Origami Cranes: Exercise For Brains!
The Holidays can be mind-numbing — too little sleep, too much stress, poor dietary choices, and long established routines and traditions that fail to challenge 
the brain. At least that’s how things go in my family, and most families I know of.
So I’m being a bit obsessive this year about introducing a bit of brain fitness into the mix. Today’s contribution? Using Origami ( the Japanese art of paper folding) to make holiday ornaments. Learning Origami can improve cognitive functions (especially visual-spatial and motor skills) and create a wealth of new neural connections in the brain. It’s good excercise, really!
Available patterns range from very simple to advanced, so nearly anyone can participate at a level that challenges them. That range of difficulty is crucial for brain-boosting activities, because they must be challenging, but not *too* challenging.
What do you need?
Paper: You can buy special Origami paper in crafts stores, but any light weight paper will do for simple designs. Holiday wrapping paper works well for many Origami models. Traditional patterns will begin with a simple square, and don’t require scissors, glue, or any other supplies. Seriously, all you need is some paper, and a flat surface.
Simple, huh?
And About Those Patterns…
Add comment December 15, 2009
Holiday Gift Baskets for the Brain!
Feeling a bit stuck on your holiday shopping?
Why not become a Brain-Fitness Elf, and put together a holiday gift basket with a brain healthy theme? You’ll educate the lucky recipient about brain health & fitness, give them a practical (and yummy!) gift, and as an added benefit, reinforce your own understanding of the basic elements of brain fitness. Best of all, you can likely put one together within nearly any budget, on your regular trip to the grocery store!
Ready to get started? Just pick out an inexpensive basket, holiday box, stocking or large gift bag, and toss in a selection of items that teach about brain health.
Gift Basket #1: Brain Super-Foods
Add comment December 10, 2009
Neuroplasticity: What It Is & Why You Want It
Neuroplasticity: It’s a mouthful of a word, and one that gets tossed around a lot when discussing brain fitness. But what is it, and why does it matter so much?
The meaning of “Neuro” is pretty easy, it means it has to do with the nervous system – and in this case, specifically the brain. And in this case, “plasticity” doesn’t refer to a brain wrapped in Saranwrap, but rather to the properties of plastic – something that is moldable, changeable, flexible.
So neuroplasticity means the brain is not concrete and fixed, but flexible and changing. And although the idea was suggested over a hundred years ago, it’s only recently that it’s been taken seriously by the scientific community. Numerous tests and studies have demonstrated that adult brains continue to produce new brain cells and connections throughout life, turning a lot of assumptions about how the brain works upside down. (more…)
1 comment December 9, 2009
5 Ways to Destress Your Brain
While short bursts of stress can provide a quick (and temporary) boost to your cognitive function, ongoing, chronic stress takes a heavy toll on the brain. Modern life is full of stressful situations that can’t often be avoided, and today’s seniors deal with complications their parents didn’t face: traffic, health care complications, ever-ringing cell phones, and even raising their own grandchildren.
But there are lots of small ways to help reduce the effects of those stressors, and keep the risk to your mental functions at a minimum. Below, you’ll find just a few!
- De-Clutter
Physical clutter can create a feeling of being overwhelmed. it’s a constant reminder of things left un-done, and it scatters your attention. Even if you can’t de-clutter your entire living space, try and create one corner that’s clean and clear of distractions, somewhere you can go and not *see* things that are left to do. You’ll be surprised at how effective this one is! - Stay In The Now
Thinking too far ahead will clutter up your brain with future stresses, problems and tasks – it quickly becomes overwhelming. So try to stay in the moment of now, focusing on one task and one step at a time. It’s good to plan ahead, but don’t dwell on the future. Keep your attention on the here and now, and watch your stress melt away. - Set Boundaries
A lot of stressful situations can be avoided by setting healthy boundaries on what you allow into your life. If people are bringing stress into your life with their actions, comments, and expectations, it’s ok to decide you won’t allow that to happen anymore. Gently tell the people around you about your new boundaries, and even if they don’t change their actions, you may find that the act of declaring those limits may help you deal with the problems more effectively. - Put Down The Superman Cape
Yes, I know. You bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, feed it to the grandkids, and use the leftovers to make quiche for the weekly book club you organize. But you haven’t actually got superhero powers, and trying to live like you do can add significant stress to your life. it’s time to assess your expectations of yourself, let go of those perfectionist ideals, and know that it’s ok to be a mere mortal. - Get Physical
I know, I know, everyone nags you to exercise. But it is honestly one of the best ways you can help your body and brain destress. Physical activity is the natural outlet for the processes involved in stress-reactions, and just a 30 minute walk every few days can have significant impact on stress relief.
Have any of your own stress-reduction techniques and suggestions? Share them in the comments, and maybe we’ll come up with a part two for this article!
Add comment December 3, 2009
Sounds, Scents & Sleep: A Memory Boost?
Remember all of those old “Learn while you sleep!” programs, the ones that promised to fill your college-age mind with information via a instructional cassette tapes tucked under your pillow? Yeah, they didn’t work for me either. But according to some recent studies, there may actually be some effective ways to boost your memory and recall while asleep… and yes, one of them uses recorded sounds!
Here’s the deal.
The researchers took a smallish group of people, and had them learn the correct locations for 50 different images on a computer screen by moving them into place. Each image was also associated with a sound, like a bark for a dog, or the sound of waves for the ocean.
Then, the group took a nap.
Add comment December 1, 2009
Gobble Up That Cranberry Sauce! (It’s GREAT for the Brain)
Cranberries: a staple of American holiday meals, they find their way onto the table as gelled sauces & relishes, in muffins, stuffing, juices, fruit salads and pretty much anything else we can throw them into to add bit of tart , festive redness.
And as it turns out, we probably *should* be throwing them into as many dishes as possible; cranberries are ridiculously healthy for us, and especially, excitingly, enticingly good for the brain.
Add comment November 26, 2009
Make Thanksgiving Brain-Healthy!
Far from the Norman Rockwell ideal, many of my Thanksgiving memories are of days that alternated between stress and mind-numbing boredom. High expectations, exposure to family that didn’t get along, and Great Aunt Gertrude’s stories of when you were a baby are enough to make just about anyone brain-dead. And as I’ve gotten older, it’s only gotten worse; now it’s MY stories of “when you were a baby” that threaten to put me to sleep!
So I’ve decided to take the bull by the horns (or the turkey by the breasts bone) and put together a few tips to take Thanksgiving from brain-dead to brain-fit! No, paying attention to brain fitness on this one day won’t change your life, but it might help you to be a little sharper – and if you turn it into part of the ritual, it can introduce others (Like Great Aunt Gertrude) to the benefits of brain fitness.
Sound interesting? Read on!
Add comment November 24, 2009
Moderate Drinking: Maybe Not So Good For Your Brain, After All
File this one under the category of “Why some science research is marked as preliminary” — and also under “Why the media (including bloggers *cough cough*) shouldn’t jump on these sorts of results too enthusiastically.”
What the heck am I going on about?
Not so long ago, a widely reported study noted that people who were moderate drinkers (about 1-2 drinks per day) seemed to stay a wee bit sharper as they aged, had less memory loss, and lowered odds of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
And there was some underlying support for the idea, too – red wine, for instance, is known to contain high levels of a resveratrol (believed to be beneficial for the brain), and moderate drinking can help improve blood circulation to the brain, increase “good” cholesterol, and other things that might (note that I said might!) be good for the brain.
Both the researchers, the American Medical Association, and other assorted experts advised caution about the idea — some even pointed to other studies that said moderate drinking might actually shrink the brain. Even so, some people no doubt headed out to the bars, touting their boosted brain as the result of their drinking!
And a more recent look at the info suggests the situation is, indeed, a wee bit more complicated than that.
Add comment November 19, 2009
Brain Health & Tooth Brushing: Could There Be A Link?
For quite a while now, poor oral health has been linked to increased risk of heart disease and strokes. But could gum disease also contribute to cognitive problems, even increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s? New research out of the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons suggests just that.
In the study, 2,350 adults over the age of 60 were assessed for both the levels of gum-disease and tests of their cognitive skills. The results? Those with the highest levels of the bacteria that cause gum disease were two to three times as likely to struggle with simple memory and cognitive tasks, like remembering word sequences or doing mental arithmetic.
2 comments November 17, 2009
Exercise Those Motor Skills!
Motor skills. According to Wikipedia, they’re a learned series of movements combined into one smooth, efficient action. They include large or “gross” motor skills, like sitting up, walking or running… and smaller, “fine” motor skills like writing, fastening buttons, or putting on a pair of earrings.
We first develop them in infancy and as toddlers, then add to our repertoire as adults. And practicing motor skills has big benefits, at any age.. it can help maintain coordination, balance, and visual-spatial skills – and most importantly, it may help keep seniors more independent (just as learning these skills allows toddlers to become independent)
Motor skill exercises are just plain good brain exercise, too.
3 comments November 12, 2009
