We embrace or ignore physical and mental training at our peril. Make investing in ourselves "an indulgence not a chore."
We know that better diet (e.g. Mediterranean diet) reduces cardiovascular and all-cause deaths, as well as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. This is not fake news.
Reading has health benefits including stress and depression reduction, the possible lowering of Alzheimer's disease risk, better sleep, and increased empathy. I'm reading Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki and Altruism by Matthieu Ricard.
Journaling helps imprint thoughts into permanence. Journaling helps stretch creativity, confidence, communication skills, IQ, and emotional intelligence. I use both blogs and pocket-sized notebook to record thoughts, ideas, and lessons. For example, a patient shared information about the 1917 Halifax explosion, a maritime disaster of epic proportion. Wartime catastrophes occur far from battlefields, with unintended consequences affecting real people.
Win the day by starting with a winning routine. Find what works for you. Free UCLA guided meditations help inform a successful start. Need a better brain? Who doesn't? Mindfulness improves our focus, self-awareness, and confidence. And yes, it remodels brain structure, increasing density in memory centers and attenuating brain density in the amygdala, a stress locus.