You probably already know the basics of taking care of your brain: sleep, move, eat your veggies. So why is it so hard to keep doing them?
Most brain health advice focuses on what to do. This guide focuses on how to make it last, because a habit only helps your brain if you actually keep it.
And the stakes are real. A 2024 report from The Lancet Commission on dementia found that nearly half of dementia cases worldwide may be linked to 14 risk factors that can be changed, including physical inactivity, hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and social isolation (Livingston et al., 2024). That doesn't mean every case can be prevented, but it does mean everyday choices matter more than many of us were taught.
As IIN Visiting Faculty member Dr. Daniel Amen shared in our interview with him, "Your brain's history is not your destiny."
If you've ever started a new routine on a Monday and dropped it by Thursday, you're in good company. A few things tend to get in the way:
We expect it to happen fast. In one study, it took people a median of 66 days for a new daily habit to feel automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days (Lally et al., 2010). The same study found that missing a single day didn't derail the process.
We rely on motivation. Motivation comes and goes. Habits stick when they're tied to a specific cue, like a time, place, or something you already do.
We try to change everything at once. A total overhaul is exciting for about a week. One small change you keep beats five you abandon.
One of the most effective tools is an "if-then" plan: "If it's 7 a.m. and I've poured my coffee, then I'll take a 10-minute walk." Research across many studies shows that planning when and where you'll act makes you more likely to follow through (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). For more on why generic advice falls short, read Why Most Health Advice Fails + What Actually Creates Lasting Change.
6 Brain Health Habits (& How to Make Each One Stick).
Sleep isn't downtime for your brain. During deep sleep, your brain clears out metabolic waste more efficiently than when you're awake, including proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease (Xie et al., 2013).
Make it stick: Pick a "lights down" time instead of a bedtime. When it hits, dim the lights and put your phone on the charger outside your bedroom. The cue does the work for you.
Exercise is one of the best-studied habits for brain health. In a randomized trial, older adults who walked briskly for 40 minutes three times a week grew the size of their hippocampus, a key memory area, by about 2% over a year, while the comparison group saw the typical age-related decline (Erickson et al., 2011).
Make it stick: Attach movement to something you already do: a walk after lunch, squats while the kettle boils, or a dance break between meetings. It doesn't need to be a workout to count. Strength matters too, and here's why muscle mass matters more than the number on the scale.
The MIND diet, which blends Mediterranean and DASH eating patterns, emphasizes leafy greens, berries, beans, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish. In a large observational study, people who followed it most closely had a lower rate of Alzheimer's disease (Morris et al., 2015). A later three-year trial didn't find a significant difference in cognition compared to a control diet that also cut calories, so the research is still evolving (Barnes et al., 2023). Still, this way of eating supports heart health and blood pressure, which protects your brain too.
It also helps to keep ultra-processed foods to a minimum. IIN Visiting Faculty member Dr. Amen has pointed to them as a driver of inflammation, one of the risk factors in his BRIGHT MINDS framework.
Make it stick: Don't overhaul your menu. Add one serving of leafy greens and one handful of berries or nuts a day, and build from there.
Social isolation is one of the 14 modifiable risk factors in the Lancet report (Livingston et al., 2024). Conversation, shared activities, and a sense of belonging all give your brain a workout. At IIN, we see relationships as a form of Primary Food, just as nourishing as what's on your plate.
Make it stick: Put connection on the calendar. A standing weekly walk with a friend, a Sunday call with family, or a class you attend in person are easier to keep than "I should reach out more."
This one surprises people! Hearing loss was one of the two biggest risk factors in the Lancet report, alongside high LDL cholesterol. When it's harder to hear, the brain works overtime to process sound, and people often pull back from conversations.
Make it stick: Turn the volume down on earbuds, wear earplugs at concerts, and book a hearing check if you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves. If you're prescribed hearing aids, wear them!
Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated, which can affect memory, sleep, and mood over time. You don't need to eliminate stress (impossible!), but giving your nervous system regular chances to reset makes a difference.
Make it stick: Choose one "reset" you can do in under two minutes, like a few slow breaths with a long exhale, and pair it with a daily cue such as closing your laptop or sitting in the car before walking into the house. Learn more in Your Body Has a Built-In Stress Reset and our guide to nervous system self-care.
Looking at all six at once can feel like a lot. So don't! Choose the habit that feels most doable this week, write your "if-then" plan, and give it time. When it starts to feel automatic, add the next one.
That's the approach health coaches use with clients every day: small steps, real-life routines, and support along the way. Because the best brain health habit is the one you'll still be doing next year.
Want to go deeper? Join IIN and Dr. Daniel Amen on October 13 for a live conversation about brain health.
Help Others Build Habits That Last
The Health Coach Training Program™ teaches you the science of behavior change and how to support clients through every step, from brain health to whole-person wellness.
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Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., Kim, J. S., Heo, S., Alves, H., White, S. M., Wojcicki, T. R., Mailey, E., Vieira, V. J., Martin, S. A., Pence, B. D., Woods, J. A., McAuley, E., & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017–3022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1015950108
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Liu, K. Y., Costafreda, S. G., Selbæk, G., Alladi, S., Ames, D., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Brayne, C., Fox, N. C., Ferri, C. P., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Nakasujja, N., Rockwood, K., . . . Mukadam, N. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet, 404(10452), 572–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0
Morris, M. C., Tangney, C. C., Wang, Y., Sacks, F. M., Bennett, D. A., & Aggarwal, N. T. (2015). MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 11(9), 1007–1014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2014.11.009
Xie, L., Kang, H., Xu, Q., Chen, M. J., Liao, Y., Thiyagarajan, M., O'Donnell, J., Christensen, D. J., Nicholson, C., Iliff, J. J., Takano, T., Deane, R., & Nedergaard, M. (2013). Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science, 342(6156), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241224