ageless aerobics

When most people think of exercise, they envision working out to keep their bodies physically fit and healthy. But the brain – so important to living a full life — also needs an ongoing exercise regimen to stay agile and alert as we grow older.

Scientists used to believe that people were basically stuck with the brain they were born with – and that individuals naturally began to lose cognitive function as they aged. This old thinking allowed people to accept memory loss as inevitable and believe that nothing could be done about it.

However, recent brain research – conducted over the past few years – has shown that the brain constantly renews itself, providing new hope for those with cognitive decline. And, we now know that the brain can learn as much in the second half of life as it did during the first half. However, during the senior years this learning may require more repetition and it may take a little longer. The key is to give the brain a daily workout so that it will constantly generate new cells and neural pathway connections, thereby creating a higher level of brain functionality.

What can you do in your daily life to challenge your brain? Activities that stimulate thought and cause you to retain information as well as problem-solve are excellent activities. It could be as simple as daily hobbies like crossword puzzles, card games, reading, Sudoku number puzzles, or art projects — such as painting. Even planning a vacation or learning about a foreign culture will require the brain to process new information.

More challenging activities for the brain would be mastering a foreign language or learning to play a musical instrument – both will cause the brain to work hard. The end result will enrich a person’s life and help keep the memory sharp.

Good overall physical health is vital to good brain health. Be sure to get regular medical check-ups and follow your doctor’s advice. Make sure that together you review all of the medications and supplements you are taking to avoid any drug interactions. If you have any memory concerns, don’t delay, see a doctor immediately.

The brain will also benefit greatly by certain lifestyle changes that can make a tremendous impact. Constant stress, for example, can be a serious “brain drain” as can many underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease or a chronic illness. A prolonged lack of quality sleep will have a serious adverse affect on brain function.

Smoking isn’t good for the brain – or for any part of the body. Also avoid drinking to excess and overeating. In fact, a poor diet is as bad for your brain as it is your waistline. Eat healthy, drink plenty of water and focus on a balanced diet.

Your brain and your general outlook on life will benefit from positive social interactions. To avoid depression and isolation, it’s recommended that people have at least five meaningful social interactions each day. Take advantage of any opportunities to meet new people and stay in touch with friends and family. These important social interactions will help keep you alert and involved.

Finally, get moving. A brisk walk, an exercise class or a trip to the gym is essential for the brain as well as the body. Aerobic exercise increases the blood flow to the brain and will activate the repair formation and growth of brain cells. Regular exercise is one of the best activities for helping to maintain and improve brain function.

So, the next time you think of a workout, remember to include the brain. The overall health goal is to keep people physically healthy and mentally alert for as long as possible, so the quality of life is at its optimum.

For more information about brain health and dementia, visit us online at http://www.brainlc.com or contact the Brain Longevity Center at 805-497-7274. The Brain Longevity Center is a medical facility that offers proactive programs for those with mild-to-moderate dementia and those seeking to maintain a healthy brain as they age.

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What do the words “brain fitness program” bring to mind? I know when I think of fitness programs, I think of the aerobics classes I see at my YMCA, which looks like a fun dancing type of movement, led by an instructor with a microphone, and disco or dance music playing.

But brain fitness brings to mind term papers and reports and drudgery.

Interesting association of brain fitness with drudgery.

Now I am 60 years old, and graduate school is behind me by 12 years, and I am not so sure where they went, except I am married, and I have a 10 year old son, and a 4 year old daughter who expects a ration of tickling each day.

As a Boomer, moving rapidly towards a Senior classification, and one who has always enjoyed working out, and as a counselor looking for the best tools for my clients, I am now exploring a different version of brain fitness programs.

Technological developments like fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have allowed scientists to explore inside the human brain in new and fascinating ways, and the results are providing some interesting ideas for enhancing our Boomer and Senior Brains, let alone the brains of our children, or our clients.

About ten years ago, there were discoveries made about the human brain that overturned all neuroscientific dogma in regards to the growth of new neurons. We do grow them and that growth can be encouraged. That is called neurogenesis.

(The following are good resources. Look up Norman Doidge,M.D., Helen Fisher,Ph.D., Simon Evans Ph.D, or Paul Burghardt,Ph.D.)

Evans and Burghardt in their book called Brainfit for Life talk about how to keep your mental aerobics rhythmic, metaphorically speaking, by managing stress, sleep, nutrition, and providing novel challenge for your brain.

Norman Doidge and Sharon Begley talk about the potential of the brain to overcome issues like stroke, and how regular practice changes brain maps, which the brain is OK doing anytime, in fact the brain is a data craving organ, and loves a stream of new experiences. It thrives on that, so if you are a musician, take up a foreign language, if you are a counselor, take up an instrument to change your brain maps.

By the way, changing brain maps is called neuroplasticity.

Brain fitness programs of the Computer Kind

There are new brain fitness programs out there that you can download to your computer which have research to back them up in regards to their effectiveness.

In fact, I believe that a combination of physical and mental aerobics is synergistic for the brain at any age.

The Mayo Clinic and University of Southern California have just released new research about the Posit Science program, which indicates (they say ‘shows definitively’) that “computerized brain exercises can improve memory and attention in older adults.”

I do not think that maintaining an effective brain is a dull pursuit, especially when I can do it at my computer, on my schedule. Need a day off, because you know where your glasses are? Take it.

Brain fitness programs may even become part of the treatment regimen for ADD and autism, and many are looking to them to ward off alzheimers, or perhaps even reclaim lost brain function.

The brain fitness workout can vary given the program used. One requires 40 hours of time, one hour per day, for 40 days.

Another can be used daily in brief bursts, another requires 20-25 minutes per day for 19 days, and then maintenance practices subsequent to that.

Of course, reading a good book or practicing your instrument will require different time commitments with different purposes. (If I am learning some piano tunes to play for myself, I can learn at my own pace.)

Brain fitness programs do not have to be a drudgery. I can make them a fun part of my daily routine and reap the benefits of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis for a good long time, maybe until I can hold a grandbaby or two.

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Exercises for the brain are a twenty-first century phenomenon. Brain gymnastics, cranial callisthenics and whole brain workouts have taken off. Some brain exercises programs are geared to an ageing population well aware of the rising numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain exercises are not only for senior citizens but are being introduced into schools and workplaces. Brain workouts for babies and for individuals with neurological problems or damage are also available

Scientists have not yet fully endorsed the idea that the brain needs exercising just as the body does. Neurologists have criticized programs for being based on simplistic ideas about the way the brain works, even though some scientific studies have suggested that they may sometimes yield positive results. People who have tried brain exercises regularly report improvements in memory function and concentration. Whole brain exercises, as the name suggests, do not aim to develop abilities that are believed to be localized in one or other side of the brain. Instead they focus on either improving the joint functioning of both hemispheres, or on stimulating multiple regions of the brain.

Cross Crawls

Kinesiology is the study of movement and its relation to the nervous system. The cross crawl exercise depends on the idea that when we are born our nervous systems are homolateral. The right brain controls movement on the left of the body and vice versa. The cross crawl uses kinesiological principles and recommends rhythmic movement to enhance brain lateralization.

In babies the cross crawl is said to realign neural circuits so that the right brain connects to the left of the body and the left brain is integrated with the right side. For adults, cross crawls are believed to integrate brain function. The exercise is recommended for dyslexia and for boosting immune system responses. The mechanism is the promotion of right-left brain communication through the corpus callosum.

The exercise can be done seated or standing, as follows: Touch the right hand or right elbow to the left knee. Then repeat the action with the right hand or right elbow. The exercise should be done for about two minutes, or about 25 times each side.

Lazy Eights (also called the ‘Infinity Sign’)

Another kinesiology exercise geared towards working out both right and left brain hemispheres is known as ‘Lazy Eights’ It is believed to benefit concentration and reduce stress while enhancing mood and hand-eye co-ordination. You will need a pencil and paper. Using right and left hands alternately, draw the infinity sign (a sideways figure of eight) for approximately two minutes. Repeat daily.

A slightly more physical version of the same kinesiology exercise is known as ‘Rhythmic Eights’. It is also used to co-ordinate the two sides of the brain. Instead of using a pen and paper, make rhythmic figure of eight movements in the air, first with the left hand, then the right. Continue for one minute and repeat daily.

Vary Your Brain Workout

Many other exercises have been promoted as components of workouts for the whole brain. They include movements to activate the ‘brain button’, hook-ups to stabilize mood, hand-eye tracking exercises and energy yawning. Many ordinary exercises can be helpful too. Juggling is believed to exercise many areas of the brain. Intellectual puzzles and brain games all help to promote concentration and alertness and keep the brain in condition.

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http://www.brainmetrix.com/ Brain Metrix is an educational website dedicated to brain training programs; you can achieve optimum fitness by visiting your gym (here of course), and engaging in a brain fitness program that is fun and free. Here you stretch and train your brain to the limit, you can train and test your memory, your reflex, test your brain creativity and improve it and much more. Just check the menu above for a full list of free brain game activities that are loads of fun. Visit our website now!

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There are computer programs designed especially for seniors to give their brain a workout.

For more news and events in and around New Jersey, visit NJN’s website at http://www.njn.net

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