12 Scientifically Backed Ways to Improve Your Mind and Body This Holiday Season

As the year draws to a close, slipping into survival mode can feel all too easy. Late evenings, rich food and travelling may leave both your body and mind feeling depleted. Rather than waiting for the post-festive slump, however, you can make a literal investment in yourself.

12 scientifically backed ways to improve your mind and body this holiday season

These 12 ideas for improving your mind and body during the holiday season could sharpen brainpower, support better health and help you stay energised well into the new year.

Movement and mental challenge

1. Dance lessons. Learning dance routines is a complex physical activity that brings together coordination, memory and strategy. Research indicates that such activities can slow brain ageing and increase cognitive reserve. Recent findings emphasise that combining aerobic exercise with mental stimulation is among the most effective ways to safeguard your brain.

2. A bike. Brief, demanding cycling sessions-a type of high-intensity interval training-may produce a cognitive lift that lasts for several years. Research also associates regular cycling with a 40 percent lower risk of early onset dementia, providing an ideal reason to get pedalling.

3. Lentils. They may not be the most exciting item to buy, but your future self may be grateful. Legumes including lentils, alongside quinoa, brown rice and oats, are associated with longer telomeres and could add up to 10 years to life expectancy.

4. A trivia game. Looking to challenge your brainpower? Our friends at Veritasium are creating a tabletop game that asks you to reason like a scientist: weigh the evidence, assess your confidence and test what you know. Winning might even indicate that your brain is wired for efficiency.

Sleep, gut health and wellbeing

1. A prebiotic fibre supplement. A daily prebiotic supplement, such as inulin, seems to improve brain function in older adults. These high-fibre compounds nourish the gut’s ‘good’ bacteria, which then help support a healthier ageing brain. Bananas, onions and garlic are natural sources; they differ from probiotics in fermented foods such as yoghurt or kimchi.

2. A journal. If you have been overindulging and want to ease the dreaded ‘hangxiety’, journalling may help. Alongside rehydrating and resting, studies suggest that writing when you wake up can put feelings into perspective and encourage self-compassion.

3. Blue-light-blocking glasses. Using your phone in bed-particularly during the hour before sleep-can substantially interfere with your natural sleep cycle. Studies found that wearing blue-light glasses in the evening increased melatonin levels by 58 percent and led to longer, higher-quality sleep.

4. A yoga mat. Yoga is widely known for helping to reduce anxiety, but research also suggests it may be the most effective form of exercise for enhancing sleep quality.

5. An omega-3 supplement. Keep calm and try omega-3! These fatty acids, found in fish oil, sardines, salmon and algae, may lessen feelings of aggression and help protect brain health. Emerging research indicates they could even affect women’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

6. Red-light therapy glasses. Research indicates that a brief daily exposure to deep red light (670nm) may recharge the retina’s energy system, the mitochondria. This could result in a significant improvement in deteriorating eyesight among people over 40.

Everyday habits and a science-focused prize

1. Walking shoes. Evidence suggests that even modest physical activity may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. One recent study linked taking 5,000 to 7,500 steps a day with less cognitive decline.

2. A Spark subscription: the gift of year-round science. If this list has been useful and you would like weekly, science-backed health news, join ScienceAlert’s free newsletter community. You can then keep up with the latest health developments throughout the year.

Register before 11 December to be entered automatically into our sweepstakes for the opportunity to Win a 5-Day Vacation to Florida’s Space Coast.

This experience-based prize aims to enhance physical and mental vitality. It includes Astronaut Training at Kennedy Space Center, a meal at EPCOT’s Space 2020 restaurant and a bioluminescent night kayaking tour-an absorbing way to immerse yourself in nature.