Your brain is probably the single most extraordinary organ in your body. It’s responsible for a multitude of different jobs including: coordination of your movements, problem solving, the storing of your memories, and so much more. With so much going on up there and with what seems like no effort to you, it’s easy to take these everyday functions for granted. Unfortunately, most people don’t get concerned about their brain health until they start to notice a difference in their memory or other cognitive functions later in life. But there are plenty of things you can do right now to help keep your squash sharp and we’ve got 5 steps to show you how!

Step One: Get Plenty of Rest Sleeping resets the brain and allows it to heal. As a matter of fact, new research has shown that while you sleep, the brain clears out toxins that can lead to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. So you do your best to shut your brain off for about 7-9 hours of sleep a night for optimal noodle health.

Step Two: Happy Heart/Happy Brain Keeping your heart healthy allows your blood to move easily through your heart and blood vessels. High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can thicken your artery walls with plaque, making it difficult to get enough blood flow to the brain to nurture its cells. This can lead to all kinds of issues like stroke or blood clots which can cause temporary or even permanent brain damage.

Step Three: Exercise Working out helps boost blood flow to the brain. Studies have shown that exercise can increase the size of the hippocrampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for memory. And a new study suggests that your brain receives signals that incentivize it to make healthy new cells when working out your legs in a weight bearing exercise…so don’t skip LEG DAY!

Step Four: Try New Things Consistently learning new things throughout your lifetime will not only help make you a more well-rounded person, but also helps keep your brain healthy by constantly creating new connections between brain cells. So continually push yourself to develop new skills like learning an instrument, learning a new card game or travel to an unfamiliar city to help ward off those neurodegenerative diseases.

Step Five: Be Social Studies have shown that when you socialize, the blood circulates to several parts of the brain as you listen and formulate responses. Connecting with friends also keeps you less anxious and depressed. If you’re anxious, the brain spends most of it’s time focusing on the “what ifs” as opposed to concentrating on learning something new. So put down that remote and get on out there and laugh it up with some friends!