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Train Your Brain!

Many of us have exercise routines to keep us in shape. Maybe it's going to the gym, taking a walk, doing crunches at home, swimming, etc. But have you thought about exercising your brain? The best way to stay sharp is to work your brain. I found a great article from AARP.org discussing ways to keep your brain in shape. Try them out!

Snack on almonds and blueberries instead of a candy bar
-Healthy snacks lower blood sugar and improve cognition. "In this case, the omega-3s in the almonds and the antioxidants in the blueberries can keep your brain functioning correctly."

Leave your comfort zone
-"Brain teasers don't form new neural connections once you've mastered them. So try something that's opposite your natural skills: If you like numbers, learn to draw. If you love language, try logic puzzles."

Keep a calendar in every room
-By checking the calendar you are keeping your mind focused. It can also create a mental picture of the day in your head.

Take a food break.
-Research shows that people who fast one day a week or month unlock a unique form of blood glucose that helps the brain more efficiently transmit information. Then break your fast with brain-healthy blueberries and walnuts.

Turn up the tunes
-Spend time listening to music. "Music can lower stress hormones that inhibit memory and increase feelings of well-being that improve focus."

Curry up
-"Eat curry once a week, or sprinkle it on salads, to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals."

Redesign and redecorate your environment
-Making changes to your surroundings can alter motor pathways in the brain and encourage new cell growth.

Learn a language
-Picking up a new language enhances the verbal, language, and memory parts of the brain.

Decrease salt intake
-Limiting the salt in your diet can improve blood flow to the brain and decrease dementia.

Shake it out
-"Gentle bouncing of your knees and shaking out of your limbs reduces the brain-sapping stress hormone cortisol, research shows. It also triggers relaxation and alertness that keeps your brain sharp."

To see all the ways to keep your brain sharp as a tack, click below link.

http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-08-2008/noodle_boosters.2.html

Happy Exercising!

Trick Your Brain!!

Experience Supersonic Hearing
-If you're at a crowded party trying to have a personal conversation with a friend, lean in with your right ear. The right is better at following rapid rhythms of speech. However, if you're trying to identify that soft song playing in the background, lean in with your left ear. The left is better at picking up music tones.

Feel No Pain
-"German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick." This trick will cause a "temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord."

Clear Your Stuffed Nose
-Feeling sinus pressure? Try alternating between thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth and applying pressure between your eyebrows with one finger. "This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth...The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain."

Cure Your Toothache Without Opening Your Mouth
-Rub some ice on the back of your hand - on the V-shaped webbed area between your thumb and index finger. "The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands."

Make Your Heart Stand Still
-Feeling nervous or anxious? Blow on your thumb! "The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing...It’ll get your heart rate back to normal."

Thaw Your Brain
-Ahh brain freeze! Just press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much of it as you can. "'Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too...In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache.' The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside."

Napping at work is Cool !!

A lot of companies are now encouraging their employees to snooze at work and boost their productivity.

Could napping at work actually increase productivity? A NASA study backs up the claim. The study shows that a nap of just 26 minutes can boost performance by as much as 34 percent.

Some companies are starting to respond to sleep-deprived workers by providing the time and space to nap during work hours. Studies show tired workers cost business about $150 billion a year in lost productivity.

Napping Tips
Here are some of tips from Dr. Sara Mednick and tidbits on making the most of your nap times:

• Prime nap time is 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. That minidip in energy you experience is biological, not because you just ate lunch, Mednick said.
• Stage 2 Sleep. There are different phases of sleep. Within 20 minutes, you experience "Stage 2" sleep, which increases alertness and motor skills.
• Slow Wave Sleep. Within 40 minutes, you'll experience slow wave sleep, which increases memory.
• REM Sleep. This is deep sleep you'll get if you nap for up to 90 minutes, and it increases creativity.

Low light and low noise will help you fall asleep faster.

Studies show that naps up to 90 minutes won't interfere with your sleep at night, so don't sleep too long. And don't nap within three hours of bedtime.

See some Famous nappers.

• Winston Churchill – said he needed his afternoon nap to cope with his responsibilities.
• Thomas Edison attributed his tremendous amount of energy to sleeping whenever he wanted to.
• John D. Rockefeller took a nap every afternoon in his office.
• Eleanor Roosevelt was known to take a nap before a speaking engagement.
• William J. Clinton retired to his private quarters every afternoon at 3:00 for a 30-minute nap.
• Connie Macktook a nap before every game.
• Gene Autry used to take an hour nap in his dressing room between performances.
• Ronald Reagan has the ultimate napping reputation even though his wife denies that he had a napping habit.

Controversy on Genetically Modified Foods

I have been reading about the Bill for the establishment Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) which will act as a single window clearance mechanism for Genetically modified (GM) crops.

This arises among the earlier nationwide debate on Bt Brinjal (GM brinjal) highlighted the concerns of all sections of the society including scientist on GM food in general and Bt Brinjal in particular. This also saw 10 state governments writing to the central government about the concerns they have with Bt Brinjal. All this at that time had lead to a moratorium on Bt Brinjal declared by the Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

It aroused my curiosity on the topic and here are some things I found about GM crops in general. Please visit the sites in the link to know more.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/365282/genetically_modified_foods_how_do_they.html?cat=5

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/10266/the_promise_and_peril_of_genetically.html?cat=58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H9WZGKQeYg&feature=player_embedded

http://greenpeace.in/safefood/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bt_brinjal

In a nutshell the concern with GM are, The unpredictability and irreversibility of Genetic Engineering (GE) and the uncontrollability of GE crops in the environment coupled with studies pointing at the potential risk to human health and environment has resulted in a controversy across the world around the need for introducing such potentially risky organisms.

If you think you care enough for this, please sign a letter to Parliament to resolve the Bill.

Here are the highlights from the letter, that demands the revision of the problems with this bill:

* The approval of GM crops would be based on a presumption that GM crops are a potential solution to all agricultural problems and that the country’s food security crisis can be resolved by introducing GM crops. On the contrary, many scientists agree to fact that real solutions for today’s agricultural problems are in ecological farming methods.
* The approvals also presume that the safety of a GM crop can be best assessed by the company which stands to benefit from the approval.
* The bill proposes a centralized, technocratic decision making authority with no scope for democratic intervention. The apex authority is the BRAI with a chairperson and two members, all scientists with either a biotech or a health background.
* BRAI gives no role to state governments in the approval of GM crops even though agriculture is a state subject under the Indian constitution.
* BRAI sits inside the Ministry of Science and technology creating serious conflict of interest.Dept of Biotechnology – under the Ministry of Science &Technology, has the mandate of promotion of GE crops. DBT funds several GE crop development projects using public funds and is the nodal agency for redirecting funds from foreign governments to GE crop development projects.
* Sections of the bill super cede the Right to Information Act and place the decision to disclose information for public interest with the authority instead of the Central Information Commission or the Delhi high court. The BRAI would kill any informed public debate on GE crops in future, one of the aspects that helped in stopping Bt Brinjal.
* BRAI kills consumer choice and promotes GE polluters as it has no provision for labeling of GE crops, or liability of the crop developer due to economic losses by contamination.


I did so by visiting Green Peace India site.
http://greenpeace.in/safefood/change-brai-bill-stop-gm-food-india/

Breaking the Color Code

Now as more and more are living away from home, we have to make the healthy food choices ourselves. Its easy to just dive into the short cuts of cooking, open that Noodles pack and be done in 2 minutes. Before you do that, just think of all the heath benefits you are depriving your body. I believe if we know our food better its more likely that we will eat them well. Here is a fun way of knowing the benefits of the fresh food just based on thier color, it cannot be any simpler than that. So next time you are out shopping for produce, have a little fun with the COLORS you pick.

Crack the Color Code:

When selecting produce, no one tint rises above the rest. Know more of what each hue bring you.

GREEN: These foods contain cancer-protecting phytochemicals, like isothiocyanates. And loaded with antioxidants that may reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

Green Beans, Spinach, Broccoli, Kiwis, Cabbage, Capsicum, Coriander leaves.

YELLOW: Sun-colored produce is full of vitamin C, which helps heal wounds and also blocks some skin damage caused by free radicals.

Pears, Pineapples, bananas

ORANGE: These have beta-carotene, which may help boost immune function and protect against free radical damage. Nutrients in citrus fruits also improve oral health.

Oranges, peaches, carrots

RED: Produce in this hue has lycopene, a noted cancer fighter, and ekkagic acid, whch may help reuce DNA dmage. Flavonoids - found mostly in berries and cherries - boost antioxidant defense, protect individual cells from free-radical damage, and fight heart diseases, and may help maintian cognitive funstion and put the brakes of aging.

Red capsicum, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelons

BLUE and PURPLE: Grapes and purple cabbage have anthocyanins, which may protect cells from oxidative damage and slow the signs of aging. The nutrients that make them dark in color also help cognitive function and have antioxidant properties that may fight cancer.

Blueberry, grapes, purple cabbage

WHITE: Onions and garlic contain allicin and quercetin, both of which have been associated with reduced heart disease risk and increased immune function. Cauliflower contains cancer fighting sulforaphane.

Onion, garlic, mushrooms


While this gets you started, the list doesn’t end here, include all you favorite vegetables and fruits to the color list.