With as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way (approximately 100 billion), your brain weighs in somewhere around 1.6kg or 2 pounds and accounts for 2.5 percent of your body's total weight, using up to 20 percent of your total energy needs.[1] And you're in control of how to fuel and run this powerhouse; with proper use, care, and knowledge, you have the means for decreasing your brain's aging during the adult stages of your life.

Brain age doesn't have to be your year age, and it's liberating to know that the more we use and expect of our brain, the better it becomes over time. Indeed, the cognitive decline of aging can be arrested, reversed, and improved at any time through life![2] If you've let your brain take a vacation over time, make choices that will help to decrease your brain's aging and keep it (and therefore you as a whole) staying younger for longer.



Steps


1-Feed your brain nutritiously. A diet based on foods that humans have long thrived on is your best bet, which means finding balance between food types, keeping processed foods to a minimum, and preferring the healthiest sources of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to fuel and bolster your brain. Foods that are high in anti-oxidants and phenols are important for the brain; for example, plums are high in phenols and the phenols help to prevent cell damage and the breakdown of the special fats important to your brain


2-Prioritize exercising your body. After age 25, our taken-for-granted physical health begins to decline, helped along by inactive lifestyles. Physical exercise is important for your brain because it provides much needed oxygen; improved blood flow to the brain helps the growth of new brain cell "branches" (dendrites).[10] Those who exercise have been shown to have denser brains than those who do not; loss of brain density and volume becomes more prevalent as we age, a major factor in mental decline. In addition, weight bearing exercise has been shown to improve levels of serotonin and dopamine in adults, two brain chemicals related directly to brain aging. Exercise wards off the effects of stress by burning off the stress hormones and chasing away the cortisol that destroys brain cells. Mood is improved with exercise too, as noradrenaline is secreted and endorphins entering the bloodstream help give you a lift and can even ward off depression.

Remember that your mind and body are not separate; they are a holistic whole and therefore caring for your body will always benefit your brain.
Naturally, as with anything, excessive exercise is not good for your brain – find the balance between none and too much and your exercise in moderation will guard your brain's youthfulness.


3-Do mental workouts. "Use it or lose it" is a common adage applied to the brain, and with good reason because it's true; unused brain cells atrophy and die off (probably of boredom). Fortunately, a brain that is given plenty of opportunities to exercise actually improves with age, and the more you use it, the better it grows. There are plenty of things you can do to keep your brain in training and fortunately for all of us, most of them are fun things to do. Some examples include:

Puzzles such as crosswords, Sudoku, trivia games, brainteasers, mazes, and word puzzles[15] are all superb mental workouts.
Remembering sequences of numbers, letters, words, symbols, etc. Do this with a friend so that you can both improve your memory.
Play memory games. There are lots of them but a simple one is to place different objects on a tray, try to memorize them, and then cover them up and repeat what they are. Continuously increase the amount of objects you're trying to remember.
Play computer games. Focus on ones that require you to solve mathematical problems quickly or other problems with a deadline.[16]
Wherever you are during the day, play memory games with yourself. It's a great way of passing time in a queue or on public transport. Try to remember chunks of text, phone numbers, lines of printed letters, anything that you can spot around you. Or, you can even see if you can remember things about people sitting near you - close your eyes and try to remember things about them and check if you got it right (take care not to stare). You can also do this with pictures in a magazine that are filled with action or elements - stare at it for 10 seconds, then write down as many things as possible that you can remember about it and compare your recall after.[17]
Be a good storyteller. This is a great way to keep your memories alive and helps you to perceive past events in a positive light, by using the storyteller's technique of finding a moral, a lesson, or a confirmation within the past experience.
Read lots of good books. Reading has long been a guaranteed way to keep your brain alert, stretched, and attuned to new ideas and perspectives.
Read How to train your brain for more ideas.

4-Master your stress coping skills. Stress is good for you in small doses; it keeps you on your toes and it helps to remind you that you're alive and need to keep your wits about you. However, excess, continual, and never-ending stress of the type our modern way of living produces kills brains cells and ages your brain faster. The good news is that you have the ability to manage and minimize stress and to help your brain stay younger. To decrease your brain age, reduce your exposure to and intolerance of stress by finding ways that minimize it, ways that work for you. Don't be surprised if not all ways suggested by other people work; you will just have to try out different approaches until you find the ways that fit your personality and needs and actually do dispel your stress quickly and effectively. Once you find that sweet spot, turn it into your new "personal default position", your de-stressing habit.

5-Try something new. "Neuro-plasticity" is the term used to explain the brain's ability to reorganize its neural pathways based on a new experience.[18] This is good the age of your brain because you're causing it to continue developing and improving. Trying a new way of doing something you're used to doing is a really good way to shake it up! Learning new skills will continuously push your brain, as well as giving you new opportunities to meet new people, sample new experiences, and introduce variety into your life.

Learning a new language is one of the most rewarding mental workouts; why not plan a trip at the end of it as an incentive to keep going!
Trying something new can actually help you to "declutter" your brain and remove irrelevant information and replace it with useful information. Coupled with stress reduction, physical exercise, and mental workouts, trying something new can give you an edge over people who are stuck in their ways with cluttered minds.[19]
Teaching or tutoring others can also be a good way of drawing on past experiences and applying them to new ones; you will need to draw on many problem-solving skills when teaching.