FLOURISH - Introduction to The Behavioral Roots of Brain Health

To flourish as you age, you need to keep your brain as healthy as possible, and you need to manage your mental states. This episode introduces the brain health side of the equation. 

There are eight behavioral and lifestyle areas that, together, have a profound impact on the health of your brain and your ability to flourish as you age.  We now call these eight areas the "Behavioral Roots of Brain Health."

• Physical Exercise
• Mental Stimulation
• Social Engagement
• Stress Management
• Good Diet
• Good Sleep 
• Good Medical Care
• Enriched Environments 

You can prevent or slow cognitive decline and dementia by adopting a risk management approach:
a) reduce your exposure to risk factors associated with each behavioral root and ,
b) engage reguarly with the protective factors associated with each area.  

For the risk management approach to be successful you need to follow the rule of the Four Cs

• Causes - address the root causes of cognitive decline, not the symptoms
• Combinatorial - the 8 areas have a synergistic affect; each one must be addressed
• Customized - each brain and life is different so interventions must be customized to the individual. 
• Continual - the behaviors must be integrated into your lifesyle and practiced on a continual basis.