| The Fitness Muse |
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Are You Leading a Brain-Healthy Lifestyle?
The following factors play a major role in both your physical and mental health. What is good for the body is good for the brain, so be good to yourself today!
1. What's good for your heart is good for your brain: Keep your body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels within recommended guidelines.
2. Good nutrition is critical to brain health. When you need a mental or physical energy boost, snack on fruits, vegetables, or nuts.
3. Stay physically active: Sign up for one of the San Mateo Adult School's low-cost 50+ Fitness classes (Click on Class Descriptions or visit www.smace.org.
4. Stay socially connected: Take a class (see #3 above!), volunteer, start a book group, join a social networking site such as Facebook and encourage your friends to do the same.
5. Seek out opportunities to learn new information and new skills, and to experience new situations: Take a class (see a theme here?...), take a different route home today, try a new restaurant, read a genre you don't usually read, travel -- even if it's just to the city next door, learn a foreign language.
6. My Brain Fitness class is currently on hiatus, but check back for news about the next session. In the meantime, here are some memory tips from the August 2013 edition of the Harvard Health Letter:
While you're thinking about which brain-healthy habit you're going to adopt today, eat an apple. According to nutritionists, one a day really will keep the doctor away! Keep the peel on for greater benefits (but scrub thoroughly before eating).
1. What's good for your heart is good for your brain: Keep your body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels within recommended guidelines.
2. Good nutrition is critical to brain health. When you need a mental or physical energy boost, snack on fruits, vegetables, or nuts.
3. Stay physically active: Sign up for one of the San Mateo Adult School's low-cost 50+ Fitness classes (Click on Class Descriptions or visit www.smace.org.
4. Stay socially connected: Take a class (see #3 above!), volunteer, start a book group, join a social networking site such as Facebook and encourage your friends to do the same.
5. Seek out opportunities to learn new information and new skills, and to experience new situations: Take a class (see a theme here?...), take a different route home today, try a new restaurant, read a genre you don't usually read, travel -- even if it's just to the city next door, learn a foreign language.
6. My Brain Fitness class is currently on hiatus, but check back for news about the next session. In the meantime, here are some memory tips from the August 2013 edition of the Harvard Health Letter:
Tip 1: Avoid multitasking, and focus. When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you miss something, ask the person to repeat it.
Tip 2: The moment you hear or read something you don't understand, see
While you're thinking about which brain-healthy habit you're going to adopt today, eat an apple. According to nutritionists, one a day really will keep the doctor away! Keep the peel on for greater benefits (but scrub thoroughly before eating).
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