Just like our bodies, our brains change as we age. The older we get, the harder it is to remember information, such as the name of a restaurant we’ve been to or where we left our keys. Or it might take longer to learn something new.

But the good news is that we actually have a lot of control over keeping our brains healthy and preventing premature aging—and it starts with daily habits. Most notably, the behaviors we avoid may have a positive impact on our cognition.

We talked to experts about the seemingly harmless habits we might do every day that could be aging our brains—and what we can do about them. Here are the errors that need to be corrected as soon as possible:

1. You don’t get enough social interaction.

From working remotely to having kids to retirement, there are many situations in life that can make it harder to get out and socialize.

In our culture, it’s common to slowly lose social networks throughout our lives. We need some kind of social network that we can turn to whenever we need it, or even if we think we don’t need it.

So, how does socialization affect the brain? Every time we meet someone new, we create new connections between brain cells in our brain. Additionally, strong social networks have been shown to improve mood, which is linked to our brain health. (Depression is a risk factor for dementia.)

While face-to-face interactions appear to be most beneficial for brain health, online socializing and virtual conversations can also help.

Some people are literally isolated, or may not have friends and family locally, and their online communities become a lifeline to them and can bring some real benefits.

2. You keep your brain active – but only by doing the same things over and over again.

Not only do you want to engage your brain by retaining the skills you already have, you also want to push your brain out of its comfort zone.

If you say, “I’m not a kid anymore. I’m not going to worry about learning anything,” you’re actually damaging your brain health and causing premature brain aging.

Just like when we meet new people, learning new things forms connections between our brain cells and helps keep our brains young.

3. You dismiss the chronic stress you’re carrying around.

Stress is a part of daily life, and our bodies can often recover quickly from certain stressful events or situations. The problem is when this stress becomes chronic – and we don’t address it.

We’re really good at keeping our stress response in check throughout the day—keeping it at a moderate level that we might not even notice. Even if nothing stressful happens, we can experience unconscious stress.

It’s important to be aware of this stress and release it throughout the day, such as by paying attention to our thoughts and slowing down our breathing. Creating “short-term acute stress states” in our bodies can actually help relieve stress, such as using a sauna, taking a cold shower, or trying high-intensity exercise. This allows us to be more relaxed during the day and have better sleep quality at night.

When we are able to have a deeper state of rest during the day and during sleep, our neurons also have a chance to recover and slow brain aging.

4. You rely on takeout too much.

As we go about our professional and social lives, we naturally gravitate towards something that can be quickly thrown in the microwave or taken to the drive-thru. But this may not be best for our brains in the long run.

Fast food is often highly processed and high in saturated fat and added sugar. Research shows that a diet rich in these foods can lead to a higher risk of dementia over the years.

We know that these can prematurely age the brain and can lead to health conditions that are very detrimental to brain health. For example, studies show that uncontrolled diabetes can cause brain shrinkage.

There’s nothing wrong with eating fast food or takeout all the time – it’s delicious, probably the most affordable option, and sometimes we just need it. Try as much as possible a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as green leafy vegetables, fish, olive oil and nuts. Omega 3s have been shown to enhance memory, learning and blood flow to the brain.

5. You aim for enough sleep each night — but the quality isn’t good.

Even if you aim to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, if your sleep quality is poor, you may wake up feeling tired the next day. Both the quantity and quality of sleep are critical to brain health.

During sleep, the day’s memories are sorted out and put into the right place for future access. Beta-amyloid, a sticky protein that wreaks havoc on the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, occurs during sleep will be cleared. When sleep is too short or of poor quality, these processes are disrupted.

The next day, you may have difficulty concentrating or recalling information. But over the years, not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of premature brain aging and dementia.

To improve sleep quality, it is recommended that you set a consistent bedtime, minimize alcohol consumption, reduce fluid intake before bed, avoid sedatives and sleeping pills, and limit sleep to most of the time (no rolling around in bed or watching TV).

6. You don’t incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle.

Physical exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise and even muscle building, is important for keeping the brain young. It actually increases growth hormones in the brain, such as neurokines, which promote brain health.

In addition to exercise, Tan recommends making physical activity a part of your lifestyle. Whether it’s gardening or hiking, there are things we can incorporate into our daily lives that may be more sustainable and beneficial in the long run than going to the gym for an hour once a week.

When physical activity becomes a lifelong habit, it can provide a variety of benefits, including reducing stress and increasing blood flow to the brain.

Remember: We have a lot of control over our brain health.

The worst thing we can do for our brains is give up as we age.

Don’t think everything has to happen this way because you’re getting older. Take care of your brain, take care of your body. If you do this, you can successfully age without changing as much as you think.