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March 29, 2011 Leave a Comment

Quote About Reading by Confucius

Confucius Quote about Reading

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” - Confucius

I write a lot of book reviews on Self Help Daily.  I’ve noticed that books seem to be getting better than ever. There really have been some remarkable books published over the past few years.  It’s as though authors and publishers “get” what they’re up against with games, technology, and computers.   Instead of caving in, they’re simply stepping up their game like never before.  It’s as though they welcome (and love) the challenge.

Whatever their motivation, I’ll just continue to enjoy the pleasure and growth that they’re providing and pray that they keep it up.

If you don’t already have a passionate relationship with reading, as a mental fitness devotee, I urge you to grab yourself a new book today and begin a lifelong relationship with reading.  It’s one of the greatest habits you can develop and one of the few that you’ll ALWAYS take more out of than you put in.

A few suggestions:

  1. Choose an author and begin reading every single book he or she has ever written. A few I’ve been reading for ages are Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz, Nicholas Sparks, William Shakespeare, and Lilian Jackson Braun.  I’ve recently fallen hard for Nora Roberts and I notice that I have a lot of catching up to do with her books. Does the lady ever take a day off?
  2. Branch out into genres that are completely new to you. I have to admit, I went through a period of time when I thought there were only two types of books: 1.  Mysteries, and 2. Those I’d never touch. When I was a teenager, I always had a Dr. Pepper in one hand and an Agatha Christie book in the other.  When I branched out for a tremendous love affair with the Anne of Green Gables series of books, I realized that there was literary life beyond Hercule Poirot.  Then,  years later when I discovered Dean Koontz… my oh my!  What a crazy world opened before me.  What would Agatha have thought?
  3. Never underestimate how great non-fiction books are. I love non-fiction books every bit as much as I love fiction books. Actually, I think I prefer non-fiction books. Biographies, auto-biographies, and historical novels fascinate me beyond belief.  Choosing a period of time and reading everything you can get your hands on about it is educational AND entertaining.
  4. Read Online. If you’re one of those people who prefers reading online, feel perfectly free to do so.  There are endless articles, essays, and yes, even stories online.  When I have a crisp new book I feel like a kid with a brand new bike.  Oh, the possibilities!  However, finding a fascinating new website – or a new article on a favorite website (such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History.com, etc) is just as exciting.

One final piece of the puzzle, so to speak: Be certain that you read about many different things.  Don’t be educationally nearsighted! Don’t just read within one or two genres – branch out, extend your scope, and broaden your horizon.    Our brains LOVE to be challenged and they thrive on learning  new things.    And isn’t a thriving brain what we’re all after?!?!

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Mental Fitness, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Quotations Tagged: , , , ,
March 22, 2011 3 Comments

Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease with the Internet

Sudoku Puzzles keep your mind sharp!

Below is a guest post by freelance writer Kathleen Hessing. The information and advice is the sort of thing we’re committed to here on Out of Bounds – keeping your brain sharp, strengthening your mind, preventing memory loss, and preventing Alzheimer’s Disease. The information is truly priceless.

Although the disease is incurable once it occurs, there are steps we can take to help prevent the development of Alzheimer’s. Keeping your brain alert has been proved to do just that.

Even if you have the busiest of schedules, you can work small things into your day to help you stay sharp. One way to do this is to use your non-dominant hand for everyday tasks like eating and opening doors. By doing this, you exercise the opposite side of your brain.

Mind-engaging puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords can increase brain activity as well. Several websites offer games and puzzles to entertain and challenge you. Here are a few to get you started:

  • WebSudoku.com – This website claims to offer billions of  Sudoku puzzles. That should keep you busy for quite a while!
  • BoatloadPuzzles.com – When they say boatload, they aren’t kidding. You’ll find 40,000 free crossword puzzles on this site.
  • JigZone.com – Like jigsaw puzzles, but don’t have the space to lay them out and solve them? This site allows you to put together jigsaw puzzles made up of 6 to 247 pieces. You can play against a clock for more of a challenge, too.

Many local newspapers and magazines publish all kinds of puzzles, from Sudoku and crosswords, to word finds, acrostics, and Kakuro, which is similar to Sudoku, but involves math rather than just number placement.

Reading exercises your brain, too. Do it often. Experts say you should frequently switch up the topics you read so you’ll experience changes in vocabulary, thereby stimulating more areas of your brain.

Video games can actually benefit your brain in a big way, too. Instead of zoning out to TV shows or movies for hours on end, try playing a game. It can help improve your memory, your development of logic skills, increase your creativity, increase your mental speed, and improve your hand-eye coordination.

There are plenty of free gaming websites out there. For starters, try these:

  • Bored.com – This site boasts tons of games in categories such as puzzles, strategy, action, and arcade.
  • AddictingGames.com –  You can either play games on your own, or get a friend to play a two-player game with you on the same computer. There are also games to play with friends via Facebook.
  • PlayedOnline.com – Play classics such as Super Mario World and Pac-Man, as well as many new games.
  • Pogo.com – Pogo has some of the most popular online games like Bejeweled, as well as classics such as Scrabble, Yahtzee, Risk, and Monopoly.
  • FreeOnlineGames.com – Not only can you play games on this site, you can get free games to install on your own website.

If you want to step up the quality of your games and interaction, consider spending some money on a video game console for your home. You can even play games on your cell phone if it has such capabilities.

Another brain-building activity you can try is learning a foreign language. You don’t have to spend any money on this—everything you need is at your local library. You can check out instructional books, CDs, DVDs, and tapes there. You don’t need to go for total fluency. Just learning some words and phrases is enough to get your brain working.

While all these activities can help keep your brain sharp, and can potentially help prevent Alzheimer’s, they can’t cure it. Once a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is made, it’s important to learn about the disease to be able to cope with it to the best of your ability.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, check out the Alzheimer’s Association website for information about the disease and its treatments. Researchers are always looking for ways to improve the lives of those suffering from Alzheimer’s. The site allows you to browse through the various medications that have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval so you can talk to your doctor about which one is right for you or your loved one.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can become a heavy burden over time. It requires a lot of patience, but even then, it can be one of the hardest things to do in life. Taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s is an admirable endeavor, but it can become more difficult as time and the disease progress. If you ever find yourself unable to continue as a caretaker, consider looking into an elderly care facility that specializes in Alzheimer’s care. It’s a difficult decision to make, but you’ll feel better knowing your loved one is receiving the best care available.

Kathleen Hessing is a freelance writer who enjoys finding new ways to improve her life, and sharing them with others through her writing.



Filed Under: Education, Improve Your Memory, Mental Fitness, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , ,
March 1, 2011 4 Comments

Coffee or Green Tea? For Brain Health, Go with Both!

Coffee Beans

If, like me, you’re a rock star when it comes to drinking coffee and green tea, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.  We aren’t just doing our taste buds a favor when we drink coffee and we aren’t just doing something healthy for our bodies when we drink green tea.   Both of these drinks are great for brain health.

A study in Neurology that found drinking three cups of coffee a day reduces your risk of mental decline by more than 50 percent.  More than 50 percent.  Amazing!

Green tea is no slouch, itself, when it comes to mental benefits.  Of course, green tea is known for the many health benefits it offers – from cancer prevention and heart health to weight control and weight loss.  However, did you know that green tea is also very, very healthy for your brain?

Green tea contains antioxidants called catechins that play a role in keeping the brain sharp and fresh. These catechins also promote healthy blood flow to the brain.

While there are tons of delicious bottled green teas on the market, you should try to drink freshly brewed green tea as often as possible.

Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for it!

Filed Under: Brain Food, Improve Your Memory, Mental Fitness, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , , ,
February 23, 2011 2 Comments

Learning a Second Language May Delay Alzheimer’s Disease

Learn to speak Spanish

As we’ve always known, learning a second language is great for your brain.  However, its benefits seem to surpass anything we ever hoped for.

New studies show that learning a second language can pump up your brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer’s disease.

While the study focused primarily on individuals who mastered a second language previously (and have kept their skills sharp – as opposed to forgetting everything you ever learned in your high school Spanish class), experts tell us that even people who take up a second language later in life will benefit.

Naturally, the more proficient you become, the better, but “every little bit helps,” said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.

As far as scientists know now, learning a second language does nothing to actually prevent Alzheimer’s disease. But once the disease does begin to rear its ugly head, the mental benefits of tackling a second language cushion the individual so that symptoms don’t become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said.

Even if you take Alzheimer’s out of the picture, learning a second language (or, for that matter, anything NEW and CHALLENGING) stimulates your brain cells in fresh, new ways.  The process keeps you sharp, prevents memory loss, and boosts your confidence.   The brain loves to be stimulated and challenged and will reward you in many wonderful ways, including strengthening and improving your memory.

Give it a try!  Pick a language that interests you and begin your own home study course.  Of course, if you have the time and inclination, you could always take a college class.  You’ll want a program that provides audio and/or video, so you can hear the words being properly pronounced.  Just remember to keep studying and never give up.  Your brain will absolutely love the challenge. Think of all you have to gain!

Filed Under: Brain Games, Education, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , , ,
September 28, 2010 3 Comments

Drink This to Improve Your Memory

Few things are more frustrating than trying to pull up an elusive name, date, or detail from the depths of your memory.  Personally, I think many people needlessly panic when this happens.  Baby Boomers, for example tend to push the panic button so quickly that I suspect some live right next to the infamous button… with their finger hovering over it.

Don’t get me wrong, protecting your mind is serious business.  HOWEVER, every little misplaced name and every song title you can’t come up with do not signal despair, memory loss, or (most certainly!) symptoms of Alzheimer’s.  More times than not they signal:

  • A full life that is so packed with information some of it gets misplaced from time to time
  • A period of your life that is incredibly busy – physically and emotionally: Often caring for aging parents, worrying (Heaven help us all!) about children who are in or entering adulthood, paying off cars and houses – all while working full time.  It’d be a miracle if names, places, and things didn’t get misplaced in the midst of all of that.

To stay mentally sharp and improve your memory, remember this mantra:  Prepare, don’t panic. Strengthen your mind with crossword puzzles, Brain Games (Try the Lumosity Brain Training Program for Only $6.60 a month.), plenty of sleep and relaxation, and a healthy mental diet.

You might want to start that diet off with a juice that’s wonderful for your memory: Blueberry juice.

Scientists at the University of Cincinnati have evidence that blueberry juice actually enhances memory. In a study reported in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 16 study participants in their seventies (and older) who were having memory lapses were given either 20 ounces of blueberry juice daily or 20 ounces of a placebo.

The placebo didn’t contain any sort of fruit juice at all.

After 12 weeks, the participants were tested on memory function, including word association and list learning. Here’s the exciting part – The blueberry-juice drinkers showed a significant increase in memory and recall abilities. The study also suggested that the juice drinkers experienced a reduction in symptoms of depression and may even have lowered their glucose levels!

So, what are you waiting for? Go buy your blueberry juice today!

Filed Under: Brain Food, Improve Your Memory, Mental Fitness Tagged: ,
September 22, 2010 Leave a Comment

Toast to Your Brain’s Health With Apple Juice

We’ve always heard that eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away – and with all the nutrients in apples, we have every reason to believe the claim. This old wives tale has feet to stand on.

Research shows that apples can be very beneficial to our brain’s health.

In Jean Carper’s excellent book, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss, we’re told that apple juice aids in the production of acetylcholine, referred to as the “memory chemical.” In fact, according to Thomas Shea, Ph.D. of the University of Massachusetts, apple juice “pushs” production of this memory chemical in a way that’s similar to the popular Alzheimer’s drug Aricept.

In research with apple juice and its effect on memory and brain function, old mice who were given apple juice did better on learning and memory tests than mice that received water.

Experts recommend that we (humans!) aim for 16 ounces of apple juice daily or 2 -3 apples a day. Sounds like a delicious way to help the health of your body and your mind.

Filed Under: Brain Food, Improve Your Memory Tagged: , ,
August 19, 2005 Leave a Comment

Sharpen Your Mind

Yesterday, there was a great article in USA Today about mental fitness. It was about investing NOW in the mental reserves you’ll be drawing from for years to come.

We have to be proactive about this. In this very blog, as well as on our website, I’m forever likening mental fitness to physical fitness. Everyone, by now, knows the dos and don’ts of physical fitness – we may not always adhere to them, but we know them nonetheless! If we do those things that are good for us physically, we’ll improve our health as well as our appearance. If we don’t….well, ‘taint a pretty sight.

Same-O with our mental fitness. If we do those things which are good for our minds, right now, we’ll build the foundation necessary to stay mentally sharp later in life.

Read the following excerpt from the article to learn exactly what “those things” are:

Animal studies and rapidly growing human evidence suggest that adults might be able to delay or prevent severe cognitive decline.” says Molly Wagster, who directs research on normal brain aging at the National Institute on Aging.

Possible resources for the brain include:

  • Mental stimulation.
  • Higher education.
  • Leisure activities.
  • Aerobic exercise.
  • Antioxidant-rich foods, such as blueberries and spinach.

Here’s a link to the article in it’s entirety: “Want a Sharp Mind for Your Golden Years? Start Now.”

I keep reading about blueberries in relation to mental fitness. They’re easy enough to add to your regular diet – add them to your cereal or oatmeal, stir into vanilla yogurt (then top with granola), or make blueberry pancakes. The best way to do the last one is to make pancakes as you usually do, then when they’re on the griddle, position the blueberries right on top. De-feakin’-licious – and “smart”.

As for the spinach – spinach artichoke dip is sinfully good, if made the right way! (I have the world’s best recipe if anyone’s interested – email me and I’ll send you the recipe. Just a thank you for reading the blog! )

The fastest and easiest way to sneak more spinach into your day is to throw a bunch of it into your tossed salads. I actually have quite a few great recipes for spinach, so if you need any, just shoot me an email. (the addy is at the top, under the banner.)

Have an absurdly fun but safe weekend, and don’t forget to…
Make every moment count double!
~Joi

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