BOOST YOUR BRAIN

Stand while working, ditch the GPS and sip green tea - experts share their best tips for keeping your brain brighter

- MICHELE O'CONNOR

MOST of us devote more time to looking after our teeth than we do our brains, often taking our mental capacity for granted.

Your brain is actually the most precious part of the body and defines who you are, says Gill Livingston, professor of psychiatry at University College London. "And looking after your brain isn't just about remembering things, it's about your feelings, reactions and simply enjoying life more."

Your brain changes with age, starting as young as when you're in your 20s, and as you get older you tend to become more forgetful and find learning new skills more difficult.

But cognitive decline isn't an inevitable part of the ageing process, says British neuroscience professor Hana Burianová. "The brain is plastic, so its structure and function change and adapt throughout our lifetimes."

Your lifestyle and habits can directly affect brain elasticity', either contributing to your dementia risk or protecting you against it.

According to neuroscientist and author of 100 Days to a Younger Brain, Dr Sabina Brennan, our brains are dynamic organs that not only influence our behaviour but are also influenced by our behaviour.

What you do every day can protect your brain in the long term, as well as ensuring sounder sleep, more laughter, sharper thinking and better memory.

Here's how.

1 MAKE IT 'NEW'

You know about aerobics, but have you heard of "neurobics"? These are brain-stimulating exercises that involve trying something new or performing routine habits slightly differently.

Research shows the region in the brain responsible for regulating motivation and processing reward responds better to novelty than to the familiar.