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 ----- 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 into brain health and performance 01:16:02 – Pomodoro, deep work, and cognitive recovery 01:17:06 – Why boredom may be essential for creativity 01:19:24 – Treat your brain like a cognitive athlete 01:20:11 – Creatine for brain health: hype or helpful? 01:25:19 – Best-supported supplements for cognitive performance 01:27:20 – Omega-3s, B vitamins, vitamin D, and iron 01:29:03 – Magnesium, zinc, choline, and antioxidants 01:31:20 – Cognitive headroom: reserve, resilience, and resolve 01:35:33 – What "Ever Forward" means to Tommy Wood ----- Episode resources: Save 15% on organic coffee and lattes with code CHASE at Get a FREE activity tracker at Save 20% on my favorite men's skincare with code EVERFORWARD at Watch and

You can listen to EFR 935: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age with Tommy Wood online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

EFR 935: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age with Tommy Wood is an episode from Ever Forward Radio | Fitness, Nutrition, Mindset, Entrepreneurship & Self-Help by Chase Chewning.

This episode is 01:38:55 long.

This episode was published on Apr 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Ever Forward Radio | Fitness, Nutrition, Mindset, Entrepreneurship & Self-Help when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.