Ten Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Lifelong Learning is always promoting the benefits that come with participating in lifelong learning programs. Keeping your brain sharp and preventing mental decline involves more than just the brain itself. Healthy practices in many areas of life will help you keep your brain, as well as your body, in tip top shape. Here are 10 easy ways to help keep your brain healthy now and prevent illnesses later:

1.               Lead an active life.  Regular exercise helps prevents memory problems that often come with aging. Physical activity can actually improve the brain function of people with mild cognitive impairment.

2.               Exercise your brain. Take lifelong learning classes! An active brain stays sharp and continues to produce new connections between nerve cells. Studies have shown the benefits of regularly working crosswords and other brain challenges.  Other things to consider are reading, playing games such as chess, and learning a new hobby. 

3.               Get a sufficient amount of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.  Sleep enables the body and brain to heal and recharge so that you are healthier and are able to think more clearly.  Sleep also helps you have a better long-term memory.

4.               Eat a healthy diet.  A diet that is low in saturated fats, sugar, bleached white flour and junk foods and which has an abundance of colorful fruits and veggies will keep your brain healthy as well as keeping your body trim and protect you against diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

5.               Include plenty of antioxidants in your diet. Numerous studies have shown that a diet rich in antioxidants helps prevent and slow age-related declines in memory and learning. Among the very best sources of antioxidants are blueberries, dark grapes and pomegranates.

6.               Avoid and manage stress.  Stress can damage your brain by releasing destructive hormones.  Some of the best ways to manage stress include simplifying your life, avoiding stressful situations, volunteering for an organization you care about-how about Lifelong Learning? And, utilizing special techniques such as yoga and meditation.

7.               Integrate plenty of essential omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Omega-3s help to guard the brain against age-related decline and maintain proper brain function throughout life.  Some of the best omega-3 sources include fatty cold water fish such as tuna, sardines, mackerel, and herring.

8.               Make time to be social! Interacting with other Lifelong Learning members keeps your brain active and sharpens thinking.

9.               Quit smoking. According to the Mayo Clinic, smokers have twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's.  Even people who have smoked for years can reduce their risk of memory problems by quitting.

10.            Only have one drink at happy hour. While low to moderate amounts of alcohol, especially red wine, have been shown to protect against heart disease and cancer, heavy drinking (more than 14 drinks each week) actually shrinks brains.

It’s Time to Get Online Savvy Seniors

More than half of U.S. adults over the age of 65 are online, from surfing the web to checking email, a new study suggests. Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 53% of seniors use the Internet. Although this demographic is still less likely to go online than younger age groups, it shows that this population is going online more than ever before.

If this is true, then Lifelong Learning’s Facebook page should have more fans. What is holding you back from jumping on the social media bandwagon? A fear of technology? Identity theft? Or, that your old high school sweetheart may find you? 

I have heard numerous excuses over the past few years from lifelong learners, such as “it’s too complicated for me” or maybe “I’ll get my grandchildren to explain it.” Regardless of the reason given, some of you are avoiding the new technologies that can add to the quality of your – and even your families’ – lives out of fear.

Facebook may have started as a site for traditional college aged students, but the fastest growing group of Facebook users today is seniors. So, don't be afraid to learn about and use some of the wonderful new social media and technological gadgets that come out in our society. There are numerous free classes that libraries and local high schools offer to teach you how to use these resourceful sites and devices.  Many of them make our lives a little easier, others stimulate our brains and then others are just for pure enjoyment. Don't be fearful and think that you'll never get the hang of it. Of course it's important to have someone in your life that has the willingness and patience to teach you how to become familiar with all these gadgets. It is also important to be careful about the information that you do put on the internet, so just make sure you're open to learning new things and take your time. Remember also to take notes to refer to when you get stuck. Pretty soon this will become a part of your everyday life. 

You can start now by finding us on Facebook by searching- Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Society-Jupiter. See you online!

Access Denied: When Education is Prohibited

This past week, while working on a program that will be presented in the spring semester for the Lifelong Learning Society, I discovered that the denial of higher education in other countries is extremely prevalent. While I was not necessarily shocked that students are being denied education, I was taken aback by the lengths that these students will proceed to obtain a denied education and the atrocities that they endure.

The right to education has been universally recognized since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and has since been preserved in various international conventions, national constitutions and development plans. However, while the vast majority of countries have signed up to, and approved, these rights, far fewer have integrated these rights into their national constitutions or provided the legislative and administrative frameworks to ensure that these rights are practiced. The right exists in theory but there is no way to apply this right in practice. Today, the right to education is still denied to millions around the world.

Therefore, if people have access to education they can develop the skills, capability and confidence to obtain other rights. Education gives people the ability to gain information specifying the rights that they hold, and government’s obligations. It assists people to develop the communication skills to demand these rights, the confidence to speak in an assortment of assemblies, and the ability to work with government officials and power holders. In addition, an educated adult population is imperative for strong economic development. It also sets the groundwork for better overall economic productivity, and the use of new technologies for development. 

Education can have several definitions because people can choose to become educated for many different reasons; increase knowledge, improve self-confidence, pursue a dream or educate others. It does not matter what the reason is, the main objective is that an education is to reach goals that will help people better themselves in a variety of ways. Now imagine what the world would be like without education. Are we already there?  

Volunteering: Helping Yourself While Helping Others

The benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family, and your community. The right match can help you find friends, reach out to the community and learn new skills. This week we held our annual fall Lifelong Learning Greeter Orientation. It is always a pleasure to see our volunteers come back after the long summer break eager and ready to volunteer for our lectures, courses and special events. 

One of the major benefits I feel that come from volunteering is that it protects your mental and physical health. It can provide a boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. As a volunteer you are helping others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. The better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life.

At Lifelong Learning, we could not operate our lectures, courses or special event programs without our volunteers. With over 100 Lifelong Learning volunteers, who include our advisory board, committee members and greeters, we are grateful for the extra helping hands!

One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships at Lifelong Learning is to commit to a shared activity together-such as volunteering. This is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ties to the program and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests along with fun and fulfilling activities.

There are several perks to volunteering as a class greeter for Lifelong Learning. You must first:

• Become an LLS member. Annual membership costs $35 and offers many benefits. 
• Purchase and wear an LLS greeter shirt- an attractive, easy-care blue cotton polo shirt (see picture above). The shirt costs $23.

The benefits of becoming a greeter include:

• Attending the class at which you are greeting for free.
•  A free parking decal if you are greeting at a class that runs multiple weeks.

You’re giving us your valuable time, so it’s important that you enjoy and benefit from your volunteering experience. It’s important to make sure that your volunteer position is a good fit and to communicate with the people you’re working with here at Lifelong Learning.

If you are interested in volunteering with Lifelong Learning, please visit our website at www.llsjupiter.com and click on the icon Life at LLS.