Saturday, September 15, 2018 • Page 1B
Learning to love your Brain
sue social activities that are meaningful to you. Don’t know where to start? What about volunteering with HISD to work with kids at a neighborhood school or check out http://volunteerhouston.org. Reader Karen Looney is a retired piano teacher, who now plays the piano as a volunteer at MDA. “I’m constantly looking for new songs to arrange and practice, and playing in public is a great way for my mind to stay in shape,” she said.
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on with your memory – or your lack of it – just know there’s a scientific explanation going on. A 2015 study in Psychological Science reported that working memory, which is the ability to hold on to facts like phone numbers and addresses for a short period of time, reaches its high point at age 25. Yes, 25. You get to hold on to what you’ve got until age 35, and then working memory starts declining. The silver lining, according to experts, is that long-term memory stays intact for much longer. Even so, as Helpguide.org explains, the hippocampus, or the region of the brain involved in the formation and retrieval of memories, often deteriorates with age. Also, older people often experience decreased blood flow to the brain, which can impair memory and lead to changes in cognitive skills. The good news, shared by Oak Forest’s Alexis Eaton who also happens to work at the Alzheimer’s Association, Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter, is that there are steps we can all take to reduce the risk for cognitive decline. What follows are some of the 10 Ways to Love Your Brain. Break a sweat This is probably a no brainer but doing exercise that elevates your heart rate and increases blood flow to the brain and body is good for your body and your brain. There are a huge array of exercise options available but Leader reader Glenda Vann Ogden says it is tap aero-
There are many healthy lifestyle habits that when practiced daily, can promote increased cognitive agility.
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Hit the books Formal education in any stage of life will help reduce your risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Reader Denisse Ojeda says she’s always known that learning new things increases your brain plasticity. “I’m a crazy learner, I’ve taught myself to be left handed and to wear my watch on my right hand and when my brain gets used to that I switch,” she said. “I speak three languages and recently taught myself
Butt out Did you know that quitting smoking can reduce your risk for cognitive decline to levels comparable to those who have not smoked? Now, you do. So quit. Follow your heart Evidence shows that risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke — obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes — negatively impact your cognitive health. Just start with walking. According to Harvard
Medical School walking for 2.5 hours a week—that’s just 21 minutes a day—can cut your risk of heart disease by 30 percent. Fuel up right This is another no-brainer but eating a healthy and balanced diet that is lower in fat and higher in vegetables and fruit will help reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Check a cookbook out from the library on Mediterranean or Mediterranean-DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hyperten-
Movement as medicine By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Neuromuscular Therapist Carol Welch-Baril described movement as medicine and I think that’s a pretty good way to look at it. Of course how people move changes as we get older. Nancy Greig is in her mid 60s and answered my question about her marathon running from Quebec, where she’s currently on a cycling tour. “I do run the Houston half marathon every year,” she said. “Back in the late ‘90s I ran three marathons - but the last one was no fun so I just do halves now. I am just more careful now - I don’t train as hard and back off at the first sign of injury or pain. I want to be able to keep running as long as possible. Also, it’s a big social thing for me now. I always run with friends.” For those wanting to be active, the National Institute on Aging names four basic categories of exercise and physical activity — endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. The goal is to do something from each of the categories to get the most benefit and help you do all the fun things you want to do. Endurance This refers to aerobic activities which increase your breathing and heart rate. Building your endurance makes it easier to carry out many of your everyday activities. Endurance exercises include: · Brisk walking or jogging · Yard work (mowing, raking, digging) · Dancing Strength Strength exercises make your muscles stronger. These exercises also are called
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sion) recipes. Or check out the 7-Day DASH Diet Menu at EatingWell.com. Catch some Zzz’s Not getting enough sleep due to conditions like insomnia or sleep apnea may result in problems with memory and thinking. If you can’t get to sleep, separate yourself from your device and grab an oldfashioned book and a cup of Chamomile tea. Buddy up Staying socially engaged may support brain health. Pur-
Stump yourself Challenge and activate your mind. Build a piece of furniture. Complete a jigsaw puzzle. Do something artistic. Play games, such as bridge, that make you think strategically. Challenging your mind may have short and long-term benefits for your brain. Oak Forest artist Johnny Rojas brings blank paper and several pencils to Memorial City Mall. “In the food court area there’s a carousel/merry-goround,” he said. “The challenge is to draw a certain object on the carousel. As the carousel is running, I pick a certain object, a horse or details on a special ornament. Then I’ll try to draw it. I have five times in three minutes that I will see the object as it passes by. In doing this challenge, the object can be just the face of a horse, not the whole horse. The goal is to see the details as they pass and try to draw them. Not the big picture.”
Do you have another way to love your brain? We’d love to hear about it. Email me at betsy@theleadernews.com
Support for senior caregivers is helpful For The Leader At some point in a son or daughter’s life, the role of caregiver may shift. Where parents once took care of their children, aging parents very frequently rely on their children to care for them. Adult caregivers typically want to do right by their aging loved ones but sometimes find that the demands of medical and emotional support can dominate their lives - so much so that their own children and other household responsibilities are neglected. The Mayo Clinic says it is natural to feel sad, alone, frustrated, and even angry when serving as a caregiver to an elderly parent. However, it’s also important to recognize the signs that the
burden has become too much and to look for ways to lighten the workload. Anyone can get caregiver stress, but the National Alliance for Caregiving says women are more susceptible than men. Those who are responsible for helping someone with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or a debilitating illness are also at a high risk of developing their own medical issues. These responsibilities can affect the quality of caregivers’ sleep and impede their ability to relax and unwind. Finding relief from caregiver stress can involve a few different strategies. Ask for more help. Don’t hesitate to ask for See Caregivers P. 2B
s e p t e m b e r 19 • 2018 Contributed photo Regular brisk walks can improve your endurance. Try for 20 minutes a day and bring a friend if it helps motivate you.
“strength training” or “resistance training” and can help you heft your grocery bags inside. · Lifting weights · Using a resistance band · Using your own body weight Balance Balance exercises help prevent falls. Many lower-body strength exercises will also improve balance. Balance exercises include: · Standing on one foot · Heel-to-toe walk · Tai Chi Flexibility Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Being flexible gives you more free-
dom of movement for other exercises as well as for your everyday activities. Flexibility exercises include: · Shoulder and upper arm stretch · Calf stretch · Yoga Power up How you fuel your body for exercise also should be finetuned as you age. “Athletes over the age of 65 should be conscious of their hydration,” said Houston Registered Dietitian and Wellness Coach Catherine Kruppa. “Aging is accompanied by reduced thirst and increased excretion of water by the kidney, which ultimately
lead to a state of dehydration. You should make sure that you drink enough so that your urine is light lemonade or clear colored.” Kruppa also says that experts suggest that older athletes take in additional protein. “The recommendation is 0.55–0.64 grams protein per pound of body weight (1.2– 1.4 grams per kg) daily, which happens to be the protein recommendation for younger endurance athletes,” she said. “Pairing extra protein with strength training exercise can slow or possibly even help prevent the loss of muscle mass that occurs with age.”
Senior EXP
September 19, 8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. SPJST Lodge 88 (15th & Beall)
FREE Admission
• FREE Food & Drinks • Educational seminars • An opportunity to mingle with friends