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."