The 12-Minute Trick For a Better Brain
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted March 23, 2018
When your brain starts slipping, it can be absolutely terrifying.
There’s nothing fun about struggling to remember names… or faces… or phone numbers… or your way home from the supermarket.
And problems like anxiety and depression can start to surface the older you get.
But, believe it or not, there’s something simple you can start doing TODAY that will keep your brain sharp well into your golden years.
And the best part? It only takes 12 minutes.
The brain-saving trick is exercise.
And before you roll your eyes, hear me out.
Because you can get the same results from just 12 minutes of exercise a day as you’d get from an hour at the gym.
The secret is getting your heart rate up.
Researchers studied 34,000 Norwegian adults over 11 years and had them report how often they exercised each week, how intense it was, and how depressed or anxious they felt.
The results suggested that as little as one hour of exercise each week (if done right) helped protect people against depressive episodes.
That’s less than 10 minutes a day… or 12 minutes five days a week.
Aside from protecting your brain, exercise protects your heart, balances blood sugar, and improves libido.
Here is how I suggest people exercise:
It doesn’t matter if you do this exercise as walking, on a treadmill, in a pool… it is the intensity that is important.
- Warm up for 4 minutes
- Push yourself as hard as you can for 20-40 seconds
- Slow down for 2 minutes
- Push yourself as hard as you can for 20-40 seconds
Repeat until you hit 12 minutes of exercising.
That’s it: research shows that exercising this way is equal to 40-60 minutes of any other exercise.
But let’s not stop there. There is so much else you can do to keep your brain healthy.
Dr. Scott’s Brain Protection Plan:
- Creatine is an amino acid that is good for the brain and helps support energy production.
- Omega 3 fish oil is an essential fatty acid your brain needs to support its function and protect against oxidation.
- CoQ10 is powerful antioxidant and helps to provide energy throughout the body.
- Antioxidants can be vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin C, but I especially like the phytonutrients (polyphenols, carotenes…) found in superfood combinations.
- Herbs such as curcumin and bacopa work to decrease inflammation and act as powerful antioxidants.
Health and Happiness,
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
View More Free Articles
This Sleep Mistake Is Doubling Your Disease Risk
Think your inconsistent bedtime is just a harmless habit? Think again. New research reveals that going to bed at different times each night isn’t just making you tired—it could be dramatically increasing your risk of serious diseases. But the key to making sure poor sleep doesn’t derail your health goals likely isn’t what you think…....
Stop Obsessing Over Diet Trends
Can we stop with the endless diet debates already? Every other week there’s a new headline shouting about which diet is best for weight loss, heart health, or diabetes. Paleo, keto, low-carb, high-protein… it’s exhausting. And now, a new meta-analysis is out comparing the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and something called AHEI (that’s “Alternative...
A New Reason to Ditch Processed Junk
If you’ve ever walked the inside aisles of your local grocery store and thought, “This is all just junk,” your instincts were spot on. A new study published in the journal Thorax just added another red flag to the list of dangers linked to ultra-processed food—a 41 percent higher risk of lung cancer. That’s right....
When Being Winded on Stairs Is Serious (And When It Isn’t)
I had an athlete visit me recently because he experienced shortness of breath while climbing stairs. He is in great shape, so he was worried about what it might mean. “Doc,” he said, “I run five miles three times a week. Why am I huffing and puffing after two flights of stairs?” His concern is...
Study EXPOSES Hidden Danger Lurking in Your Car
We think of our homes and cars as safe havens. But according to a startling new study, they may be flooding your lungs with microscopic plastic particles—every single day. Researchers in France recently found that adults inhale an average of 68,000 microplastic particles daily from indoor air alone. To put that in perspective, that’s about...
Mailbag: Is Modern Food Making You Snore?
“What can cause snoring, and is there a way to correct this issue?” —Seeking Silence Hi Seeking, Snoring happens when the soft tissues in your throat relax and vibrate as air passes through during sleep. While several factors can cause snoring—from sleep position to nasal congestion—I want to share one trigger that might surprise you....
Simple Food Swap SLASHES Dementia Risk 28%
Let’s be honest… who would jump at the chance to cut their dementia risk by 28 percent. And no, you don’t need to run marathons, survive on broccoli, or learn to play the zither (whatever that is) to make it happen. All it takes is one easy swap—something that’s probably already in your refrigerator. Researchers...
This SMART Floss Exposes Hidden Health Danger
Scientists have created dental floss that doesn’t just clean between your teeth—it also tracks your stress while you’re flossing. Now, I know what you’re thinking… “Great—now even flossing is going to stress me out by telling me how stressed I am.” But this fascinating new tool from Tufts University could be a game-changer for understanding...
Is This "Safe" Sweetener Damaging Your Brain?
The headlines are alarming… “Popular Sugar Substitute Linked to Brain Cell Damage” and “Erythritol Could Damage Critical Brain Barrier” are just two of the dozens I’ve spotted recently. But before you toss every sugar-free product in your pantry, let’s take a closer look at what this study actually shows—and what it doesn’t. The latest research...
This Summer Threat Could SPIKE Your Blood Sugar
Picture this… It’s another scorching hot summer day. You crank up the air conditioning while watching the weather forecast, which predicts yet another “record-breaking” heat wave. It’s starting to feel like just another miserably uncomfortable summer. But what you might not realize is that—if you have diabetes—those rising temps could do far more damage to...