7 Ways to Boost Brain Health After 40

As a woman in midlife, you know how busy and demanding life can be. Between careers, family, and social commitments, it’s easy to overlook the importance of brain health after 40. But let’s pause for a second and consider this: a healthy brain is key to your overall well-being – and helping you tackle that growing to-do list.

Here are 7 essential strategies to help you nurture your brain health after 40, and boost your cognitive vitality.

• How to beat brain fog with exercise
• How certain foods can affect brain health after 40
• Why giving your brain a workout is essential for mental clarity
• How to get better sleep to improve cognitive function
• Why deep breathing helps you stress less and increase brain vitality
• Why it's important to create meaningful connections after 40
• How to be proactive with your physical and mental health check-ups

Brain health after 40 doesn’t have to be complicated or diet-y. Your brain deserves your attention and care as you embrace your 40s and beyond. By incorporating these 7 strategies into your daily life, including intuitive eating, gentle nutrition, and considerations for perimenopause and menopause, you can nurture your cognitive vitality, keep your mind sharp, and boost your overall well-being. 

It’s never too late to prioritize brain health, and the benefits are long-lasting. Empower yourself with knowledge and healthy habits to ensure a vibrant brain at every stage of life. You’ve got this!

Sign up for Savor Group Counseling Program: https://alpinenutrition.ck.page/savorgroupcoaching

Get show notes and additional resources on my website www.alpinenutrition.org

While you're there, download the free guide The Top 5 Foods for Women Over 40.

If you're ready to break free from dieting without the confusion of how to eat healthy in midlife, get on the waitlist for my small group counseling program.

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Transcript

0:37

Hey there, and welcome back to another episode of the Sabre Food and Body Podcast. Today is gonna be a solo episode continuing on our conversation about brain health. If you haven't had the chance to listen to episode 96, my interview with Dr. Annie Finn, all on the Brain Health Kitchen. Highly recommend you do so, and today's episode will be an excellent follow up to that. Since it is back to school season, I think it's a great time to talk about mental clarity, brain health, and getting back into your self nourishment routine, which may have been a little less consistent during the summer if you're like many of us. And again, if you haven't listened to last week's interview with Dr. Annie f, the creator of Brain Health Kitchen, I highly recommend you do so. Annie shared great information about why certain foods help improve your brain health, especially in midlife, and you can listen to episode 96 of The Saver Food and Body Podcast. Or better yet, download the episode and listen while you're on your next walk later this week. Before we dive in, I just wanted to let you know that this episode is brought to you by my online Savor Group counseling program. This is an intimate six week program to help you feel better in your body, have more energy, have better moods, improve sleep, and a healthy relationship with food and exercise, especially if you're a woman over 40. Registration opens next week on September 18th. If you're listening to this when this episode goes live, you can sign up for the wait list to get all the program details and special discounts by going to alpine nutrition.org. Forward slash get started, forward slash group counseling. Okay. Let's dive into specific ways you can prioritize your brain health this fall season. And again, I think this is a, a particularly great time to do this because if you're a mom and you've have kids now going off to school and maybe you've picked up some extra time for yourself, during the busy work weeks, this is a great opportunity to add in. Some of these strategies that I'm gonna talk about today. If you've heard me talk about a self nourishment menu before, this is a part of that idea of a self nourishment menu, which in a nutshell means taking a look at your whole week and plugging in specific activities or behaviors that you wanna engage in that will help. Promote your health and wellbeing, both physical health, mental health, and emotional health. Self nourishment menu is an activity that I walk our group counseling members through okay, so let's dive into what to do to support your brain health. Last week, Dr. Annie fan gave us a lot of information about brain boosting foods. So we're gonna go into some more lifestyle, strategies today. as a woman in midlife, you know how busy and demanding life can be between careers, family, social commitments. It's really easy to overlook the importance of brain health, especially after we turn 40. We've got a lot going on, but let's pause for just a second and consider this. A healthy brain is key to your overall wellbeing and helping you tackle that growing to-do list. I'm gonna walk you through seven essential strategies to help you nurture your brain health after 40 and boost your cognitive vitality. I'm often hearing from clients or other women in midlife and other communities that I support that they can get this sense of like brain fog, like the hamsters are just not turning as well as they did in our twenties and thirties. You've probably heard before that. Movement exercise can improve our mental clarity. How do we beat brain fog with movement? I know you've constantly heard get more exercise and that can sound like a broken record, but it is truly critical for your brain health. Regular physical activity increases blood flow to your brain, promotes the growth of new neurons in your brain, and enhances cognitive function. Now, before you start going, but Amanda, I don't have any more time in my days and my weeks to fit in a 30 minute walk or a 30 minute run or go to the gym or whatever. Before you freak out on how much movement should you be doing, I want you to know that the World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intense aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of intense exercise, or a combination of the two each week. What can that look like? This can look like some brisk walks, swimming laps, or pool aerobics, taking a bike ride. My personal favorite, or dancing Out to your favorite playlist. Strength training exercises like yoga and Pilates, or just lifting weights are also great too for maintaining muscle mass and overall bone health and vitality. Exercise can also help you deal with the added stress of midlife. According to one of my favorite books that All women over the age of 35, I think should read the book is called Burnout by Emily Nki and Amelia Nki. According to them, just 20 minutes of moderate intense exercise can help move stress hormones through your body, allowing you to complete the stress cycle. And this is a huge benefit, especially because your natural stress buffer of estrogen is fluctuating like crazy after 40 and is starting to decline the closer you get to menopause. So not only are we losing that hormonal tool and buffer for stress, but life is also a little crazy, in our forties. If you can get in Even five minutes most days, to be honest, is enough to just help engage your brain. Help you have. Some self-care time, and ideally, if you can work up to having that 20 minutes of moderately intense exercise, especially when you are feeling more anxious or more stressed, again, the research shows that that will help you move those stress hormones through your body and therefore, clear up your brain, help your brain get out of that midlife fog and move on with the rest of your day. Eating, brain boosting foods like Dr. Annie Fen of Brain Health Kitchen was talking about in episode 96 is really important as well. But before we get into I should eat this and I shouldn't be eating this. Like, let's not go down that rabbit hole. If you've been here long enough with me, you know that I'm a big fan of adding versus taking away. So you can eat to support your brain health without falling into the dumpster fire of diet culture. You can take a non-diet approach, or as I like to call it, an unie approach to brain healthy diet with intuitive eating and gentle nutrition. You can create your meals and snacks with colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts and seeds. And these powerhouses are packed with antioxidants, omega three fatty acids and essential nutrients that support your brain. For example, foods like blueberries, spinach, salmon, walnuts, and spices like turmeric are fantastic for brain health after 40 D. And remember to take an expansive or an add-in approach when it comes to eating, meaning focusing on adding more of these brain healthy foods rather than worrying about what you shouldn't be eating. This is more of a positive mindset, and anytime we can be in more of a positive or expansive mindset, it tends to increase your creativity when it comes to answering the question, what should I be eating for my health now that I am entering into midlife? So the next strategy to supporting a vibrant brain going in into midlife is giving your brain a workout. Exercise isn't just for your body. Mental activities challenge your brain and help maintain cognitive sharpness. whether that's puzzles, crosswords, reading, or learning a new skill or language. Nurturing your creative side with hobbies like painting, writing, or playing a musical instrument. Or creative projects you enjoy is critical to your overall self-care, and it gives your brain a break from all of the have tos and the responsibilities. I was just talking with a client yesterday about how important it is, especially as moms, caregivers, whatever that may look like in your life. If you can find something that is just yours, meaning it doesn't involve your kids, it doesn't involve your partner, your spouse, your aging parents, or it could involve your coworkers, but not something that's related to your work. When you can have a hobby or a project or a creative outlet that is just yours. That can really expand creativity in your brain and help reduce those stress hormones in your brain and promote better cognitive function. I. The other big one that we have always heard about, is getting better sleep. Sleep is essential even if it feels like it's difficult to get. Your brain needs time to consolidate memories, restore energy levels, and promote emotional wellbeing. Ideally trying to aim for seven to nine hours of restful sleep each night, and work on practicing to create a consistent bedtime routine around reducing screen time, trying maybe a gentle yoga flow session, or enjoying a relaxing shower or bath. Keeping the temperature on the mild side if you struggle with night sweats. Minimizing sleep disruptions can also do wonders for your brain health. I use that word practice in there very intentionally. It's not gonna boost your brain health or reduce your stress or help you calm down for a better night's sleep If you are in this shoulding space, like I should be putting my phone down. I should be getting to bed now. Oh my gosh, it's nine o'clock. I should be doing some yoga. I should be taking the shower. I should be laying my clothes out for the next day. Don't do that. That's gonna keep you in that ruminating, constantly going through your to-do list. Headspace. Think about creating that nighttime routine as a practice. I wanna practice getting to bed earlier. I wanna practice reducing my screen time. I wanna practice picking up something that's enjoyable to read and isn't related to the news or work or whatever that may be. Practice is a really important word there. Stressing less and breathing deeper, of course, is better for brain health, and you've probably experienced the effects of stress on your wellbeing over the past few years. Did you know that the, it, it affects your brain health too, when we're in this low grade space of stress, we might not feel like, you know, the world is falling on down on top of us, but sometimes just trying to get the, I don't know, kid permission slips ready to go, or school pictures or the soccer team just started and it's Time to be going to games or getting dinner on the table, like some of that. Having a really big to-do list can keep us in this low grade level of stress consistently. And if we have a hard time breathing through that it's gonna make that stress feel even more amplified. During perimenopause and menopause, stress management becomes really crucial, even if it feels challenging. Chronic stress contributes to the cognitive decline because again, that brain fog piece. Practicing stress reduction techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises or yoga can be helpful additions to your daily self nourishment routine. Again, practice, use that word practice instead of shoulding, I should be adding these things. Engaging in activities that bring you joy and relaxation is equally important, even for just 10 to 15 minutes a day. It's all about prioritizing self-care and setting healthy boundaries to keep stress levels in check and support optimal brain function. So again, going back to that self nourishment menu idea, being able to take a look at your weekly schedule and thinking about where could I plug in 10 to 15 minutes for some time to help reduce my, my stress levels. Going through that self nourishment menu activity is something that we do in Savor Group counseling, next week, registration starts, and we will start the sessions at the end of September. I. Okay. Creating meaningful connections is also essential to supporting your brain health, engaging in group activities and nourishing relationships with family and friends to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline during midlife is huge. Try joining clubs or organizations that align with your interest, volunteer in your community, or spend quality time with people that energize and support you having strong social bonds. Or like having brain food, nourishing yourself, uplifting yourself, and also being able to support each other through the ups and downs of midlife, whether that's in physical health or with your kids or relationship stuff with your spouse or partner or parents. Having that strong, meaningful connections in that community can really help you get through all of these little micro stressors of midlife. Being proactive with health checkups is also really important. Getting regular checkups screenings, both physical and mental health screenings can help your brain stay healthy and vital. After 40 conditions like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol can increase the risk of cognitive decline, and we can sometimes be at higher risk depending on your health history, your family health history. Being proactive also means pushing back against weight stigma in the healthcare setting, even if it feels like it's no big deal. It's absolutely a big deal to get the quality of healthcare that you need. And if that means. Avoiding stepping on the scale. When you get to the doctor's office and advocating for yourself that can be a really essential part to helping you feel more proactive at your health checkups. If you only get recommendations to lose weight or for popular diets don't be afraid to ask for weight neutral recommendations for any of the above conditions, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol. Just because that might be the tool that is in your practitioner's toolbox to give you the list of recommended popular diets or losing weight or asking you to eliminate foods. Doesn't mean it has to be the only tool that you can engage with. This is where it can be helpful that if you do get any of those diagnoses or that you're heading that way, pre-diabetes is a big one that I see in my practice. Just know that you can reach out to Other intuitive eating professionals come and be a part of the Savor Group counseling program. You can reach out to other professionals that work more in this weight neutral space and undying space to help you support your health goals. Brain health after 40 doesn't have to be complicated to sum this all up, your brain deserves your attention and care as you embrace your forties and beyond. By incorporating these essential tips and strategies that we just talked about into your daily life, including intuitive eating, Gentle nutrition and considerations for perimenopause and menopause. You can nurture your cognitive vitality, keep your mind sharp, and boost your overall wellbeing. And always remember it's never too late to prioritize brain health or any aspect of your physical or mental health. And the benefits are long, long-lasting. So empower yourself with knowledge and healthy habits to ensure a vibrant Brain at every stage in your life. And as always, you can always find more resources by going to alpine nutrition.org. You can hit the contact button at the top of the page and get in contact with me directly and ask more questions about this episode. And as we wrap up, I just wanna let you know that this episode is brought to you by my Online Saver Group Counseling program. And again, it's an intimate six week program that will help you feel better in your body, have more energy, better moods, improve sleep. A healthy relationship with food and exercise Registration for the fall session of the group Counseling program opens next week on September 18th, and you can sign up for the wait list to get all of the program details and special discounts delivered right to your inbox by going to alpine nutrition.org/get started slash group counseling that. I hope you have a terrific week savoring food in your body. Take care.