Bulletin board submitted by: Jordan Toy, Resident Assistant

Indiana State University

Information found on bulletin board can be found in the December 2008

issue of “Best Life”

10 Everyday Tips to Boost Brainpower

By Dr. Daniel Amen, author of the Magnificent Mind at any age.

Brush your teeth with your left hand (if you’re a righty), jog backward, and pursue anything

else that forces you to deviate from your daily patterns. “In so doing, you’ll stimulate new parts of your brain, encouraging it to make

new connections,” Says Dr. Amen.

Your brain is 80% water, and if its not hydrated,

your neurons can’t perform properly. To help hydrate your brain drink eight six-ounce glasses of

water a day and avoid excessive alcohol and

caffeine.

Science shows that people who sleep for seven hours exhibit significantly more brain activity than those who don’t. Lack of Sleep inhibits

learning, concentration, and memory.

Achieve a calm, clear, stress-free brain through meditative belly breathing: Inhale slowly,

allowing your stomach (not your chest) to rise, and then say the word one as you exhale.

Repeat for 10 minutes.

"Few activities stimulate as wide a variety of brain

systems as dancing does," says Dr. Amen.

"Dancing requires everything from coordination and

organization to planning and judgment."

Men who watch TV for more than two hours a day have a significantly higher risk of

developing Alzheimer's than those who watch less.

"Reading is good for your brain only when it involves storing and retrieving information,"

says Dr. Amen. That's why reading groups are beneficial. "And the social aspect of book

groups adds another dynamic that bolsters cognitive functioning."

Men who take ibuprofen are 44 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who

do not, according to a recent study. Also beware of acetaminophen, says Dr. Amen. "It disrupts liver function, decreasing the body's

production of the antioxidant glutathione, which is important for brain function."

"Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) inflame the areas of the brain responsible for anxiety,"

says Dr. Amen. They also increase the production of stress hormones, which kill brain cells. Whenever an ANT enters your mind, write it down and devise a plan to

correct it.

Men who make love at least twice a week are 50 percent less likely to have a heart attack than those who have sex less often, say scientists.

This matters because growing evidence supports a simple fact: What's good for the

heart is good for the brain. "Sex also releases feel-good chemicals that fight stress," says Dr.

Amen.