Audra Lowe: There certain types of food that we should be reaching for though right?

Pam: Right.

Audra Lowe: Especially for our brain.

Pam: Exactly, well food is what you’re brain runs on to begin with. So you want to make sure you’re eating every three to four hours because if your blood sugar depths too low, it’s literally tough to think straight.

Audra Lowe: Yeah.

Pam: But you have to eat the right foods. And what you want to do is eat a mix of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. So vegetables and fruits are really important. They’re loaded with antioxidants and flavonoid’s which help your build your brain cells. You also want to eat a lot of protein because protein gives you sort of a steady source of fuel and again helps your brain stay sharp.

Caffeine is good. You know so have that cup of coffee—

Audra Lowe: It’s okay.

Pam: Yes, it really is okay. It speeds up your brain and helps you remember things that make you alert and it helps you even reason. So caffeine is good for you. Fish is really good for you. Salmon has lots of omega 3 fatty acids which lower inflammation throughout your body including in your brain and really help the health of your brain cells.

Audra Lowe: Wow, and every three to four hours you said we should be eating.

Pam: Yes, every three to four hours, yup.

Audra Lowe: Okay, now of course along with working out and eating right, you guys have fine strategies in the magazine that will actually help us stay sharp—

Pam: Right.

Audra Lowe: Some let them pretty obvious but others, not so obvious.

Pam: Yeah, well one you should do and this is pretty obvious but it’s got a good night sleep.

Audra Lowe: Yeah.

Pam: And the reason is, if you don’t, if your sleep deprive it reduces that levels of a protein in your brain which your brain needs to store new information so you find it hard to remember things.

Audra Lowe: Right, so you got to bring all over the place—

Pam: Exactly, that’s right so you really try to get hours if you can.

Audra Lowe: You also say that your supposed to protect your head you know when you go in ride in a bikes, people forget to put the helmet on but—

Pam: You got to do it. Because if you fall and hurt yourself, that can be really terrible. So definitely, wear a helmet.

Audra Lowe: I like this next tip though, it’s called the stop multitasking.

Pam: Yes.

Audra Lowe: As far for me not too. But—you’re trying to focus on three or four different things that once you’re not giving your attention to what—

Pam: That’s right; you’re not doing anyone of them.

Audra Lowe: Yeah.

Pam: Well, because you’re concentration is split amongst all of them. So your just not performing as well as you should. So just concentrate on one thing at a time.

Audra Lowe: I'm going to try that from here right on, I promise. Do mental aerobics, what is mental aerobics though?

Pam: Well, what you need to do to keep your mind sharp is to use your brain a lot. So do cross word puzzles, challenge yourself to remember things if you go to party afterwards try to remember everybody’s name of all the people you met. Just little things like that. Remember phone numbers, anything that works your brain helps to keep it strong.

Audra Lowe: See that’s back, because I thought I was ---skip trip to the jam and just mentally really like you’re working out.

Pam: Right, exactly.

Audra Lowe: But that’s not going to work the same way. And last but not the least, you say butt out. There’s an interesting statistic about smokers and there memory, right.

Pam: Yes, now smokers are turns out smoking can cause cerebrovascular disease and that affects the blood flow to the brain. And so your brain can't function properly. So you don’t smoke. It’s just really bad for your body and for your brain.

Audra Lowe: Just let it go.

Pam: Yeah, exactly, kick the habit.

Audra Lowe: Kick the habit, thank you so much Pam, good to see you as always. And you guys can also get more ways to strengthen your brain by picking up fitness magazine which is on the stands now or as always you can go to their website which is fitnessmagazine.com