Four simple strategies to boost your brain power

People are worried about losing themselves Memory As they get older, or even worse, they develop dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. It’s difficult to not get caught up in the cycle of fear Declaring this format anywhere you read dementia It spreads out of control like wildfires through an ageing population.

There is more nuance in data on the prevalence of dementia, but this does not minimize the desire for people to keep their brains healthy and sharp. There are loads of puzzles on hundreds of websites and apps, all claiming to provide an antidote slowly and over time to your cave of mental skills. But can they work?

Pointer: The latest demo that training works

In a newly published paper, Baker et al. (2025) Report on Pointer US, a two-year intervention program for 2,111 adults considered at risk Cognitive decline and/or dementia. In this study, two training programs were compared and participants (mean age 68 years) were randomly assigned to either structured training or self-guided training. The training itself consisted of a series of lifestyle changes and activities known from previous research to address cognitive decline.

philosophy Pointers (and supporting previous evidence) are that cognitive decline in late adulthood is not inevitable. But there’s not just one thing. As the authors point out in their first method-oriented paper (Baker et al., 2024), “A “multi-domain” approach is needed to increase cognition. Resilience Protects against cognitive decline” (p. 770). The pointer did just that.

Why and how does training work?

One of the fundamental doctrines of pointers is that cognitive decline occurs due to a lack of physical fitness. Specifically, heart health. Simply put, the brain needs blood, and without it, brain cells will die. The heart’s job is to provide that blood. When you physically fit, you will give as many opportunities as possible to do this job.

Physical fitness depends partly on exercise, but as you can imagine, it can also be healthy. diet. It is becoming increasingly clear in the research community that what you eat affects your cognitive function. Scientifically verified “heart“Mediterranean dash intervention for diet, or neurodegeneration delay, takes advantage of all the good things in the two diets that form its title. You can eat quite well on a mind diet that includes grains, nuts, berries, fish and vegetables, but you need to see the intake of a body that has accepted the sacrifices of cheese, sweet meat and more.

Back at the pointer, we combined all the world’s best from exercise and diet very simply with intervention packages delivered directly by training staff or brought home in the form of self-directed activities and programs. Surprisingly, Baker et al. , as reported by 2025, not only did both interventions work, but self-guided interventions reached levels of improvement in face-to-face training.

So, what secret sources were available to participants for themselves? Although the exact details are not available in the study itself, a structured intervention allows us to see what the elements should ideally include.

1. Stick to the mind diet: The Mind website has extensive coverage of this healthy diet component. You can also visit myplate.govoffers individual menus based on age, health and preferences.
2. Incorporate aerobic and resistance exercises for your day: Now we are real! In the structured group, participants worked at the local gym with consultations from group leaders. However, the exercise was pretty basic. here.
3. Play some cognitive games: Pointer participants were able to access commercial resources, but they could get similar resources for free just by browsing online. The key is to maintain a stable, intellectual diet and find activities that motivate you, whether it’s a word game or a visual puzzle. Keep them and you can quickly build an impressive “streak”!
4. Reach out to others: Both pointer interventions included some interaction with fellow participants and team leaders. These interactions not only help you stay involved with others, but also ensure you stay motivated. Knowing that someone else is monitoring your progress (or competes with you) can further enhance that enhancement. There were only six meetings for the self-directed intervention to be effective.

Used to use pointer findings

Just as self-directed interventions were found to be effective in improving cognitive performance over the two years of the study, the structured group actually showed significant improvements, but only by this. Ideally, you’ll try to find comprehensive, practical training opportunities rather than relying on the ability to put together something together to ensure that your pointer findings work best. If that’s not an option, write your own program, write it down, and stick to it.

In fact, as the editor of the prestigious journal in which the study was published (JAMA) pointed out, “the more prominent finding, rather than a difference, is perhaps the similarity of cognitive benefits across both groups, despite only requiring self-directed groups that require only a small portion of engagement and intervention.” Not only that, it also made management of self-directed groups cheaper. Editors can also stream remotely.

Another point worth mentioning is that the Pointer worked without the costly “memory” supplements that are constantly advertised on broadcast television and YouTube. You’re paying only for food you eat anyway, or at least a healthy version of that food. You may need to get new sneakers, but everyone needs shoes.

To sum up, Just because you don’t feel like you have the time or resources, there’s no reason to give up on your cognitive abilities. You can also change your diet and exercise habits, engage in games and social interactions, and make large investments. The reward for maintaining your mind and your health will be more than rewarded in terms of your health and fulfillment.