While you're working out to get that buff body, don't forget to exercise your mind.
Like a muscle, your brain can grow stronger with the right nourishment and training.
Advances in technology have enabled scientists to explore the brain as never before — and they're making bold discoveries. The new thinking is that our brains are malleable and capable of building new connections between nerve cells, even as we grow older.
"We had these assumptions for a long time that your brain was fully formed and shaped in late adolescence," said Glenn Smith, a neuropsychologist at the Mayo Clinic who specializes in Alzheimer's. "Then … it was all downhill from there."
But much has changed: "There is evidence that what we call neuroplasticity — the ability to shape the brain — persists into later life," Smith said.
With that in mind, here are five ways to pump up your brainpower.
BRAIN AEROBICS

If you're righthanded, try brushing your teeth with your left hand. Take a different route to work. Shower with your eyes closed. For the truly bold: Walk backward. Doing "neurobics" — performing routine activities in a different way — forces your brain to avoid operating on autopilot. This builds new branches of brain cells, according to the late neurobiologist Lawrence Katz, who championed the idea. Those new branches add to the computational reserves in your brain.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Eating blueberries helps protect the brain from stress that causes memory loss. They may also make you smarter — sort of. Animal studies show that the blue wonder fruit kick-starts the brain's learning capacity and motor skills. Walnuts, loaded with vitamin E, also hold brain-boosting powers by supporting the growth of healthy neural tissue. They've been linked to better performance on memory tests, concentration and information-processing speed.