Mind Games

A Healthy Mind = A Healthy You

The brain is the control center of your ENTIRE body! Mental stimulation improves brain function, preserve memory, and helps protect against cognitive decline to ultimately help you stay youthful inside and out.  It is important for all of us to take time out of our busy schedules to challenge our minds every day. If you continue to learn and challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow, literally.

The BEST part of this is there are so many fun and easy ways to stimulate your brain to experience the positive effects. Board’s games, quizzes, crossword puzzles, riddles and brain teasers are great games that you can start at a beginner level and work your way up.

There are many online resources available if you are looking to challenge yourself in an online interactive way. One of my current favourites is “Mastermind” and it focuses on memory retention. Check it out.

If you’re not a game junkie, not to worry I didn't forget about you! Learning any new skill provides the same mental stimulation your brain craves.Learning to cook, ski, dance are activities that require memory & learning new movements which are equally effective.

I could literally sit here and list off thousands of new activities you could challenge yourself with! The point is you need to find something new and different that YOUR curious to explore and learn. 

I came across this fun riddle this week! Let's put our minds to it and try to solve it:
I am a word of meanings three.

Three ways of spelling me there be.
The first is an odour, a smell if you will.
The second some money, but not in a bill.
The third is past tense, a method of passing things on or around.

Can you tell me now, what these words are, that have the same sound?

Comment below once you have figured it out! Play fair and don’t share the answer!

Check back next week when I post the answer. 

Ready Set Go!

Raise your hand if you have made exercising your resolution for the New Year – and happened to not start it yet? I don’t know about you, but that definitely applies to me! Losing weight was the number one resolution for 2014 and staying fit and healthy was ranked fifth on the list.

This year let’s ACTUALLY follow through with our resolutions TOGETHER by making it fun!

It shouldn't be a surprise that exercising has countless benefits for your body and mind. Toning your body by building muscle builds good posture which instantly makes you look younger. Research shows daily physical activity can decrease the inflammation in your body that comes with aging. This decreases the risk of diseases such as depression, heart disease, loss of muscle mass and diminishing mental function. Many studies demonstrate a connection between exercise and fighting brain aging effects. Many people might not know that exercise increases blood circulation which gives yourself a glowing youthful complexion.

Let me guessssssss…you don’t have enough time/hours in the day to exercise? Yes you do! Making the conscious decision to use a flight of stairs instead of the elevator ADDS UP. One of my go to exercise activity is calf raises while washing the dishes or making lunch. If you REALLY want to make every minute count, I challenge you all to try either squats or wall sits while brushing your teeth.

One of my current all-time favourites is hot yoga. If you want to jump on the bandwagon stop by your local hot yoga studio and explore your inner yoggie!