What is Brain Fitness?

Article Reprint by: Simon J Evans

What is Brain Fitness?
Health Articles | March 12, 2007
Brain Fitness is a combination of improving the physical and mental health of your brain. This is accomplished through nutrtion for the brain, physical exercise to increase brain power and mental exercise to increase brain connectivity.

Have you heard the term Brain Fitness yet? If not, you probably will. There is an emerging industry on maintaining or even increasing brain function as we age. The industry is still in its infancy, and backed by emerging science pointing to methods we can use to stimulate our brains. If you picture a brain diagram, these programs can increase the connectivity between different brain parts.
The timing is perfect as well, since a large percentage of the population is increasing in age and the needs of the baby boomers are largely driving the economy. One thing baby boomers want is to keep themselves out of a mental funk. There are companies that are nicely establishing themselves in this market. For example, Sharp Brains and Posit Science have created some good product lines already.

There's more than meets the eye.

I want to offer an expanded definition of Brain Fitness. Although the term is not yet in the dictionary, one definition for the word fitness from Webster is "good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition". I think this should apply to Brain Fitness as well.

The Brain is a very unique organ because it is the only organ that is both physical and mental. The mental component of the brain, the mind, is the target of the current Brain Fitness industry. Programs that increase brain function and brain activity will stimulate new connections and new circuits and help keep the brain vibrant.