This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Heart Association / American Stroke Association. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a few years, you will have read many posts in the past where I discussed my great aunt (adopted grandmother) and her health. For those of you who are new here, I’ll briefly give you a rundown.
My adopted grandfather (great uncle) passed away 9 years ago. Once he passed, we had the job of looking after my 80+ year old aunt. When we started taking over her care, we had no idea that she was in poor health too. She had issues with her heart, orthopedic issues (7 fractures in her back) and her brain health was very poor. She already had dementia and Alzheimer’s setting in. At the time, her doctor told us that she was also at risk for having a stroke.
We took care of my auntie to the best of our abilities for 7 years, until she passed away. We treasure the time we had with her during those 7 years, but times were definitely tough & stressful. She had a stroke at one point and we had to make the decision to put her into a nursing home, which totally broke our hearts. One of the sad things about that entire situation is that 80% of adult strokes are preventable…if you practice good brain health & brain activities starting at an early age.
Brain disease (various types) run pretty high in my family, so my husband and I both made some lifestyle changes. We rarely consume alcohol, we don’t smoke, we eat healthy (the majority of the time) and we get a lot of physical activity. In addition to the things I just mentioned, you need to control your blood sugar & intake of sugar, keep your bad cholesterol down and please, make sure you keep your blood pressure under control. My managing all of these things, you can dramatically lessen your risk for a stroke or other type of brain ailment in your later years!
Brain Health is very important and the American Heart Association is trying to change behaviors in people now to help prevent strokes in the future! You really need to start thinking about all of this in early adulthood, make the necessary changes and continue to live healthy as you age.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle includes Life’s Simple 7. If you’ve never heard of this before, it includes four simple healthy behaviors: Eat Better, Physically Active, Don’t Smoke & Lose Weight. Then the other 3 points in this healthy lifestyle includes controlling 3 health measurements: Manage Your Blood Pressure, Control Your Cholesterol & Reduce Blood Sugar. If you think about it, all 7 of these things are THINGS you have control over and they can make a HUGE difference in your overall health as you age. These changes help your overall brain health and as an added bonus, they help your heart health too!
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association defines a healthy brain as one that is functioning at its best, free from disease & is receiving normal blood flow & oxygen levels. Normal blood flow & oxygen to the brain may be impacted dramatically by having high blood pressure, out of control blood glucose levels, high cholesterol, by smoking, by consuming alcohol and by not getting enough physical & social activity.
Once your brain becomes damaged & brain cells die…it can never be repaired. Damage to your brain may cause trouble with speaking, walking, eating, how your processes information, memory issues, confusion, etc. Some damage to the brain is often unseen. Memory loss, trouble organizing thoughts & confusion can be invisible or just chalked up to aging. This is why it’s VITAL for you to practice healthy brain habits now!
Getting plenty of physical activity into your daily routine can improve brain health and help you avoid brain problems like stroke, heart disease, dementia, confusion and/or memory loss. You need to work on healthy living now, not later after you have all of the brain problems. Prevention is KEY here!
Please don’t take your brain health for granted! You need to keep it thinking sharp with brain-healthy activities & by living a healthy lifestyle. It’s IMPORTANT to eat well, sleep well and be physically & socially active.
I’m 47 years old and will be 48 at the end of the month. After seeing BOTH my grandmother, great aunt and great uncle go through brain health problems, I’m trying to do everything I can to prevent it. Hubby and I have both adopted healthier lifestyles, getting a lot of physical & mental activity and educating ourselves on what we can do to help ourselves to live long & healthy lives.
How many of you are concerned about your brain health? What are you doing NOW to help prevent those health issues later on? I would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave your comments in my blog’s comment form below. Thanks!
I have started to exercise more. I am trying to as much as I can to keep my body and mind healthy
I have a friend who is 90+ and he still walks 1-2 miles a day. He continues to be in good physical health and he is so sharp mentally. He started walking after a heart attack 25 years ago and I am convinced that walking is one of the reasons he is doing so well. That and having as he says young friends being social.
I do worry about these things. Alzheimer’s seems to run in my Mom’s family & her uncle passed away a few years ago after a long battle with it. It’s a scary disease!
I have really started thinking about my brain health. I try to eat a lot more greens, drink more water, exercise and do activities like puzzles and games. Thank you for posting this one as it is so important.
Walking something so simple yet helpful