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Mental fitness

Congregational Nurses
12/07/2004

The fitness topic for June was supposed to be Mental Fitness – keeping your mind sharp and in shape. Then I forgot to submit my article for the last newsletter. While that was pretty funny, it also drove home the need we have to cover the topic. There are several clichés out there that also drive home the issue.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
Use it or lose it.

Mental fitness is different than mental health. Mental health deals with psychological and psychiatric disorders of the brain. These are treated with therapy, lifestyle changes and sometimes medications and hospitalization for other treatments.

Just as physical fitness involves exercise and doing those things to keep our bodies strong and functioning well, mental fitness deals with exercising our brains to keep them functioning well. There are studies that suggest that those who deliberately exercise their brains can remember things better. There are also studies that show that people who do crossword puzzles and play bridge are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. We don’t know why exactly, but the study is out there.

How can we stay mentally fit? Here are some ideas. I’d like to hear your tricks to keep your mind fit, too.
· Turn off the television. Most things on television are mindless entertainment that do nothing to exercise your brain. You don’t have to get rid of it but make deliberate viewing choices.
· Read. It doesn’t matter what you read as much as that you read.
· Play games of strategy and logic: bridge, chess, Othello, rumble cube, free cell, minesweeper.
· Drive different routes to different places. Don’t always go the same way.
· Play memory games: “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking…?”
· Spend time daily remembering something special in detail. Wake up the part of your brain that stores memories.
· Memorize a poem, the lyrics to a song, some Bible verses or a famous speech.
· Write, draw or do a chore with your non-dominant hand. That will exercise your brain and your patience.
· Get a mind-teasers book full of logic problems, riddles and puzzles. Most book stores have them.

These can be family activities or solo activities. And they can be real fun. Try them and let me know what you think. Some folks say that the human brain is what distinguishes us from animals. Why don’t we use them as stewards of the great gift God gave us?


© 2004, Congregational Nurses Program

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