When you exercise, you can see your gut shrink. when you stop eating fried calamari, you see your lousy LDL cholesterol levels drop. When you quit smoking, you can finally stop hacking the phlegm out of your throat. As you change habits, you easily see changes in your body.

But with your brain, it’s a lot harder to guage how well you’re doing. It’s not like you can walk around the gym, take off your hat, flex for everyone. (Man your hippocampus is ripped Dude!) But that is no reason to ignore the very organ that gives you the power do do so.

Consider this your plan for building a better brain.

Action 1…Take two baby aspirin a day if you’re over 40.

Action 2… Exercise your brain. Use it or lose it. Avoid living on auto-pilot, that is doing the same routine day after day. Learn something new. Choose activities that will stretch your mind beyond its normal capabilities.

Action 3…Generally what’s harmful for your heart is harmful to your brain, Make no mistake, saturated fat clogs arteries that lead to your brain putting you at risk for stroke while omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for your brain because they keep your arteries clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression.

Action 4…Reduce stress. Your brain doesn’t age from one time, intermediate stressors, like the flat tire on your bike or the fender bender in the parking lot. Illness comes mainly from events that constantly stress you and do so for a prolonged period.

Action 5…There are leading vitamins and supplements that can help elevate your brain function: Folate B, and B12, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid and L-Carnitine and Resveratrol (a flavonoid found in red wine).

Action 6…Think Hawaii You’re on the beach with a cold drink in one hand, the latest Grisham book in the other. The beach breeze kisses your face while the ocean tickles your toes. Daydreaming keeps your mind flexible. By stirring up the part of your brain that handles imagination, you keep your brain running outside its normal thought process, which as you now know, helps your cognitive function at the highest levels.