Welcome to Springtime. This season, in the marina, brings with it the resetting that happens at the end of every season. We get into hot afternoons and some of us can get into a workout rut. Boring workouts don’t adequately engage your body… or your mind.
We call it a fitness club, but it’s not just a place to train your arms, legs, and core. It’s a place where you can get a complete body workout, mind, body, and spirit. This month we are going to take a deeper dive into how to take better care of our total selves.
One of our members reached out after her husband’s annual check-up included a test for cognitive impairment. While the exam was normal, this couple is using it as a wake-up call to improve their brain health.
Here are the top ten tips for keeping our noodles noodling:
1. The best way to help your brain is to Be Physically Active. According to the Mayo Clinic, adults over 50 years of age should move for at least two and a half hours a week. Those over 50 should aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise. They suggest focusing on different types of activities for different age groups. Ages 50 – 59 years – concentrate on keeping bone density, muscle mass, and heart health. Ages 60 – 69 should focus on keeping joints and muscles strong and flexible. Ages 70-79 should incorporate core and back strength and balance. (like tai chi and yoga). Those 80 and over should work on isometric, and light-intensity strength training.
2. Do you start your morning with Wordle and Connections? Good for you. Keep Your Brain Active. You smart people can probably figure out that keeping your brain healthy involves keeping it active. Just like all our muscles, the ol’ gray matter needs to be worked out. Much like, say, expecting to become better at pickleball only playing pickleball, and skipping right over practicing, bodies and brains respond to drilling. Why not try to “j’apprends à parler français” (learn to speak French or pick up the guitar again?) Playing strategy games and word games is good too. So always try to get purple first on Connections.
3.Keep Your Blood Vessels Healthy. That’s an easy thing to say, but just how do you do it? Well, quitting smoking, managing your blood pressure, taking care of high cholesterol, and staying hydrated are all important. Lastly, avoid staying put. Park a little farther away from the store. Have you thought about a convertible or standing desk?
4.Think About Your Breathing. Thankfully we breathe without thinking too much about it. It’s part of our autonomic nervous system. Think of autonomic like automatic, it runs the peripheral nervous system like breathing, heart rates, and blood flow. By paying it some mind, we can increase relaxation, and lower blood pressure. AARP recommends the 4-7-8 breathing method. Used by yoga practitioners and pulmonologists, it involves inhaling through your nose (count to 4), hold your breath (count to 7), and breath out (count to 8).
5.Stay Socially Active. Just stepping into and around the BSM Fitness Club is socially engaging. Not to mention the games, classes, aqua fun, and camaraderie from matches and events our groups host. Get out and dance, invite a friend to lunch, fill in as a fourth, make reservations, not excuses.
6.Always Look on The Bright Side of Life. It’s more than just a song from Money Python’s Life of Brian; it’s an adage to live (longer). Science has found that gratitude can change your brain for the better. The act of being grateful releases dopamine and serotonin – the neurochemical that makes us feel happy and calm. After a few weeks, it can rewire some of those neural pathways so that you have a more positive outlook every day.
7.Add Heart-Healthy Foods to Your Diet. Maybe Popeye was onto something as spinach and leafy green vegetables can lower blood pressure and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fish. Foods with vitamin K2 include fermented items, green & black tea, and dairy strengthen blood vessels.
8.Get your Zzzzzs. Sleep is essential. It gives your brain vital time to restore and recover from the day’s activities and make memories. Sleep helps not just your brain but also your body. It improves the immune system, metabolic and emotional regulation, and gets you ready for the following day.
9.Correct Vision and Hearing Loss. While it might seem like an inconvenience, wearing your glasses and hearing aids help your brain. Not only does keeping your senses sharp help keep social isolation at bay, but it helps with depression and loneliness. Interestingly, using these aids is better for your brain because it doesn’t have to work so hard to interpret the surroundings. Plus, it’s great for helping to stay aware of safety hazards.
10.Protect Your Head. Can you still hear someone telling you to “wear your helmet?” Well, safeguarding your head is still important. Add core strengthening and exercises to improve your balance. If you’re supposed to rise from bed slowly in the night or perhaps use your walker, do it. Also pay attention to your surroundings. Crossing the street, heading up the stairs, driving to the store, they are habits and often aren’t thought about. It’s easy to get complacent, and that’s when accidents happen.
COURT SPORT ROUNDUP
Tennis. Simply Smashing played – and looked sensational – at Riverwood at the end of February and took two courts.
Pickleball. When family is in town, bring them down! Ricky’s clinics are fun no matter what your age.
