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Brain Food


Healthy food

Healthy food (Photo credit: jpockele)

Nestlé invests in US brain food maker: ‘This is a big strategic move for us’.

Brain Injury Awareness


Did you know that March is Brain Injury Awareness Month? BrainMasters is committed to increasing brain awareness and has provided a link to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website that contains information we all should be familiar with when it comes to brain injury prevention and awareness. You will even find a quiz to test your knowledge of brain injury as well as many facts, figures and statistics.

Did you know that every year 1.7  million people will sustain a traumatic brain injury? Of those-

  • 52,000 die,
  • 275,000 are hospitalized, and
  • 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department

Do you know the leading causes for brain injuries?

  • Falls (35.2%);
  • Motor vehicle – traffic (17.3%);
  • Struck by/against events (16.5%); and
  • Assaults (10%)

Do you know the 7  ways to avoid a head injury according to the CDC?

1. Wearing a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle.

2. Buckling your child in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt (according to the child’s height, weight, and age).

  • Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats (usually when they weigh about 40 pounds). They should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are 4’9” tall

3.  Never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

4. Wearing a helmet and making sure your children wear helmets.

5. Making living areas safer for seniors, by:

  • Removing tripping hazards such as throw rugs and clutter in walkways;
  • Using nonslip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors; Installing grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower;Installing handrails on both sides of stairways;Improving lighting throughout the home; and
  • Maintaining a regular physical activity program, if your doctor agrees, to improve lower body strength and balance.

6. Making living areas safer for children, by:

Installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows; and

Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around.

7. Making sure the surface on your child’s playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood mulch or sand.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BrainInjury/

Brain Boosters-October Anagrams


Neuroplasticity challenges the idea that brain...

Image via Wikipedia

Wow, we are almost at the mid point of October and Halloween is just around the corner! As we enter the holiday season, remember how important it is to take care of your health and your brain! Speaking of the brain it’s time to exercise your brain, form new brain pathways, build your cognitive reserve, challenge yourself,  engage in new learning!  Become a lifelong learner, and take advantage of your brain and neuroplasticity skills through new learning.  We are never too old for new learning or too young to begin building our cognitive reserves!  Let’s try some anagrams today. Create as many new words as you can from the following words.

First, go grab a healthy snack-blueberries, strawberries, apples, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, veggie sticks, dark chocolate, paired with a healthy beverage-green tea, water, red wine. I just had some walnuts and iced green tea. Ready? Here are your words.

HALLOWEEN

COSTUMES

CANDIES

GOBLINS

PUMPKINS

DECORATIONS

 

Remember to exercise your body as well! Physical exercise helps pump blood throughout your body-including your brain. Studies have shown that by walking just 35 minutes a day at least 3 days/week it’s possible to increase the size of your hippocampus, which may correlate to improved memory skills! So, get up, leash that dog and take a walk!

Brain Awareness Week


Today officially kicks off  Brain Awareness Week (BAW), and BrainMasters is proud to be one of The Dana Foundation‘s partners. Be sure and check our BAW Calendar of Events, and join our brain celebration activities to be held during the next 2 weeks.

Here are some facts about BAW.

  • March 14-20, 2011 is BAW’s sixteenth annual celebration.
  • The goal of the campaign is to make the public more aware of the benefits and promise of brain research.
  • BAW is a global partnership of government agencies, scientific organizations, universities, hospitals, service groups, professional associations, schools, and other organizations. Since its inception in 1996, more than 2,600 partners in 82 countries have participated in the campaign.
  • Hundreds of BAW events take place each year. These activities are organized by partners to meet one or more of the following goals: scientific, education, or advocacy outreach.

Here are a couple of quick facts about your brain. Did you know that your brain accounts for ~ 2% of your total body weight and weighs ~ 3 pounds? The brain is one of the body’s largest organs. Interesting, isn’t it?

Now that you have learned a couple of things and fired those neurons, let’s give them a workout and stay sharp!

Unscramble the following words.

STLMTEEAP

ZDAIRW

EINDDEGS

TCEVRIEA

UOMCNL

TPSJOREC

Share your answers with us! Need help with these-just ask us! Enjoy exercising your brain today!

Brain Awareness Week


Did you know that March 14-20, 2011 is Brain Awareness Week? Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. BAW unites the efforts of universities,
hospitals, patient groups, government agencies, service organizations, professional
associations, and schools from around the world in a week-long celebration of the
brain. Since its inception in 1996, more than 2,400 partners in 76 countries have
participated in the campaign. Founded and coordinated by the Dana Alliance for Brain
Initiatives and European Dana Alliance for the Brain, BAW is celebrating its sixteenth
anniversary campaign from March 14-20, 2011.  What are your “brain” plans for the week?

BrainMasters is proud to be a partner of the Dana Foundation and Brain Awareness Week!  We are busy planning events for the week and currently have one scheduled at Savannah Court Assisted Living in East Cobb on Tuesday March 15, 2011.  Our event will be an educational and hands on interactive workshop focusing on brain health, fitness, and maintenance.  Mark your calendars now and more details to follow.

 

 

 

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