Grow A Bigger Brain In 7 Days

Brain Awareness Week kicks off on March 16 – 22, and is a public health initiative by the Neurological Foundation to tell Kiwis it’s never too late to grow your brain and improve its overall performance.

As children, we were told we were born with all the brain cells we ever going to have, but research has shown that this is not the case. The brain continually grows brain cells and we can help prevent its deterioration and aging by carrying out simple activities, many of which Kiwis already do on a daily basis.

Neurological Foundation executive director, Max Ritchie says: “Research has found that exercise; sleep; managing stress levels; maintaining a balanced diet; socialising with friends and family, and doing mental workouts can all help keep your brain healthy.”

Finding ways to prevent or cure neurological disease is a primary goal of neuroscience research, and the Neurological Foundation is committed to help achieve this by funding neurological research in New Zealand.

“Prevention is always better than cure. Brain research increases our understanding of the brain and neuroscientists are constantly discovering that individuals can make a difference to their brain health,” says Mr. Ritchie.

Brain Awareness Week will officially run from March 16 – 22.

From February 23, New Zealanders can visit www.brainweek.co.nz  and start registering to take part in the ‘Grow a bigger brain in 7 days’ campaign during Brain Awareness Week.

On each day of Brain Awareness Week, participants can watch their and the nation’s brain cells grow. Kiwis will be asked to take part in daily puzzles and quizzes and input the activities they have done during that day, for example, a good night’s sleep healthy eating, exercising and hanging out with friends.

All these activities will be rewarded by points and at the end of the week, Kiwis can see how many brain cells they have grown. Results will be compared by region, age and males versus female.

“This is a fun, engaging and interactive way to let New Zealanders know how to look after the health of their brain. We want to help Kiwis prevent neurological disorders.”

“The key to having a healthy brain is to continue learning new things and enjoying life – it is an easy prescription to follow. You’re never too old to improve your brain health,” says Mr. Ritchie.