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Your Best Brain Ever: A Complete Guide and Workout
National Geographic presents a comprehensive guide to fighting mental decline. With cutting-edge neuroscience, information about Alzheimer's, fascinating case studies, and tips to fight brain aging symptoms such as slower mental acuity and "senior moments," this smart, engaging guide will help keep your memory sharp and your mind active. Fun, age-defying exercises--from body stretches to word games to foods that help you think--help the brain perform at its best, just like exercising does for other parts of the body. Leading memory loss expert Cynthia R. Green, PhD, and eminent science writer Michael Sweeney have created a book both informational and practical that gives readers everything they need to know about the care and feeding of one of the body's most important organs: the brain.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
20 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 28, 2021
Although the book is a little dated, it was very inspiring. I especially liked the poetry a day suggestion. Also I found many other books to read that were suggested within this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in brain health! It was a not a light read. I had to put it down and pick it up over the course of a month to get through the entire book.
January 28, 2021
"Your Best Brain Ever" is a fine book, but I think I read too many of these kinds of books. I know most of the advice given in this book already. Exercise and a good diet are both essential to brain health. Games and new ways of thinking are great ways to practice your creativity.
On the other hand, sometimes it is nice to have a refresher that is easily understood. Michael S Sweeney writes well and does an excellent job of explaining the advice given. The co-author does a great job of explaining little activities you can do to boost your brain health.
On the other hand, sometimes it is nice to have a refresher that is easily understood. Michael S Sweeney writes well and does an excellent job of explaining the advice given. The co-author does a great job of explaining little activities you can do to boost your brain health.
August 8, 2014
Not exactly what I was expecting. I have read a number of books lately on brain function, fitness, etc. and expected this to be similar. Then I read a couple reviews here just as I started and the comments about it not digging too deep into subject matter or being very technical had me thinking that this might not be a worthwhile read. However, the opposite was true. This book covers a lot of territory and it would have had to have been multiple volumes to cover everything it discusses in a detailed and technical manner. It wins as a no-prerequisite-required read and it wins as a good introduction to a broad range of sub-topics. Even though I had previously read numerous other texts, this one put forward some material that was new to me and made it quite worthwhile. The only negative I had with the content was some of the information regarding nutrition. There were a number of good points made and some details new to me, but it also tended to lean a bit too traditional as well. Anyone who knows the real background to the Mediterranean Diet wouldn't put it forward as a data-driven decision but skipping over that half a page is not much of a complaint overall.
December 24, 2017
There might not be LOTS of new information about the brain in this book, but there are lots of helpful tips, activities, and very clear explanations about how and why to take care of various aspects of our brain.
This is actually better to own than borrow from the library because of the many activities you may want to refer back to. I read it slowly and made sure to try various activities.
This is actually better to own than borrow from the library because of the many activities you may want to refer back to. I read it slowly and made sure to try various activities.
October 24, 2022
While reading this book I was reminded of the adventures of “The Man of Bronze”, Doc Savage. He is a fictional character of the 1930’s that dedicated his life to the fighting of evil and righting of wrongs and he is capable of great physical and mental feats. Unlike other fictional heroes, Savage has no superpowers; all of his talents are the consequence of daily exercises that are physical, visual, olfactory, mental and auditory.
The basic premise of this book is that if you want to keep your mental faculties, you must exercise your entire body, including your brain. It is also necessary to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid the foods such as processed sugar and fats that are known to be bad. Mental exercises are included along with those that move the locomotive muscles.
Some of those exercises involve identifying scents and noises, along with memory challenges such as crossword and other puzzles. There was nothing in this book that is new, there were news reports decades ago that touted the conclusions that to remain mentally sharp it was necessary to “exercise your brain.” While acknowledging that learning new things such as a language is harder when you get older, the proponents always mention that the benefits from trying were demonstratively apparent. My classmates and I were repeatedly admonished in elementary school to eat fruits and vegetables, so those recommendations in this book have been around for a long time.
Although the information in this book is not new, it is still valuable. With an increasingly more elderly population and consequently more people being diagnosed with dementia, fear of suffering from that illness is common. While the cause of Alzheimer’s is still largely unknown, one of the few preventive treatments is whole body exercise and that is what is described in this book.
The basic premise of this book is that if you want to keep your mental faculties, you must exercise your entire body, including your brain. It is also necessary to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid the foods such as processed sugar and fats that are known to be bad. Mental exercises are included along with those that move the locomotive muscles.
Some of those exercises involve identifying scents and noises, along with memory challenges such as crossword and other puzzles. There was nothing in this book that is new, there were news reports decades ago that touted the conclusions that to remain mentally sharp it was necessary to “exercise your brain.” While acknowledging that learning new things such as a language is harder when you get older, the proponents always mention that the benefits from trying were demonstratively apparent. My classmates and I were repeatedly admonished in elementary school to eat fruits and vegetables, so those recommendations in this book have been around for a long time.
Although the information in this book is not new, it is still valuable. With an increasingly more elderly population and consequently more people being diagnosed with dementia, fear of suffering from that illness is common. While the cause of Alzheimer’s is still largely unknown, one of the few preventive treatments is whole body exercise and that is what is described in this book.
May 8, 2023
A lot of useful information but some of it is redundant.
March 8, 2024
"A research-filled yet highly approachable guide to the scientific why and the practical how of keeping your brain in top shape whatever your age." -The Wall Street Journal
Nothing new.
Nothing new.
November 30, 2025
offered several suggestions for keeping your brain healthy as you age with examples scattered throughout.
October 16, 2015
Brain function, maintenance, and improvement in layman terms.
I highly recommend this guide for anyone experiencing increasing episodes of senior moments beyond the occasional brain-fart.
Further, the "Workouts" and exercises are of particular value to those who suddenly no longer require an active level mental participation -- such as recent retirees -- yet still desire maintaining their levels of acuity.
Remember: Use it or lose it!
I highly recommend this guide for anyone experiencing increasing episodes of senior moments beyond the occasional brain-fart.
Further, the "Workouts" and exercises are of particular value to those who suddenly no longer require an active level mental participation -- such as recent retirees -- yet still desire maintaining their levels of acuity.
Remember: Use it or lose it!
January 7, 2014
Short chapters on the many ways we can stay sharp whether we are younger or older. Quite a few websites listed. While some are rather obvious bits of advice (crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, etc.), other entries are unique and fun. Overall, you can't go wrong with almost anything put out by National Geographic.
April 10, 2014
This is not a scholarly book by any means. It is more of the conversational style. There are lots of good tips and information in it. If one is going to read only one book on keeping the brain sharp, this is a good introduction and is very accessible. I am sure there are much better ones out there but this one is very easy to read and understand.
September 12, 2016
Very useful information. Combination of brain physiology information and "brain booster" activities made this insightful and prompted action. I checked this book out from the library but plan on buying it for my own reference library. Information is valuable for all ages, but I'm interested in keeping my "senior" brain the best it an be for as long as possible!
January 27, 2014
Solid read, good information. It appears I'm doing it right and could afford to amp it up a bit.
This is a National Geo title; it's worth a look.
This is a National Geo title; it's worth a look.
May 27, 2014
Nothing new, so don't waste time with this one.
June 12, 2015
Quick read. Good information regarding brain health.
April 5, 2016
It's so informative that I'd read it all over again if I have the time.
September 8, 2014
Easy read. Good suggestions for keeping your brain fit.
May 4, 2014
Interesting book about how your brain works and tips to help your memory stay sharp.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews