Active Aging Presented by Public Health Seattle-King County
Maintaining cognitive fitness as you age is just as important as maintaining physical strength — and even more critical, as your brain controls every part of your body. High-performance athletes and successful entrepreneurs understand this, and that’s why they incorporate brain endurance training (BET) into their daily routines.
A study at the University of Birmingham in the UK also showed that BET can improve attention, cognitive function, physical endurance, and resistance exercise performance. Another study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise showed that BET could make a positive impact on cognitive and physical performance in older adults.
But what exactly is cognitive stamina, and how can you build it?
What Is Cognitive Stamina?
The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines cognitive functioning as “the performance of the mental processes of perception, learning, memory, understanding, awareness, reasoning, judgment, intuition, and language.”
Stamina is “the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity,” according to Merriam-Webster.
Elite athletes and entrepreneurs build mental strength and endurance to maximize their performance and achieve professional success under pressure. Improving mental strength goes hand in hand with increasing mental stamina.
Benefits of BET and Improving Mental Strength
Research studies on brain endurance training for older adults define BET as combining cognitive tasks with physical exercise. Study participants who practiced BET in the UK Birmingham study outperformed participants who did not do BET and saw increased cognitive and physical performance in mental tasks and exercises.
Building emotional resilience also plays a key role in learning to manage stress while seeking to achieve goals. High-performance athletes know they must focus their minds to stay mentally strong under steep competitive pressure.
Tips for Building Cognitive (Mental) Stamina and Mental Strength
Building cognitive stamina and mental strength is a matter of staying focused on goals, working within your physical abilities, and realizing that mental training is just as essential as physical training for healthy aging. It also helps increase emotional resilience to process feelings, manage stress, and handle challenging circumstances. Follow these tips to get started.
Get Quality Sleep
When you sleep, your brain recharges. If you don’t get enough sleep, you might wake up feeling tired and foggy. A good night’s sleep (around seven to nine hours for older adults) can help you pay attention, be creative, solve problems, learn more efficiently, and make decisions, the National Institute on Aging explains.
To get good sleep, make the bedroom comfortable, follow a consistent sleep and wake schedule, have a bedtime routine to relax and unwind, don’t have caffeine later in the day, and get regular exercise.
Eat a Plant-Based Diet
Eating a plant-based diet is good for your physical and cognitive health. A Harvard Medical Cognitive Fitness report suggests eating:
- Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and collards
- Fatty fish like salmon, cod, and canned light tuna
- Berries, such as strawberries and blueberries
- Walnuts and almonds
- Tea and coffee
- Whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, and barley
Also, avoid eating red meat, butter, cream, whole milk, added sugar, and refined flour in excess.
Exercise Regularly
Staying physically active helps promote brain health. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends adults 65 and older do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week. You can break it down into 30-minute sessions five days a week. You should do aerobics, strengthening, and balance exercises.
Practice Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness means fully engaging and being aware of the present moment. Stop whatever you are doing to notice the sights, smells, sounds, and textures of your surroundings. Mindful activities like meditation, deep breathing, and conscious movement can sharpen your focus and reduce stress, according to Calm.com.
Practice Self-Care and Self-Compassion
Getting quality sleep and eating well are examples of self-care, which can boost your mental strength. Likewise, refraining from negative self-talk and not being too hard on yourself are examples of self-compassion. Treating yourself with the kindness and respect you give to a friend or family member, forgiving yourself for past mistakes, and realizing you don’t have to be perfect can increase your emotional resiliency.
Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Stay Focused
Setting goals that are “specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and with a time frame in mind” can increase your mental stamina,” VeryWellHealth notes.
Plus, staying focused builds mental stamina, which drives your ability to concentrate on a given task for a prolonged time. To achieve this, eliminate all distractions and focus only on the task or project at hand. You can even repeat a helpful phrase like “You’ve got this,” if it helps you get the job done.
Stay Positive and Use Visualization
Staying positive through any task or challenge, especially during challenging situations, builds mental stamina, strength, and resiliency. Positivity promotes a strong mental attitude. Using visualization to see, feel, taste, hear, and smell your success in your mind can help you manifest a win and boost your mental strength, Forbes explains.
Following these tips can improve your cognitive stamina and increase your mental strength, which are essential parts of a healthy, active, aging lifestyle.
Active Aging is presented by Public Health- Seattle & King County. Public Health- Seattle & King County recognizes the important and untold stories of innovation, service, and sacrifice by the Black community and supports efforts to improve equity and achieve social justice. We want everyone to get health insurance and access health care. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/health for health insurance, flu and COVID-19 testing locations.
