you to be more alert, better attention span and better ability to focus. All this adds up to a superior memory. 2. Once you've started getting rid of the junk in your brain, it's time to stimulate neurogenesis, the process of growing new brain cells. Similar to all other parts of your body, your brain need to be pushed to develop. If you want to build muscles, you carry weights. If you want to enjoy better memory, you do brain exercises. But contrary to popular belief, weights alone do not allow a bodybuilder to build bigger muscles. He/She has to push him/herself to carry weights that are challenging. The same principle applies to your brain. Thus frequently doing the crossword puzzles or playing the sudoku may not be a sufficient challenge. Your brain adapts and if you're no longer challenged, it no longer grows and you no longer experience neurogenesis. For your brain to grow and for you to regain your memory, it is crucial that you constantly learn a new skill. Activities such as learning how to hike and the different forms of art, such as photography, drawing and painting are all great ways to stimulate neurogenesis. By living an active lifestyle, you can maintain a healthy mental function.
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