Avoid negative thinking. What you focus on the most will become larger. For example, if you focus on a negative situation in your life, it will seem larger, which can cause anxiety and depression. Instead learn to focus on the good things in your life. 

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before … Get enough sleep! A lack of sleep, less than 7 hours, decreases blood flow to the brain. I personally need at least 8 hours to perform at my best. If possible, a sleeping schedule between 10:30 PM and 7:30 AM is best.  If you have trouble getting to sleep at night due to a stressful day, try spending a half hour or so before bedtime doing something relaxing. Reading tends to relax me. And one thing that really helps me is to pray in bed. Not only is it a great time to spend with God, because there are no distractions, but it is also a great de-stressor.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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New Learning

Your brain is a thinking organ that learns and grows even as you age. Mental stimulation improves your brain and ultimately your memory and actually protects your brain against decline.

The human brain can grow new neurons even in old age. Most age-related memory problems are caused by the lack of mental stimulation. In other words, use it or lose it.

Engage Your Brain

It is important to challenge your brain to learn new tasks. The key word is “new.” In other words, learning tasks that you have never done are especially beneficial to the brain. Examples include: chess, tai chi, yoga, or a foreign language.

In a previous post I suggested switching your mouse to your opposite hand and try controlling it. If you haven’t tried this yet, go ahead and give it a try.  The first time I tried this I was very surprised at how difficult it was. I could almost feel my brain being challenged.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Is your memory as good as it was 10 years ago? I recently talked to a successful business women that I have know for many years. I know first hand that she had a great memory. She would remember the smallest details about a project that would escape most people. However, during our conversation, she told me something that really surprised me. She said, “I can’t remember anything anymore.” Obviously, she was exaggerating a bit, but I got the point.

Are you like this business women? Is your memory getting worse? If so, there is hope. Read on…   

You know that walking is good for your body, but did you know that it’s good for your brain too?

One of my favorite forms of exercise is walking. Just about every evening my wife and I take Ginger (our little 4 pound Yorkie) for a long walk. I don’t know who enjoys it more, my wife and me or Ginger.

Studies show that exercise helps improve your memory and problem solving skills. Walking is especially good for your brain, because of the increased blood circulation and oxygen. As you walk, you are actually oxygenating your brain.

Studies have also shown that senior citizens, who walk as a form of exercise, showed a significant improvement in memory skills compared to sedentary elderly people. The risk of stroke was also cut by 57% in people who walked as little as 20 minutes per day.

Action Step…

If you’re not already making walking a part of your day, then start walking today.  Your brain will thank you. Depending on your level of fitness, you can start slow and work your way up to 20 minutes a day.

Tip: You can add more steps to your day by parking further away from your office entrance or the mall entrance.  I like to wear a pedometer to track the number of steps I take per day. It’s almost like a game to me. I like to see how many steps I can take in a day. You’d be very surprised to see how many extra steps you can take in a day when you decide to walk more.

Here’s a piece of information that may motivate you to walk more … You burn approximately one calorie for every two steps you take.  That’s a nice bonus… you can make your brain better and lose weight at the same time.  Note: actual calories burned depends the speed of your stride.  

Here’s another little tip that will help jump start your day…

Before getting out of bed in the morning, slowly begin to wiggle your toes. This will activate nerves that stimulate your brain. You can also do this after sitting for long periods of time. This will energize your entire body.

So don’t wait, start walking today!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments.  

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Well I just got back from a health and fitness conference yesterday and I can tell you it’s great to be back home with my family.

It was a good conference, but due to the remote location of the hotel I wasn’t able to eat like I normally do. In other words I couldn’t get the organic foods that I am used to eating and I’ll tell you, it made a huge difference in how I felt. I can even still feel the effects today.  My energy level is down and it seems that my mental clarity is not quit as sharp.

This experience made me really think about how great I normally feel and how sharp my mind is when I stick to my normal healthy eating plan.  I guess I took feeling great for granted. Now I know what it’s like to be 48 and feel my age. And I can tell you I don’t like it a bit. Well now that I’m back on my normal eating plan, I’m sure I’ll start feeling great again in couple of days.

How are you feeling today?  Are you feeling your age like I have been the past couple of days?  If you are, below are a list of foods you can start eating today that will make your brain better and enhance your energy and help you feel younger – and of course Organic is always best.   Believe me it really works. 

        Beans & lentils

        Green beans

        Navy beans

        Garbanzo

        Broccoli

        Oranges (whole not orange juice)

        Oats

        Pumpkin

        Pumpkin squash

        Red bell peppers (red is better than green bell peppers.  Higher levels of  vitamin C)

        Spinach

        Green Tea (great for weigh loss too)

        Turkey

        Yogurt

        Walnuts

        Take a multi vitamin everyday

        Everybody should take fish oil – Omega 3 fatty acids (fish capsules are okay too)

        Low protein diets are bad for the brain.  Lean protein diets are good for the brain

        Low glycemic high fiber carbohydrates are the best to eat (You should avoid processed sugar)

        Salmon and Tuna is good (eat wild caught fish from Alaska.  They seem to have the cleanest in the world)

        Eat blueberries.  They are excellent for the brain. Eat three servings a day.  The frozen kind is okay too.

Here’s one of my favorite breakfasts.  It sends my energy level through the roof and its power packed to make your brain better too! And the best part is that it only takes about 1 minute to prepare.

v  Plain Yogurt (1 cup)

v  Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal (1/2 cup)

v  Blueberries (1/2 cup)  (TIP: I buy several organic frozen blueberries packages at a time, so I always have them on hand when I need them).

You can adjust the serving size to your taste.

Have a great day!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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More good news!

I am going to warn you ahead of time that this article has a lot of technical information. For the most part, I try to stay away from posting dry, boring, technical stuff, but in this case, I think it’s important for you to be aware of some of the important research done in the area of brain improvement as we age.

So here we go…

Consider your brain a muscle, and find opportunities to flex it. “Read, read, read,” says Dr. Amir Soas of Case Western Reserve University Medical School in Cleveland. Do crossword puzzles. Play Scrabble. Start a new hobby or learn to speak a foreign language.  “Anything that stimulates the brain to think.”  Also, watch less television, because “your brain goes into neutral,” he said.

Research on the physical results of thinking has shown that just using the brain actually increases the number of dendritic branches that interconnect brain cells. The more we think, the better our brains function – regardless of age.

The renowned brain researcher Dr. Marian Diamond says, “The nervous system possesses not just a ‘morning’ of plasticity, but an ‘afternoon’ and an ‘evening’ as well.”  Dr. Diamond found that whether we are young or old, we can continue to learn. The brain can change at any age. A dendrite grows much like a tree – from trunk to limbs to branches to twigs – in an array of ever finer complexity.

In fact, older brains may have an advantage. She discovered that more highly developed neurons respond even better to intellectual enrichment than less developed ones do. The greatest increase in dendritic length occurred in the outermost dendritic branches, as a reaction to new information.

As she poetically describes it: “We began with a nerve cell, which starts in the embryo as just a sort of sphere. It sends its first branch out to overcome ignorance. As it reaches out, it is gathering knowledge and it is becoming creative. Then we become a little more idealistic, generous, and altruistic; but it is our six-sided dendrites which give us wisdom.”

Improving your brain should be a part of your exercise goals. Never stop learning – become a lifelong student. Pick something you’ve always wanted to learn and start today. New learning experiences will not only make your brain better, but it can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

As an added bonus, a better brain will produce breed success in life by speeding up your brain’s processor. When your brain’s processor is running efficiently, you will be able to grasp and remember new information more easily. Think of it as upgrading your brain, much like the way you upgrade your computer.

Action step of the day…  Start today to learn something entirely new. Don’t wait. Even if it’s something as simple as switching your mouse to the opposite hand for a half hour everyday, just do it and start making your brain better.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Your brain is a thinking organ that can learn and grow at any age. If you’re like I was, I thought that there was nothing I could do to make my brain better as I aged. That’s not true! We can actually improve our brains no matter what our age.  I don’t know about you, but when I first heard that good news, I got very excited.

As a matter of fact, most age-related memory problems are a result of not exercising the brain enough. You’ve probably heard the saying “use it or lose it.” Well it’s also true for the brain.

It is important to challenge your brain to learn new tasks. It’s especially beneficial to learn totally new tasks you’ve never done before. Examples include learning a new language; learning how to play chess; or maybe even learning basic martial arts movements. 

Here’s something you can try right now to challenge your brain …

Try controlling your computer mouse with your opposite hand. This will develop agility and hand-brain coordination. I tried this and boy it sure challenged my brain. Try it and see how you do!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Can I really make my brain better?

The brain is involved in everything we do. Mental stimulation and intense exercise makes the brain better and protects it against deterioration including Alzheimer’s. You must continually challenge your brain and stimulate it to think by learning new tasks. This blog series will address ways to make your brain and memory better.

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Okay, now that we’ve covered some important aspects of foundational health through forgiveness and giving, I’d like to start talking about some ways to build on that foundation. If you missed the last few posts, I encourage you to take a moment to read them.

Making your brain and body better for everyday life involves more than just walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes everyday or doing some other form of boring exercise.  Many people settle for boring exercises, because they think it’s helping them. But it may actually be hurting them. I stopped long-duration treadmill exercise sessions years ago and I don’t miss it at all.  I’ll talk more about this in future posts.

If you want to function better in your everyday life (and who doesn’t), you need to work on making your brain better with new learning experiences and proper eating that feeds your brain. You need to work on your core stability and strength, balance, and flexibility using exercises right for your fitness level.  Many people get discouraged and quit exercising simply because they are trying to exercise beyond their fitness level. This is a mistake that can be avoided by starting an exercise program that is right for you.

I know you’re probably thinking that it sounds like a lot of work and very time consuming. But it really isn’t. I’ll show you how to pick exercises that are right for your fitness level. Once you are exercising at the right level for your fitness, it then can become very enjoyable.  For me exercising is fun and I look forward to it.

Before going on, let me just tell you a little bit about myself…   

I recently retired at the early age of 47. Before retiring I spent nearly 28 years of my life working for a major health insurance company. Although, I was a Technology Manager/Consultant, and not directly involved in patient care issues, I saw indirectly the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle on rising healthcare costs as well as the implications of not dealing with the root causes of poor health and wellness. By the way, this experience is what drives me to help people become healthier.

While working in the corporate world in a demanding high stress position, I was challenged to find time to exercise and take care of myself, but I managed to because I value my health. When you consider your health as an asset and not just something that you deal with when you get sick, you have a whole new perspective on what you eat and how you exercise.  

Well I have to go for now, but please come back to visit tomorrow. I will be talking about why different forms of exercise are so important.  Many people think that aerobic exercise is the only form of exercise they need to do after age 40. This could not be further from the truth.

I am doing an informal survey of the types of exercises people over 40 do. For example, do you do aerobic exercises (treadmill, walking)? Do you play golf? Do you workout with weights or weight machines? And so on …

I’d love to hear from you, so post your answers via a comment to this blog. Your participation will make this blog more beneficial for everyone.

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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