Mary Ferguson, director of community relations at The Birches, said exercising every part of the brain is important to cognitive health. Her colleague, Patti Terkovich, will share ways to challenge the brain and keep it healthy during a Jan. 15 program at the Hinsdale Public Library. (file photo)
How can people exercise their brains?
We've all heard of aerobics as a way to keep our bodies healthy. Neurobics, on the other hand, isn't nearly as well known but may be as important to mental fitness as cardio is to physical fitness.
"Our brains are continuing to grow," said Mary Ferguson, director of community relations at The Birches assisted living and memory care in Clarendon Hills.
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Ferguson's colleague, Patti Terkovich, will present "Building Your Mental Muscle" as part of Hinsdale Public Library's Successful Aging series. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees of all ages will learn about the structure of the human brain and learn tools to keep it healthy.
"It's pretty chock full of information," Ferguson said of the presentation, which Terkovich, a certified dementia practitioner, has shared throughout the community for several years.
The program will begin with an anatomy lesson of the brain,including its various regions and each region's function. Next, participants will learn about neurobics, a term introduced by neurobiologist Lawrence Katz more than 20 years ago, and learn how to exercise each part of the brain with different activities and exercises.
Just like muscles, Ferguson said, the brain becomes lazy when it's not challenged. Challenges and new experiences are like exercises for the brain, creating growth and new pathways.
Ferguson used the example of a rearranged grocery store to illustrate how change can challenge the brain.
"Most of us follow a certain pattern in the grocery store," she said. But when the canned food aisle becomes the toilet paper aisle, that weekly errand suddenly isn't as simple as it was the week before. While potentially frustrating, such challenges are good for the brain, Ferguson said.
In her presentation, Terkovich will encourage people to create challenges of their own as they make their way through their daily lives.
"That's a great way to keep your brain healthy," said Ferguson. Eating with your non-dominant hand or taking a new route to work are examples of simple yet effective neurobic exercises, Ferguson said. And while crossword puzzles and sudoku are good for the brain, switching up your puzzle routine to include something new is even better.
Neurobics involves all five senses, all of which are controlled by the brain. Ferguson said taking time to smell your morning coffee, taste and feel your food, and admire the colors in a landscape all are exercises for the brain that fall under the umbrella of mindfulness.
"Mindfulness is such a key part of neurobics," she said. Mindfulness has other benefits, too.
"When you're more engaged in your life, you have a happier life," Ferguson said.
Ferguson said program participants will go home with a better knowledge of their brain and tools for how to keep it healthy.
"It's a fun program," she said.
While there is currently a wait list for the Jan. 15 presentation, "Building Your Mental Muscle" will be presented again Feb. 18 as part of the Clarendon Hills Park District's senior programming, Ferguson said.
- by Sandy Illian Bosch
