The brain - It,s who we are.

The title is a quote by Dr. Nussbaum, clinical neuropsychologist. The quote is not exact but same meaning. In 1998 it became known that that people at any age could continue to build the brain cell connections. Firstly you have to know how the brain functions and which area accomplishes the task that is at hand. Each of  the brain areas have different functions. The areas of importance for brain fitness are socialization, physical activity, and mental stimulation, spirituality and nutrition. You don.t have do all of these things at once- one step at a time.  Take it in small steps. Those people who are comfortable in their status cling to the same boring daily routine, making few social or spiritual connections will be more affected by dementias.  No matter your age, it's not too late to work at building new cell connections. The brain will react to stimulations at any age. Over the next week or so, I will talk about parts of the brain and their functions.                                      

Back in the 17th Century.........

The big question-"Did you socialize this weekend?" I sure hope so. As as far back as the 17th century, it was noted that is is essential to remain engaged and connected with other people. It has been maintained thru the years that social interaction and sincere relationships is a main ingredient plus nutrition, physical activity, mental stimulation and spirituality and are  essential in the formula for maintaining cognitive wellness.

Children deprived of contact with humans develop  psychological and physical consequences and thus experience much backlash in their adult years. Adults must socialize to maintain their cognitive wellness. Socialization prevents mental anxiety and disease, also assists folks in remembering more and thinking with more acuity. So those that spend a healthy proportion of their time to socializing will have been maintaining cognitive wellness and not experience depression as frequently as many adults that don;t maintain a healthy and well rounded life.

"No man is an island "written by poet J Donne

Make your own brain enhancing environment..

It is not a difficult task. Every aspect of our environment stimulates the brain in a negative or positive way. The sound, sights, smells, and textures and tastes are sensations that you deal with every day. The busynessof our lives sometimes only serves the brain with junk food instead of nourishing experiences. Why shouldn't we  let the 'less positive' situations govern our life and why we should  dwell upon positive things: Reason is that thinking  determines life.

Clear the way-get rid of your clutter.

I might need to use that someday!

Decluttering is not as difficult as one thinks...It can be fun. While you are working on this process stop and enjoy who you are and where you are going. perhaps have some of your favourite music playing.
You will feel many pounds lighter after completing this process. Unshelved and I recently decluttered our apartments. We had days where we assisted each other with reducing the clutter in each of our apartments.  Helping each other  proved to be a positive event in both of our homes for each other. We had many chuckles about certain items and we each had some stories that came to our minds that explained  the necessity for keeping the items for all these years and why we had kept something so simple but unique for a long time. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Strengthen your own self concept... Hop to it...

I am suggesting that we(seniors)and supporters in Canada should be more 'Sagely' when referring to each other and then perhaps the general public will respect and not refer to us in a derogatory fashion. Terms such as geezers,codgers, gramps&granny and fogeys are used in a disrepectful way in most cases, even by ourselves the 'Senior'. In other cultures such as Chinese and Korean, older people are considered in terms that are much more positive and profoundly wise or prudent. Some of the terms are 'Sages', 'the Wise', 'Elders','Patriarchs'/'Matriarchs' and 'Grandfather'&'Grandmother'.

These terms exhibit calmness,wisdom and the ability to be an excellent advisor.  So let's encourage each other and our younger folk to label us in a more positive form rather than derogatorily.

Overcoming negative stereotypes...

      .... is every week....

Hippo and group were chatting at coffee on the weekend about just that topic and decided it is not as easy as it looks to overcome the negative aging stigma. We decided that it is best to focus on positive role models. The media has a profound effect on the way we are categorized into roles including age as a social role. Negative stereotyping and age affects the elderly and creates negative expectations and fear. The media also alarms the young about aging in the future. Advertisements only advertise pharmaceuticals and special aids to assist infirmity. So we decided that we should apply our wisdom by delving into how some great and wonderful people from all walks of life fulfilled their aging years. Focusing on positive images is imperative. There are many elderly people who stand out in a crowd in an inspiring way. If you are not already passionate about a subject, it is never too late to discover an area to channel your passion. So do not despair-there is an fine art to aging. So perhaps, one should do a little research on someone that you know or admire and find out some of their secrets as they make journey through their senior years in such an inspirational way.

Challenge your brain frequently.

As I understand,we are the only self organisms in this planet. (that we know of) Keep your expectation yardstick set on high and following your schooling continue to learn new things on an on-going basis. The brain will keep developing along the way and it reflects what you do with it. Explore and travel if possible even if it is small short jaunts. Adapting to new locations makes you more aware of your surroundings. Make some new decisions. Again, I remind you to make your own decisions and learn from your mistakes. That way, you are training your brain and not someone else's. Develop and nurture stimulating friendships. Maintain them as we are social animals and need social interaction. Last but not least,laugh often especially to cognitive complex humour which can be stimulating and full of twists.

Don't just read my blog to read it, try and practice with a new bit of the information daily and apply it and it will eventually become an internalized habit.

To be or not to be? That is the question.

I am going to share some of my secrets that I use to maintain balance in my life.  They are truly not secrets as they have been at our fingertips forever.
I eat nutritiously and moderately and also exercise daily early in AM. Along with this routine I make sure, if possible to get plenty of rest during the night. (approximately 8 hours a night's sleep and an hour pre lights out reading or brain puzzles.
My goal each and every day is to remain mindful, as aware as I can be of my surroundings. I try diligently  to focus and live in the moment. I challenge you to do the same.

What does balance mean to you?

Hippo says that balance doesn't mean equal. It means that you are totally pleased with the way you spend your time and what you have chosen as your priorities and how you prioritize. Simplification of daily tasks could make the difference of whether or not you perform your tasks or complete your projects. eg.(de-cluttering). Maybe you could have some other member of the family carry out the task or perhaps hire someone to do the chore. This will free more  time for you to do as you choose.
Making the effort to be have more equilibrium in your life will reap more satisfaction for you in the future and you will become considerably more balanced and at ease on a regular  basis.
More on balance tomorrow...

Kick off your day with "Whole grains Milk,and Fruit".

A healthy breakfast is an excellent way to start your day and begin with a positive tone. Your mental and physical performance will be sharper and by eating healthily you will also maintain weight control. Those who eat a healthy breakfast regularly improved attention, concentration, memory,  and achievement at work or their studies or every day activities  as compared to folks who did not eat breakfast routinely or skippers.

The best breakfast is one that you can and will eat. While you can dream up a healthy breakfast, it's not good nutrition if it does not happen. Tomorrow, I will discuss healthy, simple and delicious breakfast meals to break your abstention.

Safety and efficacy of a supplement

Safe-+++++++

Safe????

Supplement manufacturers do not have to prove safety and efficacy of products they want to market, they simply send a copy of the labels they plan to use to the FDA. Just because it has a supplement label, it does not mean it's safe.

What is a dietary supplement?

A dietary supplement is a substance that is taken orally in whatever form(capsule, gel, tab, or powder). It is not a food. It can contain vitamins, minerals, plant extract or herbs or almost anything. It is meant to supplement what you are not getting in your daily diet. They have a very large range of ingredients and forms. They have legal limits to claims on the labels but in their advertising they can often unfortunately be too good to be true and be misleading and go beyond therapeutic and medicinal effects. Tomorrow we will talk about whether the supplements you have chosen are doing you any good.

Who stands behind supplements? Who monitors the claims? Are they necessary?