Must Reads — Mental Fitness

The Breakfast of Mental Champions

August 2, 2010 by Joi Leave a Comment

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:

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

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games, Mental Fitness, Must Reads Tagged With: brain health, mental fitness, prevent alzheimers, Prevent dementia, prevent memory loss

3 Things You Should Be Doing Now to Prevent Alzheimer’s

July 13, 2010 by Joi 2 Comments

The harsh reality of Alzheimer’ Disease:

• 5.3 million Americans have it.

• Symptoms include memory loss and confusion.

• Half a million Americans in their 30s, 40s and 50s have Alzheimer’s or related dementia.

• It’s the seventh leading cause of death.

I don’t have to tell you how incredibly important it is to do everything within our power to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. And I don’t have to tell you how vital it is that we all give as much money, time, energy, prayers, and efforts to Alzheimer’s research as well as to families who have been affected.

One of the main missions of Out of Bounds is to arm as many people as possible with the knowledge they need in order to prevent dementia, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, and a host of other diseases that can be down right horrific.

USA Today (one of a few periodicals I read every day) recently ran a fascinating article about Alzheimer’s prevention. When I read the article, I couldn’t help getting excited – it’s always exciting to realize that so many people are throwing their money and brainpower behind the battle against Alzheimer’s.

Research has determined that three things (well within our control) can greatly lessen our chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease:

Exercise
Vitamin D.
Tea

“These are encouraging,” says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. “These types of studies make people think, ‘Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.’ ”

Exercise to Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s

One of the studies is from the Framingham, Mass., cardiovascular risk study, in which researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, among others, tracked more than 1,200 elderly people over 20 years, 242 of whom developed dementia.

The researchers found that participants who had moderate to heavy levels of physical activity had about a 40% lower risk of developing any type of dementia. Those who reported the least amount of activity were 45% more likely to develop dementia compared with those who logged higher levels of activity. - USA Today

Getting more activity is completely within our control. It doesn’t matter how long your work days are, how many children you have, how old you are… Basically you just can’t come up with a good enough excuse NOT to get more activity.

If, however, due to health reasons, you can’t take prolonged walks, exercise on a treadmill, or workout in some other organized manner – you can STILL increase the amount of activity you get each day.

If you watch a fair amount of television, use commercials as your cue to get up and move. Do the twist, walk around the house, do squats – just move that body and keep it moving for as long as the commercial break lasts. Do the same thing for each and every commercial break.
When you go to the store, take one or two laps around the entire store before you even put the first thing into your basket.
Even better than working out during commercials, work out during your favorite television show. March/run in place, do sit ups, lift weights, and so on. Grab an exercise book or log on to Prevention.com for exercise ideas.
Put the laundry up one item at a time.
Do all of your housework at once – a 30 minute to 60 minute session of housework can be quite a workout!

Needless to say, if at all possible, walk! Take a nice, relaxing, brain pumping walk every day — use a treadmill when the weather isn’t conducive to an outside walk.

Drink Tea To Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Perhaps even more within our control than exercise, drinking tea has been found to help in Alzheimer’s prevention. Great, great news for me – I have a cup of tea nearby me at all times!

In a study of more than 4,800 men and women ages 65 and older, participants were followed for up to 14 years. Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average annual rates of decline 37% lower than people who didn’t drink tea. (Source: USA Today)

Tea is full of antioxidants that your body loves – and now, apparently, we learn that our minds love tea as well. Cool. If you’re hooked on diet drinks or soft drinks, start asking yourself (before each sip), “What good is this doing my body or mind?” Then ask, “What benefits would drinking tea instead give my body and mind.” Then order tea! Remember, if you’re on a decaf diet, you can order decaf tea – it doesn’t appear to be the caffeine that our brains love so dearly.

Vitamin D for Alzheimer’s Prevention

Finally, we come to another Alzheimer’s and Dementia prevention tip that’s completely within our control: Getting enough Vitamin D.

British researchers looked at vitamin D’s effect on brain health. They examined data from 3,325 U.S. adults ages 65 and older from the NHANES III study. Vitamin D levels were measured by blood test, and cognitive tests were administered. Odds of cognitive impairment were about 42% higher in those deficient in vitamin D, and 394% higher in people severely deficient.

“Vitamin D is neuro-protective in a number of ways, including the protection of the brain’s blood supply and the clearance of toxins,” says author David Llewellyn of the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School.

There is actually very little vitamin D found naturally in the foods we eat. The best food sources of vitamin D are coldwater fish. In many countries, vitamin D is added to milk and other foods like breakfast cereals and margarine, contributing to our daily intake.

The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun.

While researching vitamin D, I found this on Real Age.com and thought it was pretty fascinating:

As indicated by the study of submarine personnel noted above, by far the best source of vitamin D is sunlight. However, current recommendations which stress sun avoidance and the use of sunblock may have the unintended effect of increasing the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Severe vitamin D deficiency was common in England in the 1800s due to coal smoke obscuring the sun. During that time, cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin D, became popular as a supplement for children to help prevent rickets. (Rickets is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency in which developing bones soften and curve because they aren’t receiving enough calcium.)

Vitamin D deficiency is known to occur today in the elderly (who often receive less sun exposure) as well as in people who live in northern latitudes and don’t drink vitamin D-enriched milk. The consequences of this deficiency may be increased risk of hypertension, osteoporosis, and several forms of cancer. (Source: Real Age.com)

Use common sense when getting enough vitamin D. Aim for a little sunlight daily if at all possible. I’m not suggesting you burn or even simmer your skin – but I am suggesting that you seriously ask yourself if you’re getting enough sunlight and enough vitamin D.

While you’re thinking about it, take a walk around your yard – while, of course, sipping a tall glass of iced tea.

Your brain will love you for it!

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Mental Fitness, Must Reads Tagged With: prevent alzheimers, Prevent dementia

Relax, Max! How to Keep Stress From Breaking Your Heart

April 28, 2010 by Joi 2 Comments

Everyday Health recently ran a great article on Heart Health: Preventing Heart Disease. There was, of course, the “expected” (yet golden) advice:

Maintain a healthy weight
Eat more fiber
Get at least 10,000 steps in daily
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 6 days a week
Have a great night’s sleep

As someone utterly fascinated with the mind-body connection and someone who firmly believes that the two influence one another greater than we’ll ever truly realize, I wasn’t terribly surprised to find the following advice: Relax!

Stephen Sinatra, MD, a cardiologist and assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut had this to say in Everyday Health’s article, “People who see the world optimistically — who see the cup as half-full — [typically] do not get heart disease, as opposed to people who are more pessimistic, who worry all the time, who live in fear — these are the people who have hormonal responses that lead to heart disease.”

If that doesn’t spell it out, I don’t think it can be spelled.

Finding ways to relax and unwind aren’t just necessary for our emotional and mental well-being, health, and happiness – they’re pivotal to our physical health as well. Our heart doesn’t want any more stress or upheavals in our lives any more than our brains do!

People who tend to stress and mentally grind about things know who they are. Truth be told, they want very much to relax but often don’t know where to start. There isn’t a deep, mysterious secret to learning how to relax. On the other hand, it isn’t as easy as opening a can of Diet Coke either. Those of us who were born in a sort of zen state and have never seen any reason to leave it tend to forget that sometimes. We’re like, “Relax, man, just relax.”

Easier said by some than done by others. We’re all wired differently, after all. What’s more, isn’t it a good thing we are?! I can’t imagine a world filled with zen-bots any more than I can imagine a world filled with stress-n-steins. Either arrangement would make me want to hide in the attic.

When all’s said and done, however, those who tend to stress out, worry, fret, and get their drawers twisted on a regular basis MUST find a way to deal with life differently – otherwise, it’ll deal with them in a completely unacceptable way. To the tune of heart disease.

Below are a few steps to consider if you’re one of the many, many, many people who are looking for more relaxation.

Remind yourself, as often as needed, that this is life and unexpected things are going to happen. Disappointments, broken appliances, flat tires, arguments, rude co-workers, bad colds, burned meatloaf – and so on – are going to happen. I’ve never understood why people flip their lids over things that can be fixed. Save the lid flipping for those things that can’t. I remember one particularly fun month when my vehicle, our oldest daughter’s vehicle, and our middle daughter’s vehicle ALL needed trips to the mechanic. My husband never batted an eye. I thought, “Wow. He’s handling this all amazingly well…” Then I overheard him telling one of our girls, in a matter-of-fact way: “It can be fixed. Not a big deal.” A perfect lesson: If something can be fixed, why stress? Save that for things that can’t be fixed, replaced, or done without.
Don’t expect life to be fair. No one ever said it would be. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Sometimes your college professor will be wrong and you’ll be right – you’ll know it the whole time you’re staring at the B- on your paper. Sometimes you’ll try a new exotic recipe that you’re excited about and your spouse won’t even take a second bite! That’s life and no one said it’d be fair. You aren’t in it alone – and life isn’t singling you out. No pity parties allowed.
You know the old saying that starts out, “All work and no play…” The 2010 version would be, “All work and no play invites stress over to stay.” If your mind is on work and/or making money for the majority of your waking hours, you need to reevaluate. There’s more to life than money and work! Take time and make time for enjoyment. Sit down and watch an NBA or MLB game. I’m a huge baseball fan and can think of few things more relaxing than kicking back on the couch with a snack and watching a baseball game. I’m there – body, mind, and soul – from the first pitch to the last. For those few hours, nothing needs to be done or taken care of…. except maybe a few appeals to the umpire regarding his inconsistent strike zone. Have a wide one or have a narrow one – just be consistent. No accordion strike zones when my Cardinals are playing, thank you very much. As a sidebar, following sports can be a great mental workout – keeping up with names, numbers, teams, managers, averages, wins, losses, divisions, and so forth, is a fun way to stay mentally active and a great way to challenge yourself. A few days ago, I grabbed pen and paper to see if I could name all of the National League teams and all of the American League teams. I did really, really well – I just put the Marlins in the wrong league and totally forgot about the Lions. Sorry, Detroit.
Take up Birdwatching. Seriously. Grab a few bird feeders, a bird bath, and even a house or two. Fill the feeders with seed and the bird bath with fresh, clean water. If your completely into it like we are, you could even plant a flower bed nearby to make your feathered friends Garden of Eden even lovelier. I promise you, when you watch these peaceful, feisty little feathered beauties, your stress level will hit rock bottom and your relaxation level will soar. If you tend to stress and being tightly wound has become a way of life for you, I’m literally begging you to take up birdwatching. You’ll feel better instantly. Call it your feathered tonic.
Watch the Food Network. This is another great way to unwind and relax. When you come in from work, turn on the Food Network and chill. Few things are more peaceful than sitting back and watching a cooking show. Pick a few favorites and watch them regularly.
Enjoy your favorite hobbies and create new ones. Some of my favorite hobbies are cooking, walking, gardening, birdwatching, reading, watching movies & sports, and learning new things. Learning new things seems like an odd hobby, but I simply LOVE to research and learn about history, new places, animals, nutrition, and so on. I also want to get back into crafts. I used to sew, make pillows, and once started to take up quilting. I would love very much to get back in touch with my creative and crafty side. I also want to get back into cake decorating. I used to make some real works of art (such as doll cakes when our girls were smaller – of course, they’d still love them muchly!) If there are any hobbies or interests that peak your interest, head off to the craft section at your favorite department store – or a Hobby Lobby if you have one of those amazing stores – and have at it!
If you enjoy golf, tennis, softball, or bowling – go for it. Also, if there’s one of these sports you’d like to learn – why not start this month? The beautiful thing about sports is that you’re multi-tasking in a wonderfully healthy way – you’re relieving stress, unwinding, getting fresh air, AND getting heart-healthy exercise. I’ll feel a little guilty while you’re outside doing all of that and I’m inside watching baseball, sewing, and planning my next extraordinary cake. A little guilty… happy, but a little guilty.
Take up yoga. Whether you’re male or female, 10 or 70 – yoga is amazingly relaxing. After 30 minutes of yoga, you feel almost like you’ve gotten a full body massage. Now tell me that wouldn’t feel sensational!
Take a walk. Very often, a nice 10 minute walk is all that’s needed to unwind and relax. If 10 minutes doesn’t do the trick, keep going!
Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. A lack of sleep (even if you shortchange yourself an hour or two) can make even the most relaxed, even-tempered person in the world a crank and a bundle of nerves.

If you do just one thing today (and it’s Wednesday, so we all know 1 is actually a reasonable number) – make it this: Make up your mind to make your health and happiness a priority. Your heart’s health should be one of the most important things to you. It determines whether you live or not! I can’t see something being any more important than that. Find ways to relax and unwind and do so on a regular basis. You HAVE to include some time in your day (each and every day) for total, complete relaxation.

Now off to to the store with you – the birdseed (and a more relaxed future) is waiting.

Make each relaxing moment count double,
~ Joi

By the way… have you met my new favorite word yet? – Gambaru! Click the link and prepare to fall in love with the word as much as I have.

Filed Under: Must Reads, Relaxation, Stress Tagged With: how to deal with stress, how to relax, Relaxation, stress

4 Ways to Improve Your Memory and Strengthen Your Mind

April 15, 2010 by Joi 8 Comments

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.

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.

Walk everyday for at least 30 minutes.
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!
If the weather is too cool to walk outdoors, consider buying a treadmill. I wouldn’t take anything for mine.
Clean house like you mean it!
Wash your car yourself instead of taking it through a car wash.
When shopping, take the long route to everything on your list.
Make it a habit to park as far as possible from your destination.
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 With: brain fitness, improve your memory, mental fitness

Go Deep! A Mental Exercise to Keep You Mentally Sharp

April 13, 2010 by Joi 3 Comments

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

Filed Under: Brain Games, Mental Fitness, Must Reads Tagged With: Brain Games, deep thinking, improve your brain, improve your memory, mental exercise, mental fitness

Ready to Rethink Mental Health? Get On Board!

September 26, 2009 by Joi 1 Comment

stunning flower

For far too long, mental illness has been stigmatized and those stigmas have served as a barrier to innovation. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “Rethinking Mental Health” competition offers an opportunity for new ideas outside the traditional structures to emerge.

What can you do to participate? Simply go to http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/mentalhealth to do any of the following:

1. Comment on entries from others like you who are deeply concerned about this very important issue and want to get involved.
2. Enter the competition and share your own idea for improving mental health.
3. Nominate an inspired idea or project.
Please note that you will have to create an account on the Changemakers website, but it is free to do so and will only take a minute of your time. Entries and comments can be submitted until October 14th. A panel of judges will then select 10 ideas that the Changemakers community will vote on to select the top three. The Changemakers collaborative competition winners-the three finalists that receive the most votes-will be announced on December 16, 2009 and will each receive a cash prize of USD $5,000. As important as the three winners, however, is the dialogue that occurs about mental health and that as many great minds as possible come to the table with fresh thinking and new solutions.

For more information, please visit http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/mentalhealth.

I hope you’ll get involved – for one thing this is an ingenious idea, one that could help countless people live better, more productive, happier lives. For another, I’d love to see you win the money! Hmmmm, in fact, I wouldn’t mind the money myself – I want a new treadmill pretty badly….

I’ll see you there!

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

Filed Under: Mental Fitness, Motivational, Must Reads Tagged With: mental fitness, mental health

Go Nuts! Your Brain Will Thank You

June 6, 2009 by Joi 2 Comments

Walnuts

For your brain’s sake, you should begin loading up on peanuts, brazil nuts, and walnuts. Toss them in salads, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. Or, go with my favorite system – straight into the mouth.

Each of these delicious nuts are high in protein – but more importantly, they contain omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are known to be important to a healthy brain.

So, go nuts!

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi
———————————————-
DID YOU KNOW?
The Sun’s diameter is about 870,000 miles wide, 109 times the size of earth. You could actually fit 1.3 million Earths inside the Sun!

Filed Under: Mental Fitness, Must Reads

Marijuana is a Crutch For the Ridiculously Weak

March 29, 2009 by Joi Leave a Comment

First of all, before I say anything else – I want you to know that I don’t look down on anyone. I may have my share of faults, but one thing I can say about myself is that I do not judge others. I was cut from “live your life and let others live theirs” material. I do throw my opinions in people’s paths when they’re doing things that could hurt themselves or others, though. It’s not from an angry, judgmental place, however. I’m one of those people who truly just wants to help others.

Having said all of that… what are these women thinking?!?!? Here’s the gist – mothers are smoking marijuana and justifying it as a means of relaxing and unwinding. One even said she does it to keep from taking out her frustrations on her husband and children. Are you kidding me? So, if she doesn’t smoke illegal weed, her husband and children will have to pay for it?

Others claim that it’s how they unwind at the end of the day. Have they never heard of….

Drinking a cup of hot tea
Reading a chapter from Dean Koontz’s latest book
Baking cookies (something that would actually benefit everyone else)
Watching tv
Taking a bubble bath
Working in a flower garden
Working a crossword puzzle
Petting a cat
Walking a dog
Walking without a dog
Keeping a journal
Watching birds
Going for a manicure
Shopping therapy
Having a latte at Starbucks
Photography
Solitaire
Bowling
Taking a nap
Going to a chick flick

Countless other women handle stress without turning to drugs – which, let’s be honest, is what marijuana is. It’s not a therapy any more than getting drunk is. It’s illegal and it’s a crutch. An illegal crutch isn’t something anyone should be proud of and it certainly isn’t a legacy they should want to leave for their children. They might as well wear a t-shirt that says “2 WEAK 2 COPE.”

No one needs anything like marijuana to cope with life. What they need is more guts, more backbone, and more respect… respect for themselves, their country and its laws, and their family. One even acknowledged that being arrested was a risk she knew she was taking. Wow, to love one’s family that much is totally amazing. Can you say completely selfish???

I would challenge each of these women (and men, of course) to get rid of their crutch completely for a whole month. Stand on your own two feet day in and day out. Whether your crutch is alcohol or marijuana, you’ll never learn to stand on your own until you put it away. I promise you, something amazing will happen in just a matter of days – you’ll find that you have more strength than you ever thought possible. Then as you find your legs, something even more remarkable will happen, you’ll get stronger and stronger.

Soon, you’ll be looking at others with their crutches and wondering, “How can they be so weak? I’m standing on my own!” This new found strength will be something that no one can ever take from you and the legacy you leave to your children will be that of a very strong individual who didn’t need a crutch to stand.

In the words of Tim Gunn on Project Runway, “Make it work!”

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Filed Under: Addictions, Inspiration, Motivational, Must Reads Tagged With: addictions, illegal drugs, marijuana

A Thought or Two (Maybe Three) About Setting Yourself Up for Good Mental Fitness

October 24, 2008 by Joi 1 Comment

Clear Your Mind of Can’t Art Print
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I often overhear my husband talking on the phone to people he does business with. A common theme he points out to people is this: You either set yourself up to succeed or you set yourself up to fail. I have no idea which of his favorite speakers or authors initially said it, but he firmly believes in its worth. The point is always followed up by examples of setting oneself up to fail (like not listening to details, not putting customers/consumers/buyers first AND last, taking shortcuts, etc.) and examples of setting oneself up to succeed (getting your priorities straight, outworking everyone else, going above and beyond, etc.)

Of course, this same sort of philosophy can spill into other crevices of life as well. Since we’re most interested in Mental Fitness and Mental Health on this particular blog, we’ll stick with that subject.

Ways We Set Ourselves up to Fail OR Ways we Sabotage Our Mental Fitness!

Unhealthy, Poisonous Thoughts - Rightfully at the top of the list. Whether we use our thoughts to worry about things that haven’t even happened or use them to re-hash and re-live bad experiences, we stab ourselves in the foot with negative, destructive thinking.

I’ve never understood people who relive bad things. I overheard a woman tell her husband recently, “I remember when you said blah blah blah… That really hurt!” He was like, “I said I was sorry. That was over 20 years ago!” I wanted to lean over to their table and tell her that if she has to go back 20 years to find something clumsy that came out of her man’s mouth, she should get on her knees and thank God right now!

Why relive bad things – the first run was enough, right? I can understand reliving the good moments, it makes you feel good all over again.

Think about it this way, when we engage in thoughts and memories, our psyche experiences it all over again. How healthy do you think it would be to keep exposing our psyche to bad experiences? It would think we had the most profoundly miserable life in the world. Healthy? Not even close.

How about worry? It makes your psyche a basket case – and, again, that isn’t at all productive for one’s mental fitness.

Let things go. If you think you’re harming someone else by holding onto them, you are dead wrong. You’re only harming one person and if you want to see who that is, find the nearest mirror.

I have countless bad traits – from spending money like I have an orchard of money trees to driving like I’m qualifying for the Daytona. But one thing I actually nailed early in life was this: You have to let go of the bad as soon as you possibly can. That’s why I don’t hound my husband with things he said years, months, or even days ago. Doesn’t matter. Truth be told, since I never make it a point to dwell on negatives, they disappear from my mind very quickly. Only things we think about fairly frequently stay with us.

Why do you think things we learned in school disappear so soon after we leave school. We don’t think about the Mayflower Compact, Spanish verbs, Diagramming sentences, or (for crying out loud) calculus on a regular basis.

If you have negative thoughts or worries lingering in the halls of your mind, chase them out with a broom. They aren’t helping you set yourself up for good mental fitness or happiness at all. They’re setting you up for gloom, failure, and a sick psyche.

By Becomming Mind Sloths! - If we aren’t careful, when we least expect it, an epidemic reaches down and claims us. It’s the Mind Sloth epidemic and it’ll turn your mind to mush.

What are the symptoms of this epidemic?

Frequent television watching and/or internet surfing without balancing the time with frequent reading and mental challenges.
Saying, “I can’t do this so I’m not even going to try!”
Being unable to name the last book you read.
Being unable to carry on a conversation on topics plucked from the daily newspaper.
Being unable to name your daily newspaper!
Being content and comfortable with the knowledge you have at this point.

If you recognize any of these symptoms, there’s hope. But you have to ACT, no one’s going to do it for you.

Broaden your horizons. There’s NOTHING wrong with watching television, there’s NOTHING wrong with going online – but they mustn’t become your identity. If someone thinks of one of these activities when they hear your name, you may need to do a little soul searching. Read more books, research things that interest you, read the newspaper.
When you come face to face with a challenge, don’t immediately run the other way. A great sense of pride, self-confidence and accomplishment come with every battle you win. However, each battle you walk away from weakens your resolve and throws ice water on your self confidence. You never know what you can do until you try. You very well may find out you have more knowledge, creativity, and ability lying inside of you than you ever suspected. When you wake it up, it might just blow your socks off!
Never be content with what you know. There’s so much to learn – the world’s a huge, fascinatiing place. The more you learn, the more you realize how much you have left to learn. Pick a country, an animal, a period of history, an event, an individual – and learn everything you possibly can about them.

By Being Physically Unhealthy. Our physical fitness and health affects our mental fitness and health. We should strive to be as physically and mentally fit as possible – the two work together brilliantly.

Get at least 30 minutes of activity daily. Take walks, clean your house, work in the yard, put on Motown and dance… Whatever you want to do, just get moving.
Eat healthy. Research shows that the foods that are good for us, physically, are also good for us mentally. Fish, berries, spinach, oranges, green tea, coffee… they’re all good for us from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes.
Get plenty of fresh air and natural sunlight. Go outside and take healthy, long deep breaths several times a day. It just down-right feels good! Plus, it benefits the cells of your body and mind greatly.
Avoid the things that are bad for you physically. Smoking, overeating, inactivity – they’re not just unhealthy for your heart and lungs, your brain doesn’t appreciate them either. At all!

Are you setting yourself up to be as mentally fit as possible or are you sabotaging and sacrificing your mental health. I want you to also realize that there’s something else to keep in mind. It isn’t talked about as much as mental fitness or physical fitness, but it’s every bit as important – and that’s Emotional Fitness. The things you just read about matter as much to your Emotional Fitness as they do your mental and physical fitness. They all go hand in hand, cell in cell. When one’s strong, it encourages the others to be as well. When one’s weak, however, it drags the others down with it.

If you’re guilty of sabotaging your mental fitness, you might as well say that you’re also sabotaging your physical fitness and your emotional health as well. Don’t wait for tomorrow to do something about it. Stop whatever you’re doing right now and give yourself a little pep talk. You know what things you need to start doing and what things you need to stop doing. When you pinpoint each, write it down.

Then go over each point and come up with a plan for each. If a plan eludes you, do a little research – or e-mail me and If I don’t already have some advice in my pocket, I’ll do the research for you.

Make each moment a healthy moment, first, and then make it count double!
~ Joi

Filed Under: Inspiration, Motivational, Must Reads Tagged With: emotional fitness, emotional health, how not to worry, mental fitness, self help, worry

Why Older is Better – A Collection of Bragging Rights from People Over 50

October 18, 2008 by Joi Leave a Comment

Apparently, for those of us who aren’t in the big 50′s neighborhood yet, we needn’t fret the view. The following is a list that was published in a really cool book from 2001 titled “Lists to Live By.” It’s a collection of reasons why “Older is Better” by individuals over 50 years old. It seems strange to refer to 50 as older these days, doesn’t it?!

50′s the new 40 after all – and that’s nowhere near old.

Be that as it may, I love the attitude and vibe of this list. It’s crackling with positive energy and that always turns me all the way on.

Why Older is Better

You appreciate one day at a time.
More people open doors for you.
You don’t have to prove yourself.
The simple pleasures seem so much more valuable.
It’s okay to foget.
You can go at your own pace.
You have more stories to tell.
There’s nothing left to learn the hard way.
You have time to volunteer.
You get to be a grandparent.
You get senior discounts.
You’ve seen it all before, even if you don’t remember where!
You can stay up as long as you want.
You discover the value of the things that have been around a while – old friends, old books, old memories, and old songs.
You finally have perspective.
Things take longer, but you have more time to do them.
You have a better chance of shooting your age with your golf score.
You have seen so many prayers answered.
You know that being kind is often more important than being right.
You finally have the time to start a new hobby or read a new book.
You have learned that people are much more important than things.
You don’t have to worry about what to do when you grow up.
You now how important it is to count your blessings.
You can take as many naps as you like.
Heaven is closer.
You have real wisdom to share.
You realize that time is a treasure.
You have learned that great memories come from both hard times and good times.
It’s the perfect time for looking inward, outward, forward, and upward.
You finally realize that what you can’t see lasts longer than what you can.

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

Filed Under: Inspiration, Motivational, Must Reads, Tough Love! Tagged With: age humor, aging, benefits of aging, benefits of getting older, feel better about getting older, mental fitness, Mental health blog, self help blog

Mental Fitness

The Breakfast of Mental Champions

3 Things You Should Be Doing Now to Prevent Alzheimer’s

The harsh reality of Alzheimer’ Disease:

Exercise to Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Drink Tea To Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Vitamin D for Alzheimer’s Prevention

Relax, Max! How to Keep Stress From Breaking Your Heart

4 Ways to Improve Your Memory and Strengthen Your Mind

Promise # 1: Keep Your Mind Engaged

Promise # 2: Keep Your Body Moving

Promise # 3: Keep Your Lungs Clear

Promise # 4: Keep Your Appointment with Your ZZZZZZs

Go Deep! A Mental Exercise to Keep You Mentally Sharp

Ready to Rethink Mental Health? Get On Board!

Go Nuts! Your Brain Will Thank You

Marijuana is a Crutch For the Ridiculously Weak

A Thought or Two (Maybe Three) About Setting Yourself Up for Good Mental Fitness

Ways We Set Ourselves up to Fail OR Ways we Sabotage Our Mental Fitness!

Why Older is Better – A Collection of Bragging Rights from People Over 50

Why Older is Better

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Mental Fitness and Affirmations