Month: November 2025

• A neuroscientist keeps his brain healthy and youthful with daily mental and physical exercises.
• His routine includes biking, weight training, Sudoku, and dancing lessons with his wife every week.
• He follows a Mediterranean diet, supplements omega-3s, and manages stress to support brain health.

By the time Dr. Majid Fotuhi hits 90 years old, he hopes to be just as sharp as he is today.

The Johns Hopkins neuroscientist has been studying the brain for more than 30 years to understand why our memory and cognitive function can decline as we get older — and how to preserve them.

It’s a popular misconception that the brain is like an old computer that inevitably runs down as we age, he told Business Insider. In fact, he says, it’s a living organ that can grow (or shrink) in response to our day-to-day actions and choices.

‘”On a daily basis, your brain changes just a little bit at the microscopic level,” he said. “When you do certain things over and over again, it can change for better or for worse.”

His latest book, “The Invincible Brain” (out March 3, 2026), details science-backed strategies to prevent cognitive decline.

Fotudi said that since his mid-50s, he’s adjusted his daily routine to increase the odds of becoming a “super-ager”, someone with the cognitive health of someone decades younger.

He said that while it’s not news to him that a healthy lifestyle is good for the brain, he increasingly makes it a priority.

“I am exercising more. I’m really careful about not eating processed food. I take opportunities to challenge myself,” he said.

Here, Fotudi shares a typical day in his routine for better brain health, from a Mediterranean diet to ballroom dancing and Sudoku.

He bikes 60-80 miles a week

Fotudi said his research shows physical activity is key for strengthening the brain.

That’s why he starts every day with some kind of exercise, from a Peloton session to an hour of weight training. The mix of cardio and strength training is a science-backed way to boost longevity.

Once a week, he tackles a longer bike ride, racking up an average of 60 to 80 miles per week on the bike.

All those minutes of pedaling and reps in the gym keep blood flowing through the brain for better memory and processing.

Lean protein, and no donuts

Fotudi follows a Mediterranean diet, with mostly whole, unprocessed foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats like fish.

A typical day for Fotuhi might start with oatmeal, protein powder, and some banana. Around noon, he has a bowl of yogurt. Then blueberries for a snack, and salmon with salad for dinner.

Fotudi said he steers clear of processed foods, especially sweets, since added sugar, salt, and fat can increase inflammation that drives cognitive decline.

Omega-3 — the only supplement with good evidence for brain health, he says

Forget all the pills and powders on the market claiming to boost your brain, Fotuhi said — few supplements are shown to help with cognitive health.

But he does make one exception: omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA.

Fotudi takes 1000 milligrams a day. That’s because more than a decade of high-quality research (including his own) suggests it can help protect memory and mood.

“To me, that’s the only supplement for which there is very strong data to support brain health and prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” Fotuhi said.

Never stop learning

To keep his brain active, Fotuhi said he constantly aims to learn new things and stay socially engaged, both habits that are good for longevity.

“Reading the scientific literature, preparing lectures, mentoring students, I get more than enough dose of cognitive stimulation just through my work,” he said.

Beyond his job, Fotuhi loves chess, plays fast-paced card games with his daughters, and does Sudoku with his wife.

They also take dance lessons once a week and travel frequently, learning about new cultures and checking out museums wherever they go. Fotuhi said he’s visited more than 40 countries and always looks for a challenge along the way.

“We rarely go on a beach and just sit there,” he said.

On a trip to Italy, he decided to swim a mile just to see if he could. Turns out, it “wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Turn off GPS

Along with a mentally challenging job and engaging hobbies, Fotuhi takes every opportunity to engage his brain.

“If I have to do multiplication, I do as much of it as possible in my head or writing, versus using a calculator. When I have to go places, I try not to use GPS as much as possible,” he said. “And I enjoy it because I know that scientific literature has shown for a fact that these things do change the brain.

The brain is like a muscle in the sense that not using it can cause it to weaken and shrink, Fotuhi says. So, daily reps of mental exercise make a difference.

Fotuhi also foregoes physical shortcuts, too, taking the stairs whenever possible.

Over time, tiny, frequent doses of mental and physical workouts add up to big benefits for the brain’s longevity.

Cut down on cortisol

Two of the biggest non-negotiables in Fotuhi’s routine are rest and relaxation.

Throughout the day, worries can cause a spike in levels of a hormone called cortisol. Evidence suggests that can wreak havoc on parts of the brain linked to learning and memory, Fotuhi says.

In contrast, a good night’s sleep is like a reset button, helping to clear toxins like amyloids, linked to Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

“During the deep stage of sleep, your brain goes through a rinsing process. Literally your brain gets washed. We still don’t know why,” Fatuhi said.

Over the years, he’s learned to manage stress so that he falls into a peaceful slumber the second his head hits the pillow. That’s in part because he stays mentally and physically active throughout the day, so he’s ready to rest at night.

He also takes a proactive approach to managing stress, consciously cultivating a positive attitude in the face of daily irritants.

“We expect certain things, and the reality is not the same as what we expected, and we get frustrated,” Fotuhi said. “Mindset can have a huge impact on your day-to-day function and your day-to-day enjoyment.

An antidote to stress is a sense of perspective and purpose, focusing on your larger goals instead of sweating the small stuff.

“I think that it’s okay for things to go wrong,” he said. ” Life will go on.”

• Paramount+ is growing up, and executives have decided it’s time to retire its free trial.
• David Ellison is taking a page out of his rivals’ playbook by prioritizing profitability.
• Several major streamers still offer free trials though, from Hulu to Prime Video.

Streaming fans have a new headache.

Besides price hikes and password-sharing crackdowns, media companies have found another way to make streaming more profitable: cutting back on free trials.

Paramount+ is the latest streaming service to retire its free trial, following the lead of rivals like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max. The move comes as Paramount Skydance’s flagship streamer approaches profitability, after growing its subscriber base 10% to 79.1 million in the third quarter.

While free trials can juice a streamer’s growth, they allow binge-watchers to plow through content and cancel before becoming a paying customer.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said he wants to better balance revenue and profits.

“While we remain committed to achieving scale from a subscriber perspective, we will prioritize quality growth that delivers strong returns,” Ellison said in his quarterly shareholder letter.

Besides hiking Paramount+ prices by $1 a month for both of its plans, Ellison said the company would move away from “low-margin subscriptions,” which means cutting back in certain international markets, reviewing its discounting practices, and nixing free trials.

Media analyst Joe Bonner of Argus Research is less interested in Paramount+ ending its free trial and more focused on its price hikes, which he noted have worked wonders for Netflix.

“The price increases could work, though it is an open question as to whether Paramount has the quality of data to model out the impact on subscriber acquisition and retention,” Bonner said.

Major streamers have largely moved away from free trials.

Disney+ and Netflix each ended their free trials in 2020 because they felt they didn’t need them. A Disney spokesperson told CNET at the time that the streamer “was set at an attractive price-to-value proposition that we believe delivers a compelling entertainment offering on its own.”

Both Disney+ and Netflix rode explosive growth during the pandemic, and many viewers were already familiar with their content offerings. That’s why ending their trials helped fuel their profitability pushes, without much risk. HBO Max did the same that December.

However, several streaming services still give new customers a sneak peak, including Hulu, Apple TV, and Amazon’s Prime Video.

• Hulu offers a 30-day free trial, but it’s only available for the stand-alone ad-supported version — not the ad-free plan or the Disney+ bundle.
• Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial, or a one-month trial through Apple One, its bundle that includes Apple Music and iCloud storage. Those who buy new Apple products like iPhones and Macs can also get trials for Apple TV.
• Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for its Prime membership, which includes Prime Video.

One workaround for budget-minded streaming fans are free trials through Amazon’s Prime Video. While Peacock no longer offers a free trial directly, customers can sample it for seven days through Amazon’s video marketplace. The same goes for some smaller streamers, like Starz.

For now, Paramount+ still offers a free trial directly and through Prime Video. Anyone curious about sampling the Taylor Sheridan universe may want to start binge-watching soon.