Maintain Your Brain™: changing how we think about brain health

As the world leader in Alzheimer research and support, the Alzheimer’s Association has the responsibility to provide accurate and reliable information about healthy aging and, in particular, brain health. The new Maintain Your Brain™ program demonstrates that the Association is the leader people can trust for knowledge on brain health and that—armed with our information—constituents can take steps to help ensure the future they want, one without Alzheimer’s.

We’ve launched the exciting Maintain Your Brain™ campaign—brain-healthy life choices people can undertake now—to foster awareness of the rapid progress in research and to offer new reason for hope to prevent and possibly cure Alzheimer’s disease. As great strides are being made in understanding, diagnosing and treating dementia, now is the time to understand that our future is only as healthy as our brains.

With Maintain Your Brain™, we’re encouraging Americans to learn what can be done to foster brain health. Simple lifestyle modifications may have an enormous impact on individuals’ and the nation’s public health. In reaching out to the 77 million American baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—we’re changing the way the nation thinks about Alzheimer’s disease. Our goal is to create a powerful constituency of the passionate that places the prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease at the top of their agenda.

The brain-healthy life choices we’re encouraging are listed nearby in the “10 ways to Maintain Your Brain™” article. For additional information on healthy aging and ways to Maintain Your Brain™, visit www.alz.org.

10 ways to Maintain Your Brain™

1.) Head first

Good health starts with your brain so pay attention to your brain health. It’s one of the most important body organs and needs care and maintenance.

2.) Take brain health to heart

Do something every day to reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke—all of which can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s. 

3.) Your numbers count

Keep your body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels within recommended ranges.

4.) Feed your brain

Eat less fat and more vegetables, especially leafy greens and those rich in antioxidants.

5.) Work your body

Physical exercise keeps the blood flowing and may encourage new brain cells. It doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity. Do what you can—like walking 30 minutes a day—to keep both body and mind active. 

6.) Jog your mind

Keeping your brain active and engaged increases its vitality and builds reserves of brain cells and connections. Read, write, play games, learn new things, do crossword puzzles.

7.) Connect with others

Leisure activities that combine physical, mental and social elements may be most likely to prevent dementia. Be social, converse, volunteer, join a club or take a class.

8.) Heads up! Protect your brain

Take precautions against injuries. Use your car seat belts, unclutter your house to avoid falls, and wear a helmet when cycling or in-line skating.

9.) Use your head

Avoid unhealthy habits. Don’t smoke, drink excessive alcohol or use street drugs.

10.) Think ahead—start today!

You can do something today to protect your tomorrow.

This article was prepared by and is a trademark of the Alzheimer’s Association.