Cross Train Your Brain
The mind is a terrible thing to waste. But until the early 1990’s
scientists didn’t think we had a choice in the matter. They knew that of
the 100 million brain cells we were born with, 100,000 die every day.
Now
thanks to research from the University of California at Irvine, they’ve
learned that a healthy brain continues to rewire itself and grow new
neurons indefinitely. Not only can you slow down the brain’s aging, you
can even reverse the damage that’s already done!
“We can actually get smarter, think faster, and remember better by taking
care of
our bodies and minds”
With these healthy living tips, brain teasing games, and mind fueling
foods, you can get those wheels spinning into high gear today and for
years
to come.
Get Smart Strategies
Lifestyle is important to brain function.
If you lead a balanced life, eating right, managing stress, and keep the
mind active, your brain chemicals will be in sync, and your mind will work
better.
Start by adopting healthy head habits
Boost your IQ
Chronic Stress is the number one brain drain.
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol can shrink the hippocampus, the
brain’s memory center, which can impair short term memory and speed up
aging of braincells.
Learning to unwind is the key. Reducing day to day stress will improve
your memory, increase your IQ, and boost your mood.
Suggestion : Stress levels are highest in the mornings, try starting your
day with 10 to 20 minutes of meditation, yoga, stretching exercises, or
deep breathing.
Sleep on it: Sleep tends to “nail down” memories; that might otherwise
slip away; new search studies say. People who stayed up all night after
learning a new task; didn’t retain the information as well as those who
hit
the hay. Most people do not pull “all niters” anymore, but when you
skimp on sleep; you weaken your powers of recall.
Suggestion: Shoot for eight hours of sleep nightly; and sneak naps
whenever possible.
Run fast; think fast: Aerobic exercise is the fountain of youth for the
mind..
It works by reducing stress; sending more oxygen to the brain, and
increasing the
production of neurotrophins, growth agents or “fertilizers” for nerve
cells.
Studies showed that after six months of doing aerobic workouts for 45
minutes three
times a week, FORMER COUCH POTATOES, improved their mental performance as
much as 25 percent.
Suggestion: It was recommended 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity five
times a week, to keep brain cells nimble and receptive to new information.
Turn up tunes: Listening to ten minutes of MOZART [or another composer]
may
enhance spatial reasoning : the ability to “see” an image in your
mind.
This is a important skill when solving math problems, playing music
instruments,
competing in chess, or doing almost any creative project.
The “Mozart Effect” works because music, math, and physics all require
similar skills, such as understanding rhythm and interval. Most
classical
music, has a range of dynamics and speed that helps you relax and open
your
mind.
Suggestion: Play music during any mental marathon; don’t worry if you
are
not a fan of classical music, your choice of soothing nondistracting
sounds
may also serve the same purpose.
Brain Building Games: Your teachers were right - learning can be fun...
“Problem solving and critical thinking ability can be measurably improved
by anykind of strategy game” “ whether it be verbal or visual puzzle
games or riddles or a new assignment at work.” Those games strengthen
mental skills.
Kick the rut: We get into mental ruts when we think about things from one
perspective.
To get unstuck, first take a break. It allows you to forget the bad
approach that you’ve been using. Next do something creative that
requires
you to think in a unconventional way. Unpredictable games make your brain
more flexible, so you become more open minded.”
Suggestion: Try one of the interactive games based on this concept @
serendip.brynmawr.edu. [this is a web sight I do not know if you can
access]
Serendip Welcome Page
Expand your mind: Feel like your brain is full? You can make more room
by actually increasing the size of your hippocampus.
Games that ask you to manipulate objects in space may boost your powers of
recall.
Try playing Tetris @ [ at tetris. com ] in which you rotate geometric
shapes to fit
together, Tetris
or Car Jam @ [ at smartgames.com ] where you have to break your car out of
a packed parking lot quickly and in as few moves as possible.
Smart Game - Free Games
Be a word whiz: Crossword puzzles are a great way to increase your
vocabulary.
If you learn a new word and it appears in another puzzle a few weeks
later,
the repetition will help you remember it.
For crossword puzzles go to: [smartgames.com] or the “classic games”
link at
[gamesville.com] Greetings from Lycos Gamesville!
Or try a New York Times puzzle book or your local newspaper cross word
puzzle section.
Magic Memory Tricks: Unfortunately our brains are not fly paper, when a
fact comes along, “it just doesn’t stick” We have to make a effort to
remember, and mnemonic devices, and memory techniques can help try these
two today:
THINK IN SEVENS: Scientists have known for years that most people can
remember only seven [plus or minus two] unrelated things at a time, which
is how the seven digit phone number came about. Once those seven items
are mastered they behave as one chunk of information. Which is easier to
remember.
Suggestion: Take a number of items, like those on your grocery list, and
break them down into smaller subcategorizes, like fruits, meats, dairy.
Memorize those
subcategorizes; then tackle their components. Your list of fruits:
apples, oranges,
bananas, and grapeswill then act as one unit rather than four, making room
for you to recall the spagetti and tofu sausage links.
Make mental tag games: Can’t put a name on a face? Research shows that
visual
images can be powerful reminders of individual words - like names.
Suggestion: The next time you hear a new coworkers moniker, try using it
in a sentence while repeating it in your mind - example: Wendy sits by
the water cooler - water cooler Wendy. Repeating or rehearsing works
over
time. “Rehearse it after a few minutes, then after 10 minutes, then again
in half a hour, it will maximize the chance that you’ll remember the
information.”
PROGRESS BEGINS ONE STEP AT A TIME.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is no sudden leap to greatness.
Your success lies in doing, day by day.
Your upward reach come from working well and carefully.
Good work done little by little becomes great work.
Your house of success will be built brick by brick.
Adopt the pace of nature. The secret is patience.
A bottle fills drop by drop.
THE END
This was not my work, I took this information from a article I read at my
rehabilatation center, for my arm, I took the information from that
article
and now I want to share it with you, because you are my friends and you
need to work on getting better, one drop at a time.
Thank You
Barry
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