You are what you read / Eres lo que lees

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention pillar #3: Mental stimulation

Those who continue learning new things throughout life and challenging their brains are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, so make it a point to stay mentally active. In essence, you need to “use it or lose it.”

Activities involving multiple tasks or requiring communication, interaction, and organization offer the greatest protection. Set aside time each day to stimulate your brain. Cross-training with these brain-boosting activities will help keep you mentally sharp:

• Learn something new. Study a foreign language, learn sign language, practice a musical instrument, read the newspaper or a good book, or take up a new hobby. The greater the novelty and challenge, the larger the deposit in your brain reserves.
• Practice memorization. Start with something short, progressing to something a little more involved, such as the 50 U.S. state capitals. Create rhymes and patterns to strengthen your memory connections.
• Enjoy strategy games, puzzles, and riddles. Brain teasers and strategy games provide a great mental workout and build your capacity to form and retain cognitive associations. Do a crossword puzzle, play board games or cards, or work word and number games, such as Scrabble or Sudoku.
• Practice the 5 W’s. Observe and report like a crime detective. Keep a “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” list of your daily experiences. Capturing visual details keeps your neurons firing.
• Follow the road less traveled. Take a new route, eat with your non-dominant hand, rearrange your computer file system. Vary your habits regularly to create new brain pathways.

Link: http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm

Relaxation technique 1: Breathing meditation for stress relief

With its focus on full, cleansing breaths, deep breathing is a simple, yet powerful, relaxation technique. It’s easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere, and provides a quick way to get your stress levels in check. Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as aromatherapy and music. All you really need is a few minutes and a place to stretch out.

Practicing deep breathing meditation

The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible in your lungs. When you take deep breaths from the abdomen, rather than shallow breaths from your upper chest, you inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel.

• Sit comfortably with your back straight. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Breathe in through your nose. The hand on your stomach should rise. The hand on your chest should move very little.
• Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little.
• Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale.

If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying on the floor. Put a small book on your stomach, and try to breathe so that the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale. 

Link: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm

Advanced Level - Confident Communicative Skills

Speaking

Advanced level English learners feel comfortable participating in most everyday conversations and can express themselves with ease and provide detail. They may feel challenged in situations where they are called upon to speak in public, but feel capable of doing so. At work, they can easily participate in every aspect of meetings, conference calls, etc. Their pronunciation only rarely gets in the way of comprehension.

Writing

English leaners at this level feel comfortable writing extended letters and e-mails, as well as writing business reports and shorter essays. They may still need proof-reading help from time to time, but are capable of complex structures and use a wide range of linking language.

Reading

Learners at the advanced level enjoy reading extensively in their own interests areas, and will sometimes read books in English for their own pleasure. When they come across challenging vocabulary, they have little problem in understanding the contextual meaning.

Listening

Learners can comprehend almost any conversation or entertainment format. They only rarely have problems when listening to very topic specific areas in which have little competence. They have no problem understanding others in both one to one conversations, and in more complex situations such as dinner with a number of friends, or business meetings.

Source:  http://esl.about.com/od/teachingenglish/a/ESL-Level-Rubric_4.htm

10 Ways to Give Your Morning a Makeover (thechangeblog.com)

Once upon a time I hated the morning. Waking up was a process of hitting the snooze button over and over, only to roll out of bed at the last possible moment. It was then a mad rush to get out the door, and very often I would need to run for the bus (not surprisingly I missed it a few times). Anyhow, I gave my morning a makeover and now it is my favorite part of the day. The following are 10 ways you too can give your mornings a makeover:

1. Wake Earlier

If the morning is always one big rush for you, it makes sense to wake earlier. Personally, I have trained myself to enjoy waking at 5am in the morning (something I have written about in my article How I Won the Battle of the Bed). I realize, thought, that this is far too early for many people. Anyone, however, can wake earlier. If you don’t normally enjoy the morning, this one tip may help change that. It is amazing what happens when you don’t have to be in a hurry to get out the door.

2. Don’t Turn the Computer Straight On

If you are anything like me, you will be tempted to turn the computer on first thing when you wake up. Take it from me, though, that is worth delaying this for 10, 30 or (ideally) 60 minutes. Too much time on the computer leaves anyone feeling drained, and in this modern age many of us are likely to spend much of our day in front of a computer.

3. Take a “Holy Hour”

One of my favorite personal growth coaches, Robin Sharma, suggests taking a “Holy Hour” each morning. Basically this is an hour you devote to your own self improvement. For ideas of what to do in this hour, read on….

4. Meditate

Meditation is such a powerful way to strengthen your mind and relax your body. For me, one of its main benefits is to help me focus on the now and stop worrying about the future or past.

5. Read

I love to ease into the day with a good book and a cup of coffee. Avoid the newspaper and instead feed you mind with inspiring stories, interesting ideas, and exciting adventures.

6. Exercise

If you have ever exercised in the morning, you will know how good it makes you feel for the rest of the day. Some ideas include hitting the gym, riding to work, going for a swim, running, yoga or even just having a stretch.

7. Review Your Goals

A great way to start the day is to review, or even better rewrite, your goals. Why? Because if you do this, you will be more aware of them as you go about your day. And with better awareness, you will be empowered to make better choices that help get you closer to achieving these goals.

8. Be Prepared

Personally, the morning is when I feel the freshest and most productive. So I like to spend my time on many of the activities on this list, rather than mundane activities such as ironing my clothes and making my lunch. This means being prepared – I try to iron my clothes for the week on Sunday night and prepare my lunch the night before.

9. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast

Firstly, make sure you actually are eating breakfast. I am amazed when I hear people tell me they don’t eat breakfast. How can they possibly be performing at their peak? Secondly, I’m no nutritional expert, but here are a few of my tips for a healthy breakfast: 1) if you eat cereal, make sure it is whole grain with lots of fiber and little to no added sugar 2) try adding some fresh berries, dried fruit, or sliced almonds to your cereal 3) if you are sick of cereal, try a breakfast shake (see a long list of shake ideas here).

10. Listen to Motivational Podcasts/ Audiobooks

The morning is the ideal time to listen to motivational podcasts and audiobooks. Personally, I love the feeling in the morning that there is a day of endless possibilities ahead. Also, if you need to travel to work or school, it’s a great way to make the most of the commute.

Source:  http://www.thechangeblog.com/10-ways-to-give-your-morning-a-makeover/

How is a Collective Paradigm Created?

 

Take a look around at our world and you will notice something very quickly. We do a lot of things that we never question. It’s as if many of the actions we do are robotic or mechanical. We repeat things that our parents taught us and when we ask them why it’s done they don’t even know. We repeat things we see on TV, learn in books or see in a movie because it all seems so normal. But how did all of this come about? How is it that we are doing things and don’t even know why? I once read this story about an experiment done with monkeys and it accurately depicts what humans have been doing for hundreds of years. I will post it below so you can check it out for yourself.

Mind Paradigm Created

 

Think about it, doesn’t this sound exactly like what we do here? We do things because of things that may have happened years ago and don’t even apply to us anymore. We never ask or question why it’s like that because we find it easier to be robotic than to think outside the box. Or is it that we have been educated into  not thinking outside of the box? Either way you look at it, I think it’s time we start moving ourselves out of mechanical mode and into free thinking mode.

Source:  http://www.collective-evolution.com/2012/08/03/how-is-a-collective-paradigm-created/

10 Easy Ways To Get More Reading Done

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

-       Charles W. Eliot

“I really should read more books,” you tell yourself.

There’s all this information you want to acquire, all these skills you want to learn.

You’re excited about reading more so that you can become a better parent, friend, employee, boss, writer or entrepreneur.

You want to immerse yourself in a captivating story and learn to see the world from a brand new perspective.

You know there’s plenty to gain from reading more books.

But when you get home after a long day, you give in to temptation.

You turn on the TV and lie on the couch. You login to Facebook and start watching YouTube videos.

Before you know it, it’s bedtime. No time left in the day to read.

If this describes you, you’re not alone. This poll reveals that half the adults in America read five books or fewer over the past year.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve discovered 10 easy ways to read more books, and I’d like to share them with you.

These 10 tips have helped me to read more than 170 books over the past four years, so I promise that they work.

1. 1.    Always have a book with you.

When you carry a book around with you all the time, it’s less likely that you’ll play with your phone or daydream whenever you’re caught waiting for something.

If you use your waiting time to read, you’ll be able to finish many more books in the long run.

1. 2.    Set aside time to read every night before you go to bed.

10 or 15 minutes of reading before you go to bed is a good way to unwind.

1. 3.    Get enough sleep.

This might sound like a tip that belongs in a different article, so allow me to explain.

Many people want to read on the bus or subway ride to work, but because they’re sleep-deprived, they decide to take a nap instead.

If you’re well-rested, you can use your commute to do some valuable reading.

1. 4.    Use your finger or a pen as a guide when you’re reading.

When you do this, you force your eyes not to “jump” around or skip back over the words that you’ve already read, which is the natural tendency of your eyes.

This tip alone will greatly improve your reading efficiency.

1. 5.    Use an e-reader.

I was initially hesitant about buying an e-reader (I use a Kindle), because I enjoy reading books in their physical form. But I was quickly won over by the convenience of doing all of my reading on the Kindle.

The font sizes are adjustable; you can share one book with multiple devices; you can highlight text and make notes; you can use one hand to navigate all of the Kindle’s functions (this is especially useful for me when I find myself holding on to the handlebar of a crowded bus with one hand, and using my Kindle with the other).

1. 6.    Buy audio books.

If you prefer to do your “reading” by listening, this option will work well for you.

1. 7.    Read one book at a time.

It’s tempting to read multiple books at once, but when you focus on finishing one book at a time, you’ll get more out of each book that you read.

1. 8.    Read while sitting on the “throne.”

It’s not recommended that you spend too much time sitting on the toilet, but since you’re going to be there for five minutes or so, why not do some reading? Five minutes of extra reading a day does add up.

1. 9.    Keep a list of books that you’ve read.

It’s exciting to see the list growing as time goes by, which will further encourage you to read more.

1. 10.  Keep a list of books that you want to read.

This list represents all the knowledge that you’d like to gain in the future. Referring to this list and updating it regularly will help you stay motivated to keep reading!

In closing…

Reading a book is like undergoing a chemical reaction.

You’ll never be exactly the same when you finish a book, because every book has the power to teach you, encourage you and shape you.

I hope these 10 tips enable you to be changed for the better through the power of reading many more good books.

Source: http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-easy-ways-to-get-more-reading-done/ 

The Importance Of Reading

It is a well-known fact that when there were no televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. People would spend hours reading books and travel to lands far away-in their minds. The only tragedy is that, with time, people have lost their skill and passion to read. There are many other exciting and thrilling options available, aside from books. And that is a shame because reading offers a productive approach to improving vocabulary and word power. It is advisable to indulge in at least half an hour of reading a day to keep abreast of the various styles of writing and new vocabulary.

It is observed that children and teenagers who love reading have comparatively higher IQs. They are more creative and do better in school and college. It is recommended that parents to inculcate the importance of reading to their children in the early years. Reading is said to significantly help in developing vocabulary, and reading aloud helps to build a strong emotional bond between parents and children. The children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills, and they grasp the variances in phonics much better.

Reading helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. Reading is an activity that involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader. It is an indulgence that enhances the knowledge acquired, consistently. The habit of reading also helps readers to decipher new words and phrases that they come across in everyday conversations. The habit can become a healthy addiction and adds to the information available on various topics. It helps us to stay in-touch with contemporary writers as well as those from the days of yore and makes us sensitive to global issues.

Reading provides detailed information on Reading, Home Reading, Reading Glasses, Reading Comprehension and more. Reading is affiliated with Educational Games.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-Of-Reading&id=354498