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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 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: , ,
October 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

Brain Games and Puzzles: Your Brain Craves These Challenges!

Brain Games

I buy each and every booklet and book Brain Games comes out with.  They’re fun, challenging, mentally stimulating, and downright addictive.  You can find their booklets in just about any store for less than $4.00 – they’re usually up front near the registers or in the magazine aisle.

Brain Games also has OUTSTANDING lines of books on the market. My advice? My approach?  Keep an eye on Amazon and consistently buy each book you see that you don’t already have.

Yes, as a matter of fact, they’re that good.

To keep your mind sharp, your memory sound, and to do all that you can to prevent Alzheimer’s or Dementia, provide your mind with as much stimulation and with as many challenges as possible.  Having plenty of workbooks and books around will provide you with the easiest way of ensuring you’re doing all you can for your mind.  In addition to physical exercise, a good, healthy diet (remember, anything good for your heart is good for your brain), stress management, and healthy sleep, brain puzzles are fuel your brain needs and even craves.

Below is a brain challenge from the most recent issue of Brain Games (shown above with my trusty pen):

Say What?
Below are a group of words that, when properly arranged in the blanks, reveal a quote from Virginia Woolf.

  • details
  • passionate
  • solitude
  • our
  • lives

“In __________ we give __________ attention to our __________, to __________ memories, to the __________ around us.”

 

Click below for the answer…. after you’ve worked on it sufficiently!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Brain Games, Brain Gym, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , , ,
September 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

Brain Games? There are Apps for That!

Word Scramble Challenge App

I’ve fallen in love with brain games and I’ve THRILLED to see the number of mentally challenging games that are available as apps.  One of my favorite brain challenges doesn’t even advertise itself as a brain game, but it definitely fits the bill.

The Word Scramble Challenge Edition by Zynga is challenging, fun, educational, and downright addictive.  It helps you with an important aspect of mental fitness: Speed! You have a specific amount of time (which you can set in the settings) to find words in a jumbled grid.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Brain Games, Brain Gym Tagged: ,
August 31, 2011 Leave a Comment

How Writing Prompts Can Be Just the Creative Outlet Your Brain Needs

365 Things to Write About Writing Journal

365 Things to Write About!
I was sent the writing journal, above, to review on my self help blog, Self Help Daily. As I began using it, it occurred to me that its benefits were twofold:

  1. As a writer, I know that the more you write, the better you write. So having daily writing exercises only makes me better at what I do.
  2. As someone utterly fascinated with and committed to brain health and mental fitness, I know that getting in touch with your creative side each day is like caffeine for the brain.

Naturally, it’s the second benefit that I want to concentrate here!  If, however, you are a blogger, writer, or student – you might want to read my review of 365 Things to Write About.  Trust me, it’ll do wonders for your creative flow.

Our minds need frequent stimulation.  The more we challenge them, the more benefits they reap.  However, it’s important to keep in mind (literally) that our brains need DIFFERENT kinds of stimulation.  We have to “address” each part of our brain (reasoning, literal, creative, problem solving…).  That’s why the individual who reads novels and considers herself to be doing all that she possibly can for mental fitness is sadly mistaken. While it’s wonderful to read, it simply isn’t enough.

To give our brains the workouts they crave, we have to do more than just read books.  We have to actively pursue knowledge and we need to consistently push ourselves beyond our comfort zone.  A wonderful way to do this is to write. Don’t JUST read other people’s words all the time, write your own.  It’s a wonderful way to give the creative part of your brain a workout. It keeps him on his toes!

At the risk of jumping off track for a minute, I want you to think about your arms.  Let’s say you worked out your right arm each day for an hour.  You varied your routine, because your clever like that, but every day included strength training, yoga, and even kettle bells… but just for the right  arm. Now lets say you neglected the left arm, completely ignoring it.

At the end of the year, the right arm will be the stuff dreams are made of! Michelle Obama and Lance Armstrong would have arm envy over that arm.  However, the left arm would be spongy, soft, out of shape – a sad victim of mindless neglect.  Sadly, as in tragically, that’s the approach most people take when it comes to physical health (right arm) and mental health (left arm).  As incidences of memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s climb, it’s safe to say we’re paying the toll.

I urge you – perhaps even beg you – to begin being JUST as mindful of your mind as you are your body. While it’s important to be physically fit, it’s at least as important to be mentally fit.

I’m beginning a new section here on the mental fitness blog called the Brain Gym. In this area, you’ll find resources, brain games, mental exercises, books, quotes, and more.  Basically, I’ll include anything and everything to do just what you’d expect a Brain Gym to do – give your brain the workout it not only needs, but craves.

The 365 Things to Write About! writing journal has the distinction of being the first “workout” in the Brain Gym.  I hope you’ll order your copy today. The paperback edition is just a little over $10 now on Amazon and, you’ll love this, the Kindle edition is under $1!  Click through the link to learn more.

I’m assuming you’ll be ordering your own copy of this writing journal, but I’m eager for you to start getting your creative juices flowing.  Below, you’ll find 2 words or phrases from the book.  Over the next 2 days, use each word to write a poem, short story, or dissertation.  Let your brain run amok!

On the third day, write a short story using BOTH words… and, yes, I did choose two that I thought would be particularly challenging for that!

  1. 24 Hour Diner
  2. Taj Mahal

Bonus use of this writing journal: Not only are the writing prompts beneficial to the creative corners of your mind, you’ll have the opportunity to read, learn, and grow. When you come to a word, name, or phrase (such as Taj Mahal) that you want to know more about, do a little research. You can feel your brain cells buzzing.  As I was working through the writing journal, I chose Medusa to write a story about. I realized that it’d been quite a few years since I’d read about the lovely lady (shhh, let’s not let her know she’s earth-shatteringly unattractive).  I realized that I couldn’t name 10 facts about her (my personal test for judging how well I know something or someone), so I set off on a journey of research.

It’s funny, when I was in school, the thought of spending an hour researching made me coil in horror but now few things are funner than seeking out information, writing it down, and then launching off into other areas of exploration. Each time I read someone else’s name I wasn’t familiar with, he or she got the research treatment.

Suffice to say, I got a great deal of mental stimulation – all from one writing prompt.

Make each moment count double!

~ Joi

Coming Tomorrow: I’ll give you my favorite Mentally Challenging apps for brain fitness.  Get this, they’re free AND fun!

Filed Under: Books and Reviews, Brain Games, Brain Gym, 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: , , , ,
February 18, 2011 1 Comment

Improve and Strengthen Your Child’s Brain Health

Strengthen children's mental fitness and brain health

We talk a great deal about mental fitness and brain health as they relate to adults, but what about the children in our lives? Are there steps we can take with our youth to aid the development of their brain health?  By helping to strengthen their mental fitness, we can ensure that they’ll be on the right track for a lifetime of success.

While it’s never too late to start challenging your mind, it can also be said that it’s never to early to begin.  In this article, I want to look at ways you can proactively challenge the minds of young people – think of it as mentally getting them on their toes and keeping them there!

I’ll start by saying that I’m a little concerned about young people today.  They have all of the technological advances in the world, but this can be a negative as much as a positive.  Good old-fashioned make-believe, book reading (the ones where you physically turn the pages!), and workbooks are becoming more and more rare.  I’m definitely not saying that we should take technology OUT of our children’s lives.  Far from it!  The pros far outweigh the cons and the last thing we want is for our youth to be left behind when it comes to technology.

However, there are things we can do to aid the development of their minds and strengthen their mental fitness.  Below are a few such ideas, and, as you’ll notice, they’re simple, inexpensive, and even fun.

  • Ask your children to make up stories for you.  Creativity is something that needs to be strongly encouraged.  When they’re really small, you can even begin the story and ask them what they think happens next.  When my girls were really young, a lot of our car trips would involve such stories.  One of us would get the ball rolling, then everyone else would join it.  Oh the tales we told!
  • Take library trips once a week or every other week.  We always made a big day out of it. Library Day was something we all looked forward to.  We’d have lunch out.  During lunch, I’d ask each of my daughters what sort of book they were hoping to find.  They’d talk about the things they liked reading about the most, favorite authors, favorite types of characters, and so on.  It piked their interest and made the library trip more of an adventure.  When we got out of the car at the library, they’d practically run into the building!  On the drive home, they’d talk (sometimes all at once!) excitedly about the books they’d found and as soon as we got home, they’d change into something comfortable and find their favorite reading spots.  I wouldn’t see or hear from them until supper!
  • When reading a book to a small child, occasionally close the book, look at them, and say, “What do you think happens next?!”  It gets their creative juices flowing and makes the whole experience more exciting.
  • Make sure your children eat a healthy diet, lots of fresh air, plenty of sleep, and engage in regular physical activities.
  • When watching television with your kids (whatever their ages), ask them questions such as, “Why do you like this character (individual)?,” “Why do you think she did that?,” “What would you have done?”
  • Watch educational television – The History Channel, Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel, etc.  When a new place, animal, even, or individual, is brought up – encourage them to learn more.   My youngest daughter (Stephany) and I are hooked on these educational networks.  We’ll often talk about shows we’d seen and things we’ve learned.  I’ve noticed that, like me, when something interests her, she’ll do her research and learn more about it.
  • This one is something the adult has to master, rather than the child.  Learn to have a two-way conversation.  Many parents seem only capable of one-way conversations.  This doesn’t encourage the child to think or have any sort of confidence in their own voice.  Allow your child to voice his or her own opinions and never interrupt.   As the adult, your main objective should be to allow and encourage the child to FIND their own voice, not mimic yours’.
  • Set a limit on the amount of time your child spends playing games or using social networking. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time thinking about, reading about, and writing about mental fitness and brain health – but I’ve come to think of the main social network as “Brain Rot,” at least when it comes to kids.   Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to incorporate thinking, creativity, and mental fitness into a young person’s life.  You just have to be consistent.
  • Finally, keep the following word in mind: CHALLENGE.  Find ways to regularly challenge (without frustrating!) you child.  A word of caution, be sure you never expect too much or ask more of them than their age (or ability) is able to give.  Countless children have been discouraged by overly aggressive parents (how many have left a sport they once loved because dad or mom made it a nightmare?).

Always realize that it’s about the process, not the result.  If your child works on a math problem, for example, and comes up with the wrong answer, don’t have a melt down!  Working on the problem is mentally challenging and they’re reaping the benefits. Simply, calmly, help them find where they made the wrong turn and help them find their way.  If you push too hard and if you are overly critical, your child will suffer greatly.  The type of parent who criticizes their child’s 98 on a science test, for example (“Why did you miss two?!?!?!?  I never missed two!!!“),  does more harm than they may ever know.

Challenge… but don’t condemn. Light a fire underneath the child for learning… but don’t burn bridges by frustrating them.  Lead… don’t shove.  Basically, just remember, it’s about THEM, not YOU.

Filed Under: Brain Games, Mental Fitness, Motivational Tagged: , ,
August 2, 2010 1 Comment

The Breakfast of Mental Champions

Like a good little mental fitness blog should, we’ve been researching in the field of mental health – finding the things we can all do to improve our mental health. Something we’ve uncovered is very encouraging – there’s far more than we ever thought possible, that can be done to improve one’s memory, mental health, while preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

One of the most effective, and easiest, changes we can make is at the breakfast table.

It’s alarming how many people skip breakfast and even more alarming how many think they are actually doing something good for their body when they do so.

Study after study shows that for optimum physical health, we need to eat a good breakfast.  I’m sure you’ve seen these studies before, yourself.  What you may not realize, however, is just how important a good breakfast is for your mental health.

Studies have found that eating breakfast may improve short-term memory as well as attention. Students who eat breakfast tend to perform significantly better than those who don’t.  By the same token, workers who fuel up with a healthy breakfast work circles around those who either skimp or skip breakfast entirely.

So what breakfast foods do the experts suggest are the most pivotal for your brain’s health?   To fully arm yourself with the healthiest brain foods and fuel your mind with the nutrients it craves, include high-fiber whole grains, dairy, and fruits.  Be sure not to overeat, however.  High calorie breakfasts can slow you down and make it hard to concentrate.

Sugar is one of your brain’s favorite fuel sources – not table sugar, but glucose, which your body metabolizes from the sugars and carbohydrates you eat. That’s why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and, yes, even mental ability.  A glass of juice is, obviously, the best way to give your brain this sweet treat.

Then, of course, there’s my favorite part of morning (or noon, or night…): Coffee.  Caffeine can energize and help you focus and concentrate.Caffeine in foods such as coffee (and chocolate, another reason for loving life) give your body and mind a wake up call.  Of course, the effects aren’t long term – just long enough to help you wake up and begin functioning.

One of my favorite breakfast foods is oatmeal.  It’s unmistakably good for you and it’s so wonderfully filling that you don’t feel like you’re starving halfway between lunch and breakfast.  You can kick up the health benefits of oatmeal and make it as healthy for your brain as it is for you heart by adding nuts.  Nuts (and seeds for that matter) are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age.

Another favorite  healthy food, dark chocolate, also has powerful antioxidant properties. And it contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus and concentration.  That’s why dark chocolate is a favorite mid-morning snack.

As we’ve said many times on Out of Bounds and Self Help Daily, what’s good for the heart seems to be good for the brain – and vice versa.  The heart and the brain each depend on blood flow and eating a diet high in whole grains and fruits can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower bad cholesterol, and prevent memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. When you reduce your chances of plaque buildup and enhance blood flow, you really fire up those brain cells!

Be sure to include whole grains in your breakfast meals as often as possible.

Further research shows that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

But that’s not all:  Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills.

Obviously, adding blueberries to oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, and pancakes is an extremely healthy thing to do for your brain’s health. 

So, are you ready to start powering up each morning with a healthy breakfast?  Start off with 100% fruit juice, a whole grain cereal or oatmeal, blueberries, and a cup of coffee.

In addition to eating a well-balanced breakfast, mental health experts also advise:

  1. Get a good night’s sleep.
  2. Stay hydrated.
  3. Exercise to help sharpen thinking.
  4. Practice relaxation techniques.
  5. Eliminate as much stress from your life as possible.
  6. Stay physically active – remember, keep that blood circulation, for your heart AND brain.

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Food, Brain Games, Mental Fitness, Must Reads Tagged: , , , ,
April 15, 2010 13 Comments

4 Ways to Improve Your Memory and Strengthen Your Mind

How can you strengthen your mind?
How do you improve your memory?
How do you prevent mental decline?
How do you guard against supposed “age-related” memory problems?

If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your mind, improve your memory, and enhance your brain’s fitness – look no further  than the mirror.

More specifically, look at four simple promises you have to MAKE, then KEEP. Obviously, just making them isn’t going to do a bit of good. :)

Promise # 1:  Keep Your Mind Engaged

Experts tell us again and again and again (think they’re trying to drive their point home?!) that we need to keep mentally active if we want to keep mentally fit.  We have to keep our minds occupied.  If we fill our mind, our time, and our days with nothing but fluff – our minds aren’t going to be stimulated enough to stretch or grow.  In fact, the mind will regress and weaken.  Think about lifting weights.  Which will produce better-defined, more attractive, and stronger arms – working out with a 10 pound weight in each hand or a jumbo marshmallow in each?  You have to challenge something to bring out its best.

But here’s the thing I think most people miss:  You have to keep on challenging anew.  You can’t get to a point and rest thinking, “I’ve arrived. I’ll rest.”  The person who does that will soon learn just how wrong they were.

Anyone who has embarked on an exercise regime to lose weight knows the importance of adding distance or time to their workouts.  If you don’t keep challenging your body, the weight will simply stop coming off.  If you start out walking a nice, comfortable pace everyday for a month, you’ll lose weight.  How much depends upon your eating habits.  However, after a period of time, your body isn’t impressed by this distance or challenged by your pace.  It refuses to budge any more. Hello, plateau.

This is why fitness trainers preach the importance of changing your routine up, adding distance, and incorporating interval training into your workout – it keeps the body challenged.  It keeps the body improving.  It keeps the body engaged.

How do we keep our mind engaged?  If you’re reading these words, you already have a keen interest in mental fitness and brain health. You’re already ahead of the game.  You probably read each day, love brain games, and are probably a Crossword Puzzle working machine.  But here’s the thing:  Are you reading the same things each day?  Are you working the same types of puzzles each day?  Do you visit the same types of websites?  Do you watch the same types of television shows?

Are you working out with jumbo marshmallows?

It’s not enough to just read educational blogs, websites, magazines, books, and so on.  You have to make sure you aren’t reading the same subjects over and over and over again.  Many so-called experts who are cemented in particular subjects aren’t giving their minds the workout they think they are.  They aren’t stretching their minds at all, actually.  The mind gets accustomed to and comfortable with all of the articles about the same thing.

How much growth do you think occurs between accustomed to and comfortable with? Virtually none.

Here’s what I like to do.  I take a different subject area every couple of weeks and try to learn as much about that subject as possible.  I’m the biggest animal lover in the world, so I use animals often as subjects.  I recently chose one of my favorites – the great white shark.  Fascinating guy!

I also love history, so I’ll often choose a period of time, a war, or an individual and learn all I can.   Flowers, herbs, plants, natural remedies, baseball – they’re all personal favorite directions to take off and explore.  There’s something mentally stimulating for the mind to immerse itself in, say, sharks one week (or month) and Andrew Jackson the next. Personally, I’m fonder of the shark.

Challenge your mind and, whatever you do, KEEP YOUR MIND ENGAGED.

If you are interested in helping others improve their memory and strengthen their mind, consider these online graduate programs in education and get started today.

Promise # 2:  Keep Your Body Moving

Experts also tell us that staying physically active is as important for our minds as it is for our bodies.  Try to get more activity each day in any way you can. Below are various ideas to do just that.

  1. Walk everyday for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Garden!  Planting flowers, herbs, veggies, and plants – then tending to them calls for a lot of activity and burns a lot of calories. You get fresh air, sunshine, and physical fitness. If you engage your mind by reading about many new, fascinating plants, you’ll be overachieving!
  3. If the weather is too cool to walk outdoors, consider buying  a treadmill.  I wouldn’t take anything for mine.
  4. Clean house like you mean it!
  5. Wash your car yourself instead of taking it through a car wash.
  6. When shopping, take the long route to everything on your list.
  7. Make it a habit to park as far as possible from your destination.
  8. Put the laundry up one item at a time.

You get the idea – find more ways to move your body more often.  Pedometers are outstanding.  They let you know how many steps you’ve gotten that day – so you can try to stay on pace or push yourself beyond pace.  Always fun.  Just KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING.

Promise # 3:  Keep Your Lungs Clear

Smoking isn’t just unhealthy for your lungs and body – it’s a nightmare for your brain. If you are a smoker who wants to improve your memory and strengthen your mind – you simply must quit smoking.   What’s more, if you’re around smokers – even if you don’t smoke – your lungs aren’t as clear as they’d like to be.  Avoid second hand smoke whenever possible.  It’s horrible for every part of your body and mind.

If you’re after optimum physical and mental health- KEEP YOUR LUNGS CLEAR.

Promise # 4:  Keep Your Appointment with Your ZZZZZZs

One of the surest signs that you aren’t getting enough sleep is mental fogginess.  Forgetting names, misplacing things, and simply not feeling on top of your game are all signs of a lack of rest.  You may think you’re getting all the sleep you need, but that may not be the case.  Try to add a few more ZZZs and see if you feel more like your old self.

Sleep is required for our bodies and minds to repair themselves from all they do during the day.  If you rob yourself of the sleep your body and mind crave, you’re running on empty – and that never ends well.

Even if you’re keeping your mind engaged, keeping your body moving, and keeping your lungs clear… you won’t achieve all that’s yours to achieve if you don’t KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR ZZZZZZZZs.

Make each promise and make each promise stick!
~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games, Mental Fitness, Motivational, Must Reads Tagged: , ,
April 13, 2010 4 Comments

Go Deep! A Mental Exercise to Keep You Mentally Sharp

The individual who wants to give their brain the sort of workout that it craves has endless options each day to do just that.  Of course we know about the wonderful brain games that are online and offline – these are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful ways to stimulate your mind, improve your memory, and keep your mental faculties sharp and ready!

There are also other little “tricks” we can do to stay sharp and improve our memory:

  • Periodically, challenge yourself to spell a word that you hear forward AND backward.
  • When you have a mathematical problem to solve, try it first without the calculator (or even pen and paper).  Then, move to pen and paper to see if you got it right, mentally.  THEN, the final test – check yourself with a calculator.  If you erred somewhere along the way, go back and see where you messed up.
  • Listen to 80′s music  (and/or 50′s, 60′s, 70′s, 90′s – depending upon your generation).  The music, itself, won’t perk up sleeping brain cells but this will:  See how fast you can identify the title of each song, the artist, and the year the song came out.  When it comes to the year, give yourself a 2 year leeway – if you’re within 2 years, you did exceptionally well.  If you can’t come up with the artist (or year) while the song’s playing – think about it for the rest of the day.  Believe me, your brain loves this sort of workout!  Try to picture a music video, the artist singing the song, or the album cover.  Resort to Google only as a last result – when you feel as though your head may explode. Tip: Searching for the song title and/or part of  the lyrics can lead you to the artist.
  • Take different routes to the store, to work, or just to ride around town. Be sure you have gas, though – and allow plenty of time for wrong turns.
  • Brush your teeth with the hand you never use for the task.  Eat with your opposing hand as well.  The brain loves it when you mix things up and catch it off guard.
  • Eat a healthy diet.  What’s good for your heart and body is also good for your mind. Read through the articles here on Out of Bounds to find food that experts recommend for a healthy mind (blueberries, fish, spinach, walnuts….).

In addition to these brain games and mentally stimulating tricks, there’s something else you can do to sharpen your mind:  Become a DEEPER thinker.  Don’t let your thoughts just skim the surface – make them go much deeper.

If you want to be a deep thinker you have to get in the habit of asking deep questions. Ask them about everything. But how can we say if one question is “deeper” than another? A couple examples will help make that clear.

Deep thinking looks beyond (deeper) than the obvious and searches for reasons, explanations, answers, and true meaning.   Here’s an example.  My husband and I were recently checking out at a favorite grocery store.  The young girl working the cash register was so completely off of her game that I wanted to just hug her… then send her home.  Sadly, it wasn’t my place to do the first and I didn’t have the power to do the second, so  my husband and I both just smiled at her and hoped that our combined thoughts of “It’ll get better, sweetie..“  reached her.

99 percent of people would have gotten extremely annoyed at the girl, herself.  Most would have stormed off grumbling things about her, personally.  However, as we walked away my husband’s beef was with the “higher ups.”  He pointed out how unfair it was to put a young girl (or anyone, for that matter) into a situation they hadn’t been properly trained for.  He wondered why someone wasn’t near her, helping answer her questions and showing her what needed to be done – rather than just abandoning her in her misery and confusion.

That’s an example of “DEEP thinking” – looking past the surface… past the so-called obvious that everyone can see.

Start digging deeper with your thoughts.  Look for meanings behind situations, reasons “why,” and solutions to problems -whether they’re your own problems or someone else’s.

Below are some of my favorite subjects and situations to wrap my mind around.  Not only can they stimulate deeper thinking, they’re great conversation bait as well.

  • Why are reality shows so popular?
  • Why did John McCain choose Sarah Palin as his running mate?
  • Did the choice of Mrs. Palin lead to John McCain’s loss?
  • How serious IS global warming?
  • What could other organizations learn from PETA – things that could lead to THEIR organizations becoming household names as well.
  • What could a small business learn from Survivor?
  • Will “Race” ever be a non-issue?
  • Should the Bible be allowed in school rooms and in the school curriculum?
  • Should prayer be allowed and even encouraged in school?
  • What are the pros and cons of the new Health Care Reform?
  • Should the government pay for college?
  • Why is Twitter so popular?
  • Are texting, twitter, facebook, and MySpace affecting our young people positively or negatively?  How?
  • How could adults keep technology from being a negative influence in their children’s lives?
  • Do you believe in ESP?
  • Why are some people afraid of clowns?
  • Is the term “cougars” a bad thing, good thing, or somewhere in between?
  • If the government had proof of life on another planet, do you think they’d divulge the information?
  • Has American Idol ran its course?

Here’s something that’s worth extra points:  If you stand, firmly, on one side of a situation or controversy – force yourself over to the other side and, literally, defend it!  More likely than not, you’ll return to the side you started out on – but you’ll do so a more rounded, informed, and educated individual.  You’ll also be a deeper thinker.

I’d love for you to share your opinions about deep thinking in the comments, below.  Let us know how you try to practice deep thinking in your own life.  Also, feel free to tackle any of the questions above. I’d love to see deep conversations develop  and brain cells stimulated!

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

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