Mental Fitness: Improve Your Mind and Protect Your Brain

Mental fitness and brain health should be on your mind daily. Seek new ways to stretch your mind and challenge your brain. Did you know that the foods you eat, the drinks you drink, and the things you do (or don’t do) affect your mental health, your memory, and your brain’s performance? Read on for a great selection of articles, tips, and advice about mental fitness, improving your memory, and brain health.

Balancing for Your Brain?

by Joi

The following is a sponsored guest post:

Balancing for your Brain?

Legions of people go to the gym each day to train and develop their muscles. But with the regular media focusing so much on diet, exercise, and fitness; when do we get to focus on our mental health?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to work the mind and the body at the same time? Well you can by incorporating BOSU Ball exercises into your workout.

Let’s take a brief look at your body to understand how this works. The brain combines with the spine and nerves to control movement for the entire body. This is your nervous system. The brain develops when it has to work as your neural network responds to new stimulus. One way that occurs is from strengthen existing connects as well as making new neural connections. A great way to make new links is to have your body try new things or old things in new ways.

If you are right handed, try picking up a ball and throwing it with your left hand. It probably felt weird and the ball didn’t end up anywhere near your target. Do it again. Notice how the movement feels strange and awkward. Now do it five more times. By the fifth time the motion should feel a little less strange. That is because your brain is learning and neural connections are being made to help with your coordination.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to train your brain is by doing balance exercises.

Using a Bosu Ball when doing normal exercises can help trigger neural growth. A BOSU ball means ‘both sides utilized’. This training tool is a rubber half ball that you use to add balance training to your workout.

Take a simple exercise like the pushup. While using a BOSU ball for the exercise under your hands, your body has to adapt to balancing and coordinating itself as well as pushing yourself up. This will lead to increased brain development as the body has to learn new muscle coordination and adapt to what you are making it do.

Balance exercises should be included as part of a normal training routine. It is a great way to train you body, as well as your mind, that will lead to better physical and mental health.

 

How to Strengthen Your Mind and Avoid Brain Atrophy

by Joi

Stretch and strengthen your mind with reading!

Stretch and strengthen your mind with reading – just be sure to read different books in different genres!

This morning I read a great article on Everyday Health (one of my favorite websites, and one that I visit daily, sometimes several times a day!).  The article was called “Longevity: 10 Ways to Add Years to Your Life.” After finishing here, I hope you’ll go read the entire article – there’s a wealth of information.

One of the 10 ways involved mental fitness, and as a mental fitness evangelista (I totally just made that word up… evangelist just sounded so “male”) I perked right up.  I actually haven’t even finished all 10 yet, I was THAT anxious to share this great advice and information with you.

A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) found that people who most often participated in information-processing activities, such as listening to the radio, reading newspapers, playing puzzle games, and visiting museums were 47% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who participated least often in these same activities. The reason? “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 (AAN) and professor of neurology at the University of Florida. So get your brain working by engaging in mental stimuli that you enjoy. Mind exercises can be anything from reading a good novel to playing cards to working through crossword or Sudoku puzzles.  – From Everyday Health

If I were to condense all of this wonderful advice into a sentence, I’d go with, “Be an active participant in the world around you, always in tune with and in touch with what’s going on.”  When people cut themselves off from other’s and shut out the outside world, they put themselves in grave mental danger. If you don’t use a muscle, you lose a muscle.  Use your brain in many and varied ways each and every day.

  • If you think you’re social enough, become MORE social.
  • If you think you read enough, read MORE.
  • If you think you seek out fresh, new information often enough, learn MORE.
  • If you think you challenge your brain enough, challenge it MORE.

If you want to keep your mind strong and your brain fit, you have to be a proactive participant. PLEASE don’t just read mental fitness advice, heed mental fitness advice.

A final reminder: Don’t keep reading the same types of things over and over. Don’t keep seeing the same genres of movies over and over.  Growth never occurs in ruts and ruts never occur in growth. They’re enemies!  Branch out, spread your mental wings, and challenge yourself in new ways. Pick a subject this week that you know ZERO about and read everything you can get your hands on about it.  Google the subject and/or go to the library.  Make your goal to know as much as you  possibly can about this subject within 7 days.

Here are a few ideas:

If you’re feeling particularly feisty (I like that), choose more than one area of interest. Twice the fun, twice the benefit.  Stretch your mind and challenge it on a daily basis.

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

Dig in the past! Challenge your mind by reading older books. Reading Shakespeare, the Bible, and books written prior to 1960 will strengthen your mind in ways you never dreamed possible. Your mind will work double-time as it’s challenged to bring the words and meanings of the past into the present. The Bible and Shakespeare are positively beautiful and I’d recommend them even if I didn’t know they were great for you mentally.

How Exercise Strenghtens Your Mind, Body, and Soul: Get That Body Moving!

by Joi

Panther Creek Park Hiking Trail Owensboro Kentucky

Exercise, such as hiking a great trail, is great for your mind, your body, and even your emotions. Exercise reduces stress and brings about a feeling of contentment and happiness.

Everyone knows that exercise is GREAT for you.  Being physically active isn’t only beneficial for the way you look, it’ s healthy for your bones, your cardiovascular system, your respiratory system, your brain, and even your emotional state.  When we exercise, we release endorphins.  Endorphins help reduce stress, improve our mood, and even bring about a feeling of happiness.  Endorphins could give dogs a run for “man’s best friend!”

Exercise also helps us to relax and even improves our sleep.  Obviously these add greatly to the physical and emotional benefits of exercise.

Exercise has also been shown to improve memory and mental ability and is believed by experts to be vital for maintaining desired brain function as we get grow older. Our generation is, for very good reason, concerned about Alzheimer’s prevention, dementia prevention, preserving our memory, and staying mentally fit.  We read everything we can get our hands on and vow to eat better, exercise more, and challenge our minds each and every day.

The problem is, many people stop right there! They don’t change their diet, they don’t seek out ways to become more active, and they keep doing and reading the same things over and over again.

On the mental fitness blog, we spend a great deal of time talking about brain food (foods we should be eating and not eating for optimum brain health) and we certainly look at different brain games and ways to challenge our minds.  Over the past year, we’ve spent more time discussing how exercise benefits the brain and strengthens the mind.   However, we have to remind ourselves daily that thinking about these things or reading about them isn’t going to bring about the desired results.  We have to make up our mind to actively pursue mental fitness.  We must be proactive about all aspects of our health: mental, emotional, and physical.

I hope you’ll vow, today, to become more physically active. The great thing is you don’t have to join a gym, get on a bike, or even play sports.  All of those things are great, mind you, but not everyone has the time or inclination to do any of these activities.  My advice is this: Simply MOVE MORE!

Below are ways to “sneak” more activity into your days:

  • When you go to the store, park as far away from the door as you possibly can!
  • Be mindful of the number of steps you take a day – the more the better.  You may even want to buy a pedometer to keep track of your steps. It’s actually a lot of fun to wear one on your waist and try to hit 10,000 (or more) steps each day.
  • Clean house like you mean it! Clean for a straight 30 minutes, exaggerating each movement.
  • When in the grocery store, take the long route to each item on your list. Remember, get your step count up.
  • Use a push mower for all, or at least part, of your yard.
  • Get in the habit of taking a 10-15 minute walk after breakfast and again after supper.
  • Take your dog for long walks – it’s great for both of you.
  • While watching television, lift weights, do yoga, or simply walk in place.
  • If you have a sedentary job, get up often and stretch, do lunges, and even jumping jacks (this is assuming no one else is around!)
  • If you’re a homemaker or work from home, make a point of having 3 fifteen minute activity bursts during the day. During each burst, get up and walk briskly through the house, turn on music and dance, or simply get in the floor and do the exercises you learned in gym class, circa 1970.  (jumping jacks, leg lifts, push ups…)
  • Find great hiking trails in your area. You’ll have so much fun you’ll want to go again and again and again. That, of course, is the idea.

Bottom line: Get that body moving and don’t ever let it stop.  A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body NOT in motion tends to succumb to atrophy.  How’s that for shocking imagery?

Make each move count double!

~ Joi

Coffee Helps Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

by Joi

Coffee Prevents Alzheimers Disease

This study certainly colors this coffee fanatic’s world beautifully! A study conducted by University of South Florida researchers has found that consumption of coffee prevents the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease.

I knew I always loved Florida.

According to this study, caffeine boosts the blood levels of a critical growth of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) protein, which is usually decreased in patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the study, the average American drinks 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day, considerably less than the amount researchers believe required to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers believe that moderate daily coffee intake starting by middle age (the 30s, 40s, and 50s) is required to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Apparently, even if you begin drinking coffee at a later age, you can still expect protection from Alzheimer’s Disease.

University of South Florida neuroscientist and lead author of the study Chuanhai Cao said, “Caffeinated coffee provides a natural increase in blood GCSF levels and the exact way that this occurs is not understood. There is a synergistic interaction between caffeine and some mystery component of coffee that provides this beneficial increase in blood GCSF levels.”

A few things occurred to me while reading this report:

  • Yes!
  • The average American drinks 1-2 cups? For me, that’s just getting started.

If you aren’t as huge a fan (addict, fanatic, lover…) of coffee as I am, and few are, try different approaches. Sweeten your coffee with Truvia or Stevia and add a little cream or even whipped topping.  You may also find that you like iced coffee better than hot. Naturally, I love them both.  I’m sure you saw that one coming.  For iced coffee, brew a strong pot of coffee, sweeten it a little, and allow it to cool.  Add ice and enjoy.

Starbucks has outstanding iced coffee that I drink all summer.  Some people order it with milk, but not me.  Straight on the rocks is how I like my iced coffee.

In all seriousness, Alzheimer’s Disease is a cruel, heart-breaking disease.  Entire families suffer along with the victim and currently there is no cure. We should all do anything and everything within our power to keep this disease off of our doorstep.  Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease is a topic you’ll see covered on Out of Bounds frequently because it’s one of our most passionate missions.  I urge you to search out all of the information you can to protect yourself from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Vitamin B12 and Protein: Vital for Mental Health

by Joi

B12 Vital for Mental Health

Vitamin B12 is one of the most powerful tools in the Prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia arsenal. I know that, you know that, even my cats know that. To me, the real importance of the study is that it deals one more body blow to modern diet recommendations, which tell us that protein and fat are the enemies of good health.

However, mental fitness experts point out that protein is where nature meant us to get our B12 from. And, let’s face it, nature knows what its doing.

The only natural food sources of vitamin B12 are animal products like fish, meat and eggs.

Research proves that protein keeps you healthy and strong.  Recently I was doing a great deal of research on skin health – as it relates to aging as well as components of a healthy skin diet.  Source after source after source pointed out the importance of protein. Basically, my research showed that protein is VITAL for healthy skin and a healthy complexion.  If you’re interested in keeping your skin looking as young as possible (and who isn’t?!), protein is a secret weapon.

Even more importantly,  in addition to being necessary for good heart health, protein prevents serious problems (even more serious than wrinkles!) like depression and Alzheimer’s.  Even a slight deficiency in B12 can lead to anemia, fatigue, and depression.  Even more frightening, a long term deficiency in B12 can potentially cause permanent damage to the brain.

 

Here are some food sources of vitamin B12:

  • Eggs (here’s something that might shock you – you’d have to eat almost half a chicken to get the same amount of B12 you can get in just one egg)
  • Chicken
  • Fish
  • Beef
  • Cheese
  • Crab
  • Lobster
  • Liver

As with other vitamins and nutrients, don’t rely on supplements. Get your vitamins from the food you eat.  You have more riding on it than you can afford to lose.

Make each moment count double!

~ Joi

     

     

    Learn a New Language Online with Livemocha

    by Joi

    Livemocha: Learn a new language online

    I’ve written a great deal about the benefits of learning a new language. Your brain loves to be challenged in new, fun, exciting ways and learning new languages MORE than fits the bill!  An online resource was recently brought to my attention and I thought it was pretty outstanding, so I knew I’d have to share it with you.

    Livemocha launched in 2007 and currently has over 9 million members. Livemocha is the world’s largest online language learning community, offering free and paid online courses in 38 languages. Members can take introductory courses on the site for free. Or, if members want to advance their skills they can purchase premium courses in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish–for $30 to $40 a month.

    Courses include speaking and writing exercises that are reviewed by native speakers who provide helpful tips for improvement. Livemocha has found that reciprocal interaction with native speakers around the world is more engaging and motivating than a CD-ROM or book, and creates opportunities to put the language into practice. All of Livemocha’s premium courses include help from native speakers, world class learning content from leading educational publishers, and individual feedback from Livemocha Experts.

    Livemocha committed to helping people everywhere in the world achieve fluency in a new language. Their goal is to make learning a language fun and affordable, by fusing traditional learning methods with online practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that promises conversational fluency. It also is the perfect
    tool to help individuals keep their minds sharp!

    To learn more about Livemocha visit www.livemocha.com.

    Quote About Reading by Confucius

    by Joi

    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

    Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease with the Internet

    by Joi

    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.

    

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

    by Joi

    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!

    Learning a Second Language May Delay Alzheimer’s Disease

    by Joi

    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!

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