April 27, 2012 Leave a Comment

How Exercise Improves Your Memory and, You’ll Love This, Even Makes You Smarter

Exercise protects your brain.

Remember when you were a kid, you just couldn’t sit still? You looked around everywhere for something to get into?! As it turns out, doing the same thing as adults can improve our memory, strengthen our brain, and prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

As we’ve often talked about, exercise is great for relieving stress, clearing your mind, improving your heart’s health, preventing diabetes, controlling your weight, and a host of other benefits that’d take a day and a half to cover.

For those of us who spend a great deal of time thinking about mental fitness and brain health, exercise is a favorite weapon in our arsenal. It’s shown to improve your memory, prevent Alzheimer’s, and increase blood flow to the brain -which, let’s face it, is always a good thing. Simply put, exercise is one of the best ways to protect your memory, stay sharp, and prevent neurological conditions (dementia, Alzheimer’s…).  Even simply working out with hand weights is beneficial.

In fact, a recent Canadian Study showed that just a six-month stint of strength training slowed dementia in 70- something women.

But there’s more!

Studies with young men and women prove that they are sharper, smarter, and mentally quicker after exercise.

The Scientific American reports on HOW exercise actually  improves memory:  Exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and spatial reasoning.   Participants in the study took part in a program of walking for 40 minutes 3 times a week.

It seems that most people believe that only older people should begin thinking about Alzheimer’s Prevention and improving their memory. This type of thinking is ludicrous as well as dangerous.  People of all ages need to become active (literally!) when it comes to nurturing their brain, improving their memory, strengthening their mind, and preventing dementia.

A great first step is simply to become more active. Move more, sit less.

  • Walk each day.
  • Keep dumbbells near the television and work out while watching a favorite show.
  • Have frequent “activity bursts” where you get up and do anything you can find to do for 10 minutes. Clean house, walk around the house or yard, march in place, or walk in circles.
  • Park further from the door at the store.
  • Buy a pedometer and challenge yourself to walk at least 10,000 steps daily.
  • Take the long route to get everything you need in the grocery store.
  • Work out with resistance bands.
  • Make frequent trips to parks – walk, play, and be a general busybody!
  • Move, move, move!

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

Stimulate Your Mind and Keep Alzheimer’s Off Your Doorstep

Willis Tower 3D Puzzle

First things first. What are information-processing activities?  Basically, this is a fancy way of referring to anything that makes you think.  Reading an Agatha Christie novel, an article online, a newspaper, or a romance novel are all information-processing activities.

Listening to the radio, watching an educational program on the Discovery Channel, and visiting historical sites and museums are also information-processing activities.

You get the picture. Anything that makes your brain cells sit up, take notice, and feel alive.

A National Institute on Aging study has found that people who most often participate in information-processing activities are 47% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who participated least often in these same activities.

“If you sit around and don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies — and the same goes for the brain,” says Dr. Kimford Meador, MD, fellow with the American Academy of Neurology and professor of neurology at the University of Florida. The phrase use it or lose it comes to mind.

Below are more ways to stimulate your mind.

  • Read older novels. Your mind has to really stay on its toes to “translate” the language into today’s verbiage.
  • Paint by Numbers. A lot of people are more creative than they realize
  • Play cards. Learn as many card games as possible, then become the best player you know!
  • Visit museums.  Make it a point to visit all the museums in your state. Then branch out further.
  • Take up bird watching. Learn to identify birds in your region by sight and sound.
  • Pick up a new craft. Learn to knit, crochet, make soap, make candles, etc. Master one, then move on to the next.
  • Work several puzzles each day. Whether it’s Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or word scrambles – make them a part of your daily routine.
  • Work jigsaw puzzles regularly. Start simple, then move on to the challenging ones.
  • Buy a telescope and learn about the stars. New hobbies are rewarding in so many ways!
  • Choose an author you like and read every book he or she has written.  
  • Write your own novel!

A reminder: Don’t do the same activities over and over again – thinking that you’re hitting the ball out of the park.  There are different parts of your brain (some people think of them in terms of regions), and each part is stimulated differently.  The area of your brain that’s stimulated by a game of cards might not respond at all to painting by numbers.  Use a wide range of activities that encourage a wide range of benefits. Use art-based activities to encourage creativity, take up hobbies that encourage concentration and focus, frequently play games that require memorization, etc.

  The greater the variety of activities, the greater the benefits.

Photo Credit: The Willis Tower 3D Puzzle, shown at the top of the article is from Marbles: The Brain Store.

Product Description:
This museum quality 3D puzzle stands over 24 inches tall and boasts authentic details and sturdy construction. Whether you opt to call it Willis or Sears Tower, assembling this 51-piece puzzle will help you fine-tune your motor and visual perception skills.

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Motivational, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Brain Games: The Fun Way to Improve Your Memory and Prevent Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s

Memory GameA lot of brain fitness and health advice is good old fashioned common sense:

  • Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Reduce the amount of stress in your life
  • Be active

We’re familiar with these healthy tips because we’ve been reading them for more years than we’d care to count. These 4 rules are the core of every disease-prevention tool box out there.  Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and so on – none of these tend to favor the individual who eats a healthy diet, gets plenty of activity in their life, gets around 7 hours of sleep each night, and manages stress (rather than the other way around).

The fact that we’re so familiar with them is what concerns me.  Sometimes we take them for granted. They become like the old standards:

  • If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.
  • Wash your hands before eating.
  • Brush your teeth 3x a day.
  • Always say PLEASE and THANK YOU.
  • etc…

I don’t have to point out how few of these we adhere to religiously. Don’t tell my dentist, but I can’t remember the time I brushed my teeth 3x a day.

When we hear things so often (or read them, for that matter), we get to the place where they don’t even register.  How many times have you read an article about health and fitness and just glanced over the paragraph about trans fats as you thought, “Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”?

When advice can help us live longer and live better, we need to stop glancing and start advancing.  Our heart and our brains desperately need for us to eat healthier, stress less, get more activity, and sleep 7 hours each night. Don’t wait until problems creep up before you give your life a healthy overhaul – do it before any problems are even thought about.

One of the Most Important Necessities of Brain Strengthening

In addition to the healthy advice above that we’re all going to start LIVING OUT rather than LEAVING OUT, an equally important part of brain strengthening, improving your memory, and preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia is this:  Work out and challenge your brain each and every single day.  Yes, you should read a variety of subjects.  But if you want to really challenge your brain and flex your mental muscles, you need to fall in love with brain training games.

These brain training games can improve your memory, train you to think faster, help you focus, and make your confidence soar.  Some games that you may have on your shelves qualify: Scrabble, Monopoly, Pictionary, Checkers, LIFE, etc.

As someone pretty much… make that very much… obsessed with the subjects of brain health, fighting memory loss, and preventing dementia (including Alzheimer’s), I’d love to see people collecting and using brain training and strengthening games as faithfully as resistance bands and dumbbells.  A pet peeve is when people put their ALL into their physical health without thinking about their mental health whatsoever.  Certainly, many things that improve our physical health also improve our mental health – but it takes more.  And, seriously, what’s the use of a strong body if one has a weak mind?  Our brains are our control centers. They deserve more of our attention!

For optimum brain strength and health, we have to challenge our mind and work it out as we do the rest of our bodies.

That’s where brain games can be golden. And fun!  The game shown at the top of this article is a perfect example. This game is the Name 5 Game and it should, in my humble opinion, be the first brain game added to a growing collection.   Why? Because it meets the criteria:

  1. It’s fun! You’ll play regularly – for fun without even thinking about it’s function.
  2. It’s effective. The Marble Store’s Brain expert puts it this way: “Activate your frontal cortex as you think critically and make decisions during this game.” What they said.
  3. Games such as this train you to think fast on your feet. Remember in school when the teacher asked a question and your hand darted up? Or when you completed homework in 20 minutes because your bike was waiting for you? We can train our brain to work faster again. The great thing is, it’ll be as fun as a bike ride!

I hope you’ll click through and check out this exciting game, as well as the countless others in Marbles: The Brain Store. You might want to start with their 2012 Marbles Sweet 16.  WHERE you start isn’t nearly as important as THAT you start.

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

Antioxidants: A Tasty Weapon in the Battle Against Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s Disease

Experts agree that when it comes to preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, certain foods have superhero powers.  The power lies in the food’s antioxidants.  Antioxidants can slow cognitive decline and memory loss and can even help prevent Alzheimer’s.

The brain-saving power of antioxidants have been proven with in labs, with animals, and with humans.

In what I believe is one of the most thorough, useful, even vital books ever written, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss, author Jean Carper explains why antioxidants are so important:

Every time you breathe, you take in oxygen, which sparks formation of free-radical chemicals.  These chemicals can run amok, ripping cell membranes, mutating DNA, blocking synapses, and disrupting neural communication networks.  Such devastation is called “oxidative damage” or “molecular rust.”  Your brain is a prime target of free radicals because it is fatty and burns so much oxygen.  When oxidized, the fat in your brain literally becomes rancid, like spoiled meat.  Such ongoing damage accelerates cognitive dysfunction and possibly Alzheimer’s.

That’s where molecular soldiers called antioxidants come in.  They zip around the brain, capturing and snuffing out rampaging free radicals.  These determined terminators, always on patrol, create a formidable and versatile defense system against brain degeneration.  And where do you recruit antioxidants?  From specific foods, mostly fruits and vegetables.  Tests at Tufts University noted that blood antioxidant capacity surged after test subjects ate ten ounces of fresh spinach or eight ounces of strawberries.

Never underestimate the power of two or three carrots, broccoli florets, or spinach leaves.  Among a group of older people, eating three servings of vegetables a day slowed the rate of memory decline by 40 percent, compared to eating less than one serving of vegetables a day, according to researchers at Chicago’s Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.  A Harvard study of aging women found particular cognitive-function-preserving antioxidant power in green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, and lettuce) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts).  Columbia University researchers found that the best anti-Alzheimer’s foods are antioxidant heavy-hitters, including tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, dark and green leafy vegetables, fruits, salad dressings, nuts, and fish.  New Yorkers over age sixty-five who ate the most of these foods, and the least high-fat dairy products, red meat, organ meat, and butter, were 38 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.  – Pages 29 – 30, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss

On my self help blog, as well as here on my mental fitness blog, I always (strongly) encourage readers to add some sort of fruit and vegetable to each meal. Freshly squeezed juice, mixed fruit, a salad, steamed veggies – there are simply too many delicious ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet NOT to.  For example, just yesterday I added strawberries to French Toast by cooking fresh, sliced strawberries with a little sugar and white cooking wine.  When the strawberries were poured over the stuffed French toast, magic happened!

Toss fruit into cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt and on top of pancakes, ice cream, and even peanut butter sandwiches.  Add vegetables to salads, pastas, sandwiches, dips, etc.  Make it a challenge to find as many different ways to enjoy and “sneak in” fruits and vegetables each meal.

Below are, in order, 30 fruits and vegetables with the greatest antioxidant capacity (based on weight). These are from a 2010 analysis of 326 foods by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  And, remember, just because a fruit or veggie isn’t on the list, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have powerful antioxidants. Eat your favorites, just try to add some of the heavy-hitters into your diet as well.

Prevent Alzheimer's with Blueberries

Brain Foods:

  1. Black raspberries
  2. Elderberries
  3. Golden Raisins
  4. Wild Blueberries
  5. Artichokes
  6. Cranberries
  7. Dried Plums (prunes)
  8. Black Currants
  9. Plums
  10. Blackberries
  11. Garlic
  12. Red Raspberries
  13. Cultivated Blueberries
  14. Strawberries
  15. Dates
  16. Cherries
  17. Raw Figs
  18. Red Cabbage
  19. Apples, with peel
  20. Leaf Lettuce, Red
  21. Pears, with peel
  22. Asparagus
  23. Sweet Potatoes
  24. Broccoli Rabe and Florets
  25. Oranges
  26. Beet Greens
  27. Avocados
  28. Red Grapes
  29. Radishes
  30. Spinach

Finally, I 100 percent recommend 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss. You can buy a copy on Amazon (which is where I bought mine) for less than $15. Trust me, this book is worth a heck of a lot more than that!

Filed Under: Mental Fitness Tagged: , , ,
March 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

Free Online Brain Games

Brain Games
I’m a huge fan of Parade Magazine and have been as long as I can remember. I suspect it was one of the first things I learned to read! It’s my favorite part of the Sunday paper and why not? Each issue has health information, recipes, “Ask Marilyn,” celebrity news, lifestyle news, and more. I’m also a fan of their website. More of the same.

They’ve added something to their website that the brain diva in me is really excited about: Brain Training Games. There are 6 mind-sharpening games that can help you with your concentration and can even improve your memory. But you have to be consistent. None of that “one and done” stuff! Bookmark the Brain Games, then take your brain to the “gym” daily. The Brian Games are from Lumosity, so you know they’re beyond excellent.

Click the link or the image above to have a crack at these games. Remember, the best weapon in our arsenal for preventing Alzheimer’s Disease is to stay mentally active.  Keep challenging your brain to keep it healthy. Brain games are a wonderful way to do just that.

Filed Under: Brain Games, Brain Gym, Improve Your Memory Tagged: , ,
March 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

Fun Ways to Stay Sharp with Each Passing Birthday

An apple a day keeps your memory from going away!Some people seem surprised, astounded even, by the thought of age-related memory loss. But, if you think about it, it makes sense.  For one thing, as we grow older, we have more and more memories to keep track of!  An 80 year old will, obviously, have more trouble remembering his 5th grade teacher’s name than a 40 year old and the 40 year old will have more trouble remembering their 5th grade teacher’s name than a 20 year old.

I once heard a teenager bragging that she could remember half the students in her 5th grade class. I imagine so!  Fewer years mean fewer places for the memories to get lost or sidetracked.  Ask a 40 year old to name half the students in her 5th grade class and watch her face twist up in agony.

A relentless and unkind truth of life is that every inch of our bodies is affected by the aging process. Things just, shall we say, slow down. I think of it as God’s way of protecting us. If we moved around NOW as fast and often as we did when we were 15, we’d surely break something. Maybe even 2 somethings.

Our minds are affected by age as well. They slow down a bit – but that doesn’t mean they have to stop. Far from it! If we make the right changes in our lifestyle (eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy food, get a little exercise each day, eliminate stress, continually challenge our minds…), there’s no reason you can’t stay as sharp as a tack, well into your golden years.

Butterfly

My advice for individuals who are concerned about age-related memory loss? Here it is in a nutshell:

  1. Don’t become preoccupied with negative thoughts and don’t focus on fear.  Worrying and fretting about things only compound the problem.  Here’s an illustration.  See the butterfly above?  Stare at her for 40 seconds. I’ll wait right here.  For the first few seconds, you probably noticed how beautiful the butterfly was.  Then you probably made a note of how vivid the gorgeous flowers are.  By the end of the 4o seconds, few things existed in the room other than the butterfly and her flower.  You focused so intently on them that everything else disappeared.  When we focus on positive things, this really isn’t that big of a deal but when we focus on negative things, it’s a huge deal.
  2. Stay mentally active.  Keep your brain active and challenged.  While reading is wonderful, the benefits wane if you read the same type of material over and over.  Branch out into new areas and keep challenging yourself. Learn new things – that’s where the magic lives.
  3. What’s good for your heart is good for your brain.  Eating right doesn’t just promote good heart health, it promotes good brain health.  Eat fruits and vegetables daily… plural. Have fish several times a week and consider taking a fish oil supplement.  Also, don’t forget to get some sort of activity for at least 30 minutes each day (at least 5 times a week).  Cleaning your house, garage, or vehicle counts as activity as long as you keep at it for 30 minutes.

Here’s a link to an article I think you’ll enjoy.  It’s geared toward “seniors” but people of all ages will get a lot out of it.  It’s all about entertaining activities that aid in memory retention.

Filed Under: Prevent Memory Loss Tagged:
February 29, 2012 1 Comment

Relaxation? It Could be Just a Few Notes Away!

Relaxing Classical Music

If  relaxation is on your mind, it’s time to take action.  Relaxing isn’t just enjoyable, it’s healthful.  Just about everyone wants more relaxation in their life, but few actually do anything about it.  Equally baffling is the fact that so many people think you have to go away on a vacation to relax – as though relaxation were buried treasure that you have to leave home to find.

It’s just alarming to hear people talk about how stressed they are – then hear them say, “If I can just hang on for 3 more months, then I can take a vacation.”

Wouldn’t it be better to find ways to incorporate relaxation into your daily life? At home, in the car, and even at the office?  Relaxation techniques can help keep you stress free and feeling like you’re on a vacation more than just once a year.

One of my favorite relaxation techniques is one of the easiest.  I simply listen to Classical Music.  I have  a great classical music cd collection, but classical music is readily available on YouTube as well.

The The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe, shown at the top, is the PERFECT classical music collection for relaxation. At less than $8.00, this beautiful collection features the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and many others.  (You can hear samples of this truly one of a kind music when you click the link.)

While I often listen to classical music at home (I prefer opening my windows and listening to the songbird’s choir), I always listen to it in the car. I have noticed that when classical music is playing, you tend to get less annoyed with other drivers, the length of stop lights, etc. It’s almost as though classical music casts a relaxing spell over you.  However, it does so without making you sleepy!   It keeps you alert and relaxed at the same time.  If they could bottle the effects of classical music, someone would make a fortune.

Click through one of the links above and begin your own classical music collection. Trust me, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without classical music as the soundtrack of your life.

Filed Under: Relaxation Tagged:
December 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

Two Magic Words for Overcoming Absentmindedness and Forgetfulness

Overcome forgetfulness and absentmindedness Have you had a problem with absentmindedness or forgetfulness lately? Maybe you find yourself searching through your thoughts more often than you do your sock drawer! Before we determine if you need a little mental “touch up,” ask yourself the following questions:

  • Have you had a recent loss, such as the loss of a loved one (which of course includes pets)?  Periods of grief affect our minds to a great extent. Our entire body is in the process of addressing the tragedy at hand when we’re grieving. Our minds have little time left for sifting through details.  During the months following a great loss, it’s natural to have trouble remembering things – from where you set your cellphone to what your friend’s phone number is.  Give yourself time to process the loss and relax.  Everything will eventually get back to normal.
  • Have you been ill? Illnesses, and the stress that goes with them, will mess with your mind and thought processes.
  • Is it around the holidays? When we get busy with Thanksgiving and/or Christmas menu planning, shopping, decorating, and so on, it’s natural for some things to get away from us.
  • Have you been under stress lately? Stress can make it difficult to think clearly.
  • Have you been losing sleep? A lack of sleep (like stress) messes with your mind.
  • Are you taking any new medications?

If any of the above situations apply to you, take heart. Normal is just around the corner. Take a deep breath and try not to add any stress to what’s already on your plate.

If these situations DO NOT apply to you, don’t hit the panic button just yet. In fact, your personal memory monster may be easier to slay!  You may need to arm yourself with a mere two words: Pay Attention.

We live in a very, very, very fast-paced society.  We’re often, literally, headed in two different directions at once.  If we’re PHYSICALLY this active, can you imagine the extra strain on our minds, just trying to keep up?  Somewhere along the way, someone placed a particular word on the mantel and gave it godlike status.  The word is “Multitask” and it, honestly doesn’t deserve the fame.

When we try to multitask, we’re basically splitting our mind in half.  We tell the halves, “YOU go this way and YOU go that way. Divide and conquer!”

Does that not leave us operating as halfwits?!  And we wonder why we forget things or lose our train of thought.  Isn’t that what halfwits do?  Obviously, we have to find a way to stop multitasking, start really living in the moment, and start paying attention to everything and everyone around us. I’m possibly the world’s biggest advocate of “In the Moment Living.” Just look at the words I’ve always used in my signature on this particular blog:  “Make each moment count double.”  I’ve been signing off and leading my life with these words for years.  My primary infatuation with the words was this: Life is too precious not to slow down and bear hug even a tiny moment.  After a while, I realized that this approach is as important to our health as it is to our happiness.  What’s more, it’s as vital to our brain’s MOOD as it is to its MODE.

The person who regularly multitasks is just begging for absentmindedness and forgetfulness.

Think about this scenario:  If I’m in the kitchen, baking my world-famous (well, they’re famous in my house anyway) buttermilk biscuits, which of the following will yield the tastiest biscuits:

  1. I stay in the kitchen, ever-mindful of the timer. I check on the biscuits a few minutes before the timer goes off.
  2. I try to squeeze everything I can out of the time by putting in a load of laundry, checking the mail, and feeding my cats.

Obviously, number 1 will lead to buttermilk biscuits that beg to be eaten.  Number 2 would lead to buttermilk biscuits that beg to be thrown out to the birds.

If you are, honestly, so busy and covered up with work that you feel multitasking is the only way you’ll get everything done – reexamine your approach, your schedule, and the things you think are so necessary. If you take an honest look at how you spend your time, you’ll realize that there are a lot of things you could cut out.

Don’t look now, but a new year is upon us.  Make a vow to start really and truly living in the moment and giving each task at hand your undivided attention – whether it’s reading the newspaper or brushing your teeth.  I think you’ll be amazed at how fast your absentmindedness clears up.

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Motivational, Tough Love! Tagged: , ,
December 6, 2011 2 Comments

Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss

Can you prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and age-related memory loss? Most definitely! Make the right lifestyle changes and your brain will reward you for years to come.

Mental fitness and brain health are… excuse the pun…. on everyone’s mind these days.  Not only are baby boomers actively searching for ways to keep their minds sharp and their brains healthy, other generations are seeking the fountain of youth for their minds as well.  You’re just as apt to see a 65 year old in the store, loading up on crossword puzzles as you are a 22 year old buying brain games.  I absolutely love that more and more people are waking up to the importance of good mental health and to the urgency of staying mentally fit.

Remember when we all believed that losing your memory was a part of aging. Thank goodness we know better now!

The time to start getting really serious about strengthening brain is today. Right now.  People with strong minds live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.  What’s more, they retain their memories and abilities to process information much, much longer.

The following list, in no particular order, gives you our mental fitness blog‘s 10 favorite ways to keep your mind sharp and healthy.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. – Henry Ford

Get Plenty of Mental Exercise: 

Like any muscle, the brain can suffer atrophy.  If you keep that thought in the front of your mind, you’ll no doubt seek out ways to “work out” your brain each day.  Below are a few ways to sneak in fun workouts for your mind. Please remember to do one or more of these daily.

  • Crossword Puzzles.  Never underestimate just how mentally stimulating a crossword puzzle is.  The ones that run in newspapers are pretty challenging – and they make the cost of the newspaper EVEN more worth it.
  • Jumble Puzzles.  These often appear in newspapers as well, allowing you to get even more bang for your buck.
  • If you don’t buy or subscribe to the newspaper (something I urge you to do for many reasons, including supporting local businesses and neighbors), you can find many puzzles online.
  • Start calculating mentally rather than using pen and paper or a calculator. Whether you’re adding up bills or shopping, go as far as you can mentally before resorting to extra help.
  • Grocery Store Game: Mentally keep a running tab (rounding to the nearest dollar) of the amount of money you’re spending.  At the cash register, it’s fun to see how close you actually come.
  • Subscribe to National Geographic Magazine.  Each magazine provides amazing, exciting, and beautiful lessons.  Bonus Mental Work: After reading each article, mentally “pull out” 5  facts and memorize them. Throughout the week, quiz yourself on the facts from each article.
  • If you’re more of a visual learner, use the above advice with the National Geographic channel (as well as NatGeo, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, etc.)
  • This goes back to newspapers (and is another excellent reason to subscribe or buy a local newspaper daily): Stay on top of local news.  Sadly, more people currently know more about celebrity news than they do world events. I recently overheard a conversation between two women in Starbucks. They were discussing the Kardashians and seemed to know more about them than most members of the infamous family does!  Then one literally said, “By the way, do you have any idea who Michele Bachmann is? My daughter asked me this morning and I was like, I dunno…“  They then proceeded to move their conversation back to Kim Kardashian and I was never more happy than the moment the barista called my name and handed me my Chai Tea Latte. I could escape!  Staying on top of current stimulates the mind.  At the very least, know who the players are!  You can’t really avoid celebrity or pop culture news and events. We’re surrounded by it, everywhere we look. But if your idea of current events is who the last pair was to leave Dancing With the Stars, you need to re-evaluate and stop, mentally, eating only junk food!
  • READ, READ, READ. Read books, magazines, shampoo bottles, blog posts, brochures, etc. Your brain LOVES to read and process information. Never deny it this delight.  Remember, bonus points are racked up when you read informational, educational, and “deep” content.
  • Play video games.  That’s right, I said it!  Did you know that many experts believe that video games can help keep you mentally active, keep your reflexes, reactions, and responses sharp, and (get this) can even help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease!  Now that doesn’t give you free range to play video games for hours on end each day. That would leave no time for other activities like reading, socializing, or stretching your mind in other ways.

We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself. – Lloyd Alexander

Stay Creative

A strong and healthy mind is a well-rounded and creative mind. Never get stuck in a rut where you think about, talk about, or participate in the same things over and over again. Growth doesn’t happen in ruts. What’s more, creativity dies a slow death in ruts.

  • Write!  Buy a journal or even a great notebook and simply record your thoughts and feelings each day.  Bonus points: Every now and then, put your feelings in the form of a poem.
  • If you have family that lives far away, write to them often. Everyone, young or old, loves to get a letter in the mail.
  • Consider setting up a personal blog. You’ll learn something new (how to run your own blog) and you’ll have a wonderful place to let your creativity flow.
  • Head to a local crafts store or the craft section in your favorite department store. Buy a project that interests  you and let your creativity flow!
  • If you have small children around, don’t just read them stories, TELL them stories. When my girls were younger, they actually preferred the stories I made up to the ones I read.
  • Don’t read the same types of books or the same authors all the time. Mix things up!
  • On your next trip to the library or bookstore, grab a magazine about a subject you know nothing about.  If you don’t cook, grab a cooking magazine and read different recipes, tips, and cooking terms. If you aren’t familiar with birds, grab a magazine about birds and learn about the different beauties. Travel magazines are also fascinating.  Expose yourself to different subjects – when you do, you take your brain on fascinating  journeys.
  • Take up cooking. If you already cook, learn a new style or type of cooking each month.  One month you may specialize in Chinese cooking, the next month you may move on to authentic Mexican cooking or Amish recipes.  Mix things up and avoid the dreaded rut.  If you’re new to cooking, tune in often to the Food Network, visit food blogs, and buy popular cookbooks.
  • Listen to Classical Music. It’s relaxing, beautiful, and helps clear your head from thought overload. Bonus: Learn about the composers!
  • Do things differently.  Take different routes to regular destinations, eat with your opposite hand, use chopsticks in Japanese restaurants, etc. When you mix things up, you perk up regions of your mind that might otherwise be lulled to sleep. Do I even have to tell you how dangerous it is when these regions doze?!?!

Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. – Chinese Proverb

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Filed Under: Mental Fitness, Must Reads, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , ,
October 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

Improve Your Memory and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease One Bite at a Time

What’s something we do every day, without fail? In fact, woe be unto the person who tries to stand between us and this activity?!

Unless we have a stomach virus from Hell, we eat and drink each and every day. Without fail. In fact, we eat and drink pretty much throughout the day. If you were to count the number of bites and sips over the course of a day, it’d be pretty amazing. Then if you counted them all up at the end of the week, you’d be astounded.

That’s a lot of bites and drinks! What’s really worth spending a little time thinking about is this: Each of these bites and each of these drinks is either ADDING to your overall health and well-being or they’re TAKING AWAY from your overall health and well being. If we’re going to allow so many foods and drinks to pass our lips, doesn’t it make sense to choose wisely?

I spend a great deal of time researching healthy foods for the body and mind. Not only do I do research for this mental fitness blog, I also do research for my food blog and self help blog. The same super foods turn up again and again. I’ve often said that what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain and when it comes to food, this is abundantly true. Did you know that the foods that are unhealthy for your heart (such as salt) are even unhealthy for your brain?

For example, Omega 3 Fatty Acids (cold water fish) help protect your brain from dementia and improve your memory. If you don’t typically eat a lot of salmon, trout, and mackerel – the time to start is now. Make a point of having these amazingly delicious and healthy fish several times a week.  Your brain will thank you for it, as will the rest of your body.

The following are just some of the foods that are known to improve your memory, protect your brain, and help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease:

  • Walnuts
  • Avocados
  • Peanuts
  • Olive Oil
  • Salmon
  • Trout
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B12
  • Whole Grains
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries
  • Plums
  • Broccoli
  • Eggplant
  • Corn
  • Asparagus
  • Onions
  • Strawberries
  • Bell Peppers

From Everyday Health:

Give yourself a memory boost with dark berries that help keep blood vessels in the brain clear and protect brain cells from damage. Eat fruits like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Blueberries and similar foods have been shown to actually reverse age-related memory shortfalls in humans and animals. Oranges, cherries, plums, and red grapes are also great memory food. – Everyday Health

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

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