Search Results for: blog nine ways to protect your brain

Baby Blog Month in Review: June 2008

June was my first official month posting for the Baby Blog. It has been a great experience. I love learning new things about babies and sharing it with friends. Of course, I could use your help. Whether you are a first-time mom or an experienced mom of a large family, I want to hear from you. Please share your advice, your questions and your comments. On which topics would you like to see more blogs? Meanwhile, take a look at all of the articles we had in June. June 2nd Introducing Babies to Birds Perhaps it is the fact that … Continue reading →

Nine Ways To Protect Your Brain

Our brains change as we age. They get smaller. They slow down. If you want to help keep your brain up to speed, try these nine tips to help protect your brain. Keep trying new things. Your brain LOVES novelty. New experiences stimulate the production of dopamine, a chemical your brain uses in learning and memory. Doing new things can help build up brain mass (counteract that shrinkage) and increase processing speed (combat that slowing down). If your life lacks novelty, the dopamine producing areas of your brain can shrink. Practice a skill or hobby. Playing an instrument, solving crossword … Continue reading →

Nine Tips for Brain Health

Your brain is one of the most important organs in your body! If you want to keep your brain healthy and sharp, try these tips for brain health. Stay mentally active. Take a class at the local college, learn a new skill or language, or play Scrabble. Crossword puzzles and Sudoku are great games to keep your thinker nice and sharp. Your brain needs challenges to keep functioning at its peak. Get enough sleep. If you aren’t sleeping enough, you’ll feel less alert. If you aren’t sleeping well over a long period of time, your brain function can be impaired. … Continue reading →

What You Say and How You Say It.

If you’re anything like me, sometimes you don’t say what you mean, or the words tangle and don’t come out the way they should. It’s good when there’s someone who knows what you mean anyway. It’s like the quote by Ann D Parrish on my calendar that says ‘A friend understands what you are trying to say… even when your thoughts aren’t fitting into words. ‘ It’s even better when that person who understands like this is your marriage partner. The other night Mick and I were sitting each doing crosswords and he came across a clue and filled in … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: What’s a Solon?

Posted on by

Research has shown that one great thing you can do to keep your mind sharp is play games. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, logic problems, and more — they’re all good for your brain. My grandmother — who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease — resists many of the brain workouts we encourage her to do. One thing she’s always loved is playing Scrabble. Lucky for us, Scrabble is a good way to engage the brain… so we can get her to play on a daily basis. The last time I was home for a visit, I sat down for a Scrabble game with … Continue reading →

Fats and Weight Loss

Posted on by

Impossible, you say? Poppycock! Yes, the crazy truth is that we actually need some fats in our diet in order to maintain good health. (Fats are especially needed for proper brain function.) We have to be a little selective about the fats we consume when trying to lose weight but we shouldn’t, by any means, cut out all fats. Small doses of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats are good. Trans fats and saturated fats are bad. For instance, cooking in butter isn’t the best idea but cooking in olive oil is a great idea. Obviously, we need to be mindful of … Continue reading →

Too Many Baby Boomers are Facing Alzheimer’s

A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association has some bad news about the future of Alzheimer’s disease. Right now, more than five million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease — including as many as 250,000 people under the age of sixty-five. By 2010, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that there will be five hundred thousand new cases reported each year. By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that there will be one million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease annually. The bad news focuses especially on baby boomers. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that ten million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their … Continue reading →