Recent Research has given us new knowledge about the capacity of the human brain to grow and change. Not too many years ago, conventional wisdom said that the brain was incapable of anything but slow deterioration past a certain point in our lives.

That knowledge has been supplanted by recent discoveries which indicate that the human brain grows new neurons throughout the life span, and that the human brain is a very plastic and changeable organ throughout the life span.

In fact, there is a concerted research effort to find the right kind of exercise program for the strengthening of brains, a brain fitness program, if you will. (You can credit the Boomers for that, of course.)

While there is intriguing evidence about individual changes from brain fitness programs, ranging from low tech (suduko and puzzles) to high tech (online programs you can subscribe to), it is not clear to the scientists that the results achieved from the various programs, which are usually good, can be generalized scientifically to an unqualified GO DO It .

The scientists are being professional in that regard, but the marketers are not required to be so professional, so there is an explosion of progra

What Should a Brain Fitness Program Include?

At the very least, a brain fitness program should include at least four pillars.

1. Regular Exercise of the aerobic variety.

2. Stress Reduction. Low tech stress reduction would involve breathing training or mindfulness, and high tech stress reduction would involve heart rate variability biofeedback, for instance. It appears that our ancestors evolved handling short bursts of stress hormones, one to five minutes, and stress responses which we keep going for longer than that kill brain cells, so routine (heart beat by heart beat monitoring of feelings) is necessary for optimal brain fitness. It is easier than you think to learn.

3. Proper Nutrition. Cut out the high fructose corn syrup and "natural flavors". Eat it as grown.

4. Challenging brain exercises involving either high tech (computer based) or low tech challenges (puzzles, suduko). Novelty and increased levels of challenge are very important here.

High Tech Brain Fitness Programs

You can find these online to subscribe to, or to buy and install on your home computer for your own use.

The online variety would hopeful offer a free trial so you can get a feel for the exercises and how they fit for you before your sign-up for the subscription. Thus far I have seen programs offering either monthly or year long subscriptions.