Use It...or Lose IT!!!

Scientists are finding that the mind, like the body, needs an exercise program.....There are all kinds of brain-training programs nationwide because the young and old alike.....are experiencing.....plain ole...forgetfulness.
One called, “Brain Upgrade” at New York’s Open Center or “Boost Your Memory Power” at Pasadena City College emphasize the need to actually work at a discipline for our ’brain’.
A professor of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, Lawrence Katz, has written a book called...”Keep Your Brain Alive.”
Prof. Katz states, ”More and more emphasis is placed on keeping your body in shape and ’fit’ and now we must address the same issue for your brain.”
One study showed that individuals begin forgetting at age 35.....forgetting, misplacing car keys or glasses...
Explanations for why we forget are numerous, to say the least!
The general consensus says it’s.....information overload because we must remember more than ever before. Today, we must know unlimited numbers or passwords, Social Security, personal identification numbers, fax and cell phone numbers. etc. etc. Another study showed that Americans sleep less and experience more stress....both factors affecting memory.
The juggling of many tasks....which attribute to our everyday lives, can cause memory overload.
“We end up multitasking, and that’s the biggest reason we can’t remember,”
said Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institue.
This ‘authority’ suggests ways to form a much-needed discipline for ourselves. Some Tips are:
Get this....Talk aloud when you put down your keys or glasses and want to remember the location. Tell yourself exactly where you put them. Later, you’ll remember hearing your own voice speak back to you....(I haven’t tried this one..)
Another, Vary your mental workout. Unfamiliar situations and challenges stimulate the brain. Try tying your shoelaces or brushing your teeth with your left hand if you’re right handed.
Also, start a healthful brain diet: Drink six glasses of water each day, eat low-fat foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid fried foods and take the vitamins E and C. If you smoke, quit. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
And last, minimize stress to maximize memory....set realistic expectations and take relaxation breaks at regular intervals.
All good advice, huh!
Sounds like ‘work’ to me.....or a new discipline of the brain...
Oh well, guess we must....Use it or Lose it, our brain that is.....
....I’ve used mine enough in writing this page so I MUST take a break and treat myself to a wonderful cup of Cappuccino on my patio....
Guess what? I’ve got brain cells I’ve never even used before....
Think I will save them till I ‘really need them”!
Like.....tomorrow!