Friday Fitness – A Healthy Body Needs a Healthy Mind

I have spent many posts talking about having a healthy body, but there is one aspect of health that I have not touched on yet! A healthy MIND! Truly your body can be in tip top shape but if you mind is mush it really doesn’t matter. Now let me first clarify, I am not talking about any given person’s level of education or intelligence, but rather keeping what you have in top working order.

Healthy Mind = Healthy Body

First and foremost, this is for your own well being. It is widely reported that an active mind will stay sharp longer. There are lots of ways to continuously expand your knowledge base and keep your mind quick. You can start with the Internet. There are countless email services that will send a tidbit of information right to your inbox each day. Whether it is a word of the day (http://www.merriam-webster.com/), science fact (http://www.factme.com/ or http://factropolis.com/ ) or even art, they will all help you expand your horizons so you can keep up with your children. You can also enroll in an online class or evening class at your local community college. They usually have an extensive selection of Non-credit or Auditing classes. This means that you do not receive college credit towards a degree and it is usually much cheaper (ie. $4 a credit vs. $81 and not as many administrative fees). If you take a class on campus it is also a chance for you to get some “me-time”. You can also think about obtaining a variety of certificates – such as CPR/First, or cake decorating. There is usually a nominal fee.

Everyday Tricks

As for keeping your mind sharp and quick, think of it as a muscle that needs exercising. Give your mind a little workout each day – do the crossword puzzle or Sudoku in the newspaper or online. Find some sort of problem solving or logic testing activities – think spider solitaire or word encryption. If you can’t seem to do these things with little ones running around, try watching a knowledge game show like Jeopardy. It may seem like fun and games but using the problem solving part of your brain is an all over exercise. Using both left and right sides of your brain together will keep you sharp as a tack. You can also exercise your mind while you exercise your body. If you do activities that require you to use both your mind and body together you can get double benefits. Think along the lines of rubbing your belly and patting your head – an action that requires your mind to divide its attention, making it stronger. You can also participate in sports that require strategy as well as physicality – like rock climbing, kayaking, and tennis. Additionally, reading books, novels to non-fiction, is a great way keep your mind up to par. Even a romance novel once a month can play a positive role. Reading a story forces you to “envision” what you read which in turn works the brain. And keeping a quick wit about you will benefit you in every aspect of life!

Keeping up with the Kiddos

A sharp mind will also prevent you losing face in front of your child. Whether you decide to home school or send your child to public school, you will undoubtedly have to explain to at least one of your children the proper technique for determining the square root of 49. And though you may need to quickly read the direction in his math book, you will need a basic understanding of math to begin with.