EFR 935: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age with Tommy Wood

This episode is brought to you by Strong Coffee Company, WHOOP, Caldera Lab and Audible.

Boost mental sharpness today and prevent cognitive decline tomorrow, including Alzheimer's disease, with science-backed strategies that will extend your brain's longevity beyond what you thought was possible. The most important part of the body, especially as we age, is our brain. So why aren't we taking the health of our brain as seriously as our heart and achy joints, particularly when people are struggling to focus every day, and dementia and Alzheimer's cases continue to rise? In The Stimulated Mind, Dr. Tommy Wood, a Formula 1 sports performance coach and neuroscientist specializing in lifelong brain health, dispels the myth that the brain is doomed to decline with age. Instead, by providing the right stimulus and building more "headroom"—the amount of mental function we have available to us—we can help our brain to adapt and develop.

Follow Tommy @drtommywood

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

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00:00 – Can up to 70% of dementia be prevented?

00:17 – Why skill-building protects the brain

00:34 – The belief about aging that becomes self-fulfilling

01:55 – Why we're overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time

03:00 – Train your brain like you train your body

04:28 – Why rest, recovery, and sleep matter for brain performance

05:59 – Brain function is more malleable than most people think

07:15 – Why failure is the primary driver of neuroplasticity

08:22 – Crossword puzzles vs real cognitive challenge

09:40 – What people think is helping brain health, but isn't enough

11:53 – The placebo effect and why "something" can still help

12:28 – Why crosswords help less than you think

14:04 – What it actually means to "stimulate" the brain

15:43 – Why education and complex skills delay cognitive decline

17:05 – Brain clocks, biological age, and measuring brain aging

19:15 – What dancers, artists, gamers, and musicians all have in common

20:23 – It matters less what you do than how hard you engage

22:49 – The truth about the 10,000 hour rule

24:08 – Can video games actually help the brain?

27:40 – The best way to combine learning and application

29:52 – The brain as an adaptation machine

31:11 – How immersion and environment accelerate learning

33:09 – Why some people thrive under pressure and others shut down

35:33 – Is there really a difference between brain and mind?

38:08 – Belief, performance, and the neuroscience of "I can" vs "I can't"

40:25 – What happens in the brain when you think you can't do something

44:27 – Stress-is-bad vs stress-is-enhancing mindsets

50:49 – Can your own beliefs override what you're told?

53:24 – Growth mindset and why belief changes performance

54:30 – Why people lose belief in themselves

56:23 – Self-compassion, process, and staying engaged long-term

58:35 – Mindfulness, presence, and learning as an adult

01:02:02 – Can these habits really prevent Alzheimer's and dementia?

01:02:45 – The real dementia risk numbers: 45% to 70%

01:03:29 – Biggest modifiable risk factors for dementia

01:04:29 – Hearing aids, cataracts, and reversing hidden risk

01:06:26 – Why dementia risk is massively modifiable

01:07:21 – Alzheimer's vs vascular dementia explained

01:09:23 – Why women have historically carried more Alzheimer's burden

01:10:03 – Education, equality, and declining dementia rates

01:15:03 – Where boredom fits in