By Gabe Sanders PhD, NSCA-CSCS
What if caring for your mind looked a lot like caring for your body?
Try stacking small, repeatable habits, such as a brisk walk to boost blood flow to the brain, a quick call with a friend, a few minutes with a brain game or a good book. Each step is short and manageable on its own, yet together they add up, helping you think more clearly, remember more easily, and feel more confident in your daily life.
The MIND Diet
Recently, a large clinical study found that older adults at risk of cognitive decline improved thinking skills by following a simple combination of habits, regular exercise, a brain focused eating pattern, social and mental activities, and routine heart health checkups.
The eating pattern was the MIND diet, which stands for Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It blends the Mediterranean diet with the DASH diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and emphasizes healthy, natural foods that appear to protect the brain.
It’s the combination of healthy habits
The health benefit did not come from any single habit. It came from combining them. Move your body to increase blood flow and growth factors in the brain, eat nutrient dense foods to reduce inflammation and support neurons, stay socially and mentally engaged to keep neural networks active, and monitor blood pressure and cholesterol so brain vessels stay healthy. This mix is practical and sustainable, and the gains build slowly over months, which is how the brain adapts.
The takeaway is simple and hopeful.
Small, consistent habits can add up to clearer thinking and more confidence in daily life. Start with ten minutes of walking, ten minutes of strength or balance, and ten minutes of learning most days, then build a MIND style plate at dinner. Repeat that routine, and you give your brain the conditions it needs to stay sharp.
Article’s Sources
Baker LD, Espeland MA, Whitmer RA, et al. Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The US POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2025;334(8):681–691. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.12923
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