Training Your Brain Can Bolster Your Cognition! We Can Help You Get Started!

Starting a new exercise routine takes planning and preparation. The same is true for exercising your brain, so even before taking those first steps, it’s vital to understand your current level of cognition so you can focus your brain training on the areas that need it most. This is done through a cognitive assessment baseline (as shown in the Creyos cognitive assessment example above).

Your brain conducts critical activities across a wide array of functions: memory, reasoning, concentration, verbal ability, logic/processing and more. A baseline assessment measures how well you perform a series of tasks in each of these areas. The results can help you understand which areas of your cognition may need strengthening, as well as help detect early warning signs of memory loss.

In his recent presentation to Sharp Again Naturally, brain health pioneer (and author of the New York Times Bestseller The End of Alzheimer’s) Dr. Dale Bredesen refers to this assessment as part of a ‘cognoscopy’ – a nod to the preventative/preemptive colonoscopy that most of us have every few years, and he considers it just as important.

Just as people use different types of exercises to support their physical health (weight training, aerobic exercise, core strengthening), there are diverse cognitive activities that can help to strengthen different parts of the brain, and which have different types of benefits. Some examples include:

• Meditation or mindfulness (relieves stress, increases focus, improves retention)
• Dancing ­(develops new neural connections, spatial recognition, long-term memory)
• Learning an instrument (bolsters verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills)
• Brain HQ, a popular and proven program that provides a wide array of brain training activities tailored to individual needs

Sharp Again Naturally offers access to cognitive assessments from Creyos (formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences), a recognized leader in helping individuals and health practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of brain processes. You can learn more about our unique Cognitive Assessment and Private Consultation program here.

Approaching brain training armed with an understanding of your current cognition can guide you in putting the right plan in place to best preserve your quality of life for many years to come.

If you are looking to make some positive changes in your cognition, consider our Stay Sharp Foundational Coaching Program. This 6-week group coaching program offers a unique opportunity for those looking to preserve their cognition, or who are just beginning to notice lapses in their memory, to take a more active role in enhancing their brain health. The program focuses on 4 of the major causes of memory loss: nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress, and provides tools to modify lifestyle factors that we can all benefit from. Our 2023 schedule will be announced soon. Learn more: https://sharpagain.org/get-support/stay-sharp-coaching-programs/