SITTING STILL: DRAIN

　　久坐不动：伤脑

　　When we sit for long periods (more than three hours), our inactivity leads to reduced blood flow to the brain and less oxygenation and nutrient supply.This leads to reduced brain activity in the part of the brain we use for heavy-duty thinking, planning, organising and decision-making.

　　当我们长时间坐着(超过三小时)，却不活动会导致流向大脑的血液减少、缺氧和营养供应不足。这导致高强度思考、策划、组织和决策等大脑活动减少。

　　ACTION : Take brain breaks by getting up to stretch and move around every 30 minutes.

　　建议：每30分钟起来舒展身体、四处走动，让大脑休息。

　　STAYING CURIOUS: BOOSTER

　　保持好奇心：健脑

　　Learning new skills leads to better neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to form new connections between existing neurons, explains Dr Brockis. “It used to be thought we only had a short period of relative plasticity in early childhood. But although our brain’s plasticity does decline with age, we don’t lose it.

　　学习新技能会提高神经的可塑性——在现有神经元之间形成新连接的大脑能力，布罗基斯博士解释说。“以前我们认为只有童年早期才有短期的相对可塑性。尽管我们的大脑的可塑性会随着年龄的增长而下降，但是我们不会失去它。”

　　ACTION : Why not take up a musical instrument or an evening class?

　　建议：为何不学习一种乐器或者去夜校上课呢?

　　FAST FOOD: DRAIN

　　快餐：伤脑

　　“The quickest way to stuff up our brains is to stuff our bodies with fast food,” says Dr Brockis. “Too much sugar, trans fat and salt leads to greater inflammation and brain shrinkage.”

　　“填满我们大脑的最快方法就是用快餐填满我们的身体，”布罗基斯博士说。“太多的糖、反式脂肪和盐会导致更大的炎症和大脑萎缩。”

　　ACTION : Eat fresh and unprocessed foods as much as you can.

　　建议：经量多吃新鲜且未加工的食品。

　　GOOD QUALITY SLEEP: BOOSTER

　　高质量的睡眠：健脑

　　“Studies have shown being deprived of sleep for 24 hours decreases memory and concentration,” says Dr Michael Wasserman of the American Geriatric Society. “But regular, restful sleep improves memory.” Scientists think that while asleep, we shift recent experiences over to more ficient storage regions in the brain where they become long-term memories. It’s how we learn and remember facts and skills.

　　“研究显示24小时不睡觉导致记忆力下降和精力不集中，”美国老年医学会的迈克尔?沃瑟曼博士说。“但是有规律的、充足的睡眠会提高记忆力。”科学家认为睡觉时，我们将近期的经历转移到大脑中更有效的储存区域，变成长期记忆。这就是我们学习并记忆事实和技能的方式。

　　ACTION : Try and get to bed bore midnight and aim for 7-8 hours kip.

　　建议：试着在午夜之前上床睡觉，争取达到7-8小时的睡眠。

　　BEING OVERWEIGHT: DRAIN

　　超重：伤脑

　　“Minding your mind includes minding your weight,” says Dr Brockis. “Obesity shrinks the brain and is also a risk factor for cognitive decline.”

　　“关注你的思想，包括你的体重”布罗基斯博士说。“过度肥胖会使脑萎缩，并且是导致认知能力下降的危险因素。”

　　ACTION : See your GP about losing some weight if you are obese.

　　建议：如果你过度肥胖，向医生咨询减肥事宜。

　　CROSSWORDS BY THE CLOCK: BOOSTER

　　计时填字游戏：健脑

　　You’ve probably read how doing puzzles can help keep your brain young. “Studies have found timed tests train your brain to work quickly,” says Dr Wasserman.

　　你可能读到过怎样做猜谜游戏来使大脑保持年轻。“研究发现计时测试能训练你的大脑迅速工作，”沃瑟曼博士说。

　　ACTION : “Try timing yourself when you solve a crossword or Sudoku,” he adds. “You’ll get faster and even eliminate that tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (where you can describe a word but can’t remember it).”

　　建议：“当你做填字游戏或数独时，尽量给自己计时，”他补充道。“你会做得更快，甚至消除话到嘴边现象(你能描述出一个字，但想不起来是什么)。”

　　DRINKING ALCOHOL REGULARLY: DRAIN

　　经常饮酒：伤脑

　　Regular drinking lowers the levels of serotonin in your brain and can lead to depression. Drinking heavily over a long period of time can also have long-term fects on memory.

　　经常饮酒会降低大脑的血清素含量，导致抑郁。长期饮酒过量也会对记忆产生长期影响。

　　ACTION : Many medical experts recommend taking regular days off from drinking to ensure you don’t become addicted.

　　建议：很多医学专家建议定期停酒，以确保不会上瘾。

　　AEROBIC EXERCISE: BOOSTER

　　有氧运动：健脑

　　Besides increasing blood flow, exercise leads to an increase in the BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) our brain secretes, it helps grow and strengthen brain, allowing us to learn and remember information better.

　　除了促进血液流通，锻炼还能增加我们大脑分泌的脑源性神经营养因子，它能发展和增强大脑功能，让我们更好地学习和记忆信息。

　　ACTION : The best exercise for brains? Anything that gets your heart rate up and makes you puff a bit. A 30-minute plus session of aerobic exercise is ideal. Whether it’s walking, swimming, running, cycling, table tennis, kayaking, rugby or golf, the trick is to schedule it on a regular basis, start slow and gradually increase the number of sessions each week, and their duration.

　　建议：大脑最好的锻炼?任何让你心跳加速、气喘吁吁的运动都可以。理想的是每次半小时以上的有氧运动。慢步、游泳、跑步、骑车、打桌球、划皮艇、橄榄球或者高尔夫，这些都可以，诀窍是定期锻炼，开始先慢慢来，之后逐渐增加每周的运动次数和时长。

　　EATING SUGAR: DRAIN

　　吃糖：伤脑

　　It’s tempting to reach for a can of cola or a bar of choc when your body and brain is flagging, but excess sugar is associated with obesity and Type 2 diabetes, both risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia

　　身体和大脑疲惫时，人们经常喝一罐可乐或者吃一块巧克力，但是过量的糖会导致肥胖和 2 型糖尿病，这二者是导致认知能力下降和痴呆症的危险因素。

　　ACTION : Boost your glucose levels (and cognitive stamina) with the carbohydrates found in fruit and vegetables. Eating a small banana will do the trick, as will snacking on blueberries, shown to boost memory and concentration for up to five hours.

　　建议：用水果和蔬菜中的碳水化合物来提高你体内的葡萄糖水平(和认知能力)，吃一个小香蕉会达到这个目的，正如研究显示吃蓝莓可以提高记忆力，并且使注意力集中长达五小时。

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