8 quick ways to boost your mental fitness

We only get one brain, so we really need to look after it. Just like you invest time and effort into your physical body, you can show your mind the same care by maintaining mental fitness.

Here are some tips for how to boost and sustain your mental fitness on a daily basis:

30 minutes of exercise. Exercising sends oxygen to the brain, which helps to improve your memory, your rational reasoning skills. Remember, light exercise is better for you than no exercise.

Have stimulating and (sometimes difficult) conversations. Talk about a wide range of topics, even things you may not understand very well. This will help your brain to explore, examine and enquire.

Vitamin B (and lots of it). Vitamin B is fundamental to brain health, so eat food that contains high levels of it, like leafy greens, dairy and wholegrain cereals.

Challenge yourself. Do something that you know will be challenging, perhaps by learning a new language or playing board games with friends.

Relax and de-stress. When the stress hormone cortisol is released, it can be really damaging to the brain. To reduce this effect make sure you make time to relax, and do things you enjoy to ensure there is a balance.

Learn a new hobby. Learning entirely new activities add variation to life and builds neural pathways in the brain.

Read more. Having a keen interest in what’s happening within the world around you will keep your brain engaged.

Take responsibility for your overall health. Stress-related illnesses like diabetes and heart disease can impact your mental wellbeing if not managed, diagnosed and treated. Be sure to have regular physical health check-ups to prevent this from happening, and seek trusted advice.