Greetings from LIFESTYLE CHOICES!
OLEANDER PARTY INVITATION!
My husband, Andy, and I wish to invite our friends to our home in San Leon, TX for our annual Oleander Party. We’ll be providing some great live music, a keg, soft drinks, 2 smoked hogs, and smoked oysters. You’ll need to bring lawn chairs, a side dish, and a smile, as well as whatever else you’d like to drink. If you have a pop up tent, bring that. They’re great for rain or shine and quite festive! Of course Andy and The Dreamsicles will be playing as well as 3-4 more bands so come prepared to have lots of fun!
When: Sunday, May 22, 2011—from 2pm ‘til Dark
Where: The Oleanders, 919 7th St., San Leon, TX
Directions: From Kemah, go South on Hwy 146 (7 miles). Turn Left on FM 646 (Bacliff). Turn Right on Bayshore (by the water). Turn Right on 7th St. The Oleanders is on the Left on the corner of 7th and Ave. I (same as Hwy 517).
THE OLEANDERS is a house built by Andy Upchurch in San Leon. It is named THE OLEANDERS in the style of the smaller Caribbean islands where the houses have names rather than street numbers. It is named for the profusion of wild oleanders which were found growing there.
Movie Trailer for “Forks over Knives!”
Whole Foods Market is one of the sponsors of this movie which has been featured on CNN and Oprah.com. It will be released in Landmark, Regal, and AMC theaters towards the middle of May. Watch for it! http://www.forksoverknives.com/
From TEDxAustin,March 24, 2011
Robyn O’Brien, a Texas native and formerly a food industry analyst on Wall Street, is seen delivering her presentation to TEDxAustin last month. In Robin’s first book, The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It, she discusses additives in the American food supply that have either been banned or labeled from foods in other developed countries. Her speech is fairly shocking and sincere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA
“Robyn O’Brien inspires us in THE UNHEALTHY TRUTH with the information that she has learned about our food supply and offers practical and affordable steps to take to protect the health of our families.” –Dr. Oz
GROW YOUR BRAIN?
With new brain imaging diagnostic equipment, scientists are discovering more about how the brain grows and how the learning process works.10 million Baby Boomers are expected to contract Alzheimer’s and I don’t want to be a part of that statistic. Also prior to my dad’s recent death, his care became particularly challenging because of Alzheimer’s and so if I can avoid it, I will. What can I do to prevent it?
According to the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation (ARPF), much can be done if I’m willing to look at my lifestyle. Which ones need to be addressed? Specifically diet, stress management, adequate sleep, and regular exercise, including brain exercise. Brain exercise…? I need to do gymnastics for my brain?
Rush University conducted a study with 700 Chicago area seniors who averaged over 80 years of age. These participants received cognitive testing annually. The researchers found that those who were mentally active were 2.5 times less likely to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease than those who had minimal mental stimulation. Mental stimulation also reduced mild cognitive impairment. According to ARPF, “neurologists report that mental exercise can reduce your chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 70%.”
So what does it mean to be mentally active? Watching television, reading romance novels, or twittering/ face booking may be relaxing but these activities don’t challenge our brains. Our brains atrophy as much as 25% when we no longer stimulate them. This shrinkage is especially pronounced in the hippocampus which regulates our emotions and memory. Here are some suggestions:
- Learn something new every day– read the Bible or any book which requires concentration, learn a foreign language, start a new hobby, take a continuing education class
- Memorize– poetry, the Latin names of your plants, U.S. and world capitals
- Work puzzles such as Sudoku and crossword puzzles which are complex
- Play games which require strategizing or stretching your mind. Online games are available at www.braingle.com or www.cognitivelabs.com. For a monthly fee try www.lumosity.com
Did you know that physical exercise creates new brain cells? Just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 X week or more is recommended. If you don’t enjoy working out at the gym, why not take up line dancing? Many times when my husband’s band is playing, we’ll have a large group of seniors dancing almost every song. They attend a dance class at one of our community centers and can be found dancing somewhere in the area as many as 5 times a week! Being a couch potato just doesn’t cut it anymore if you’d like to enjoy your retirement years.
Research is showing there is a strong link between heart health and brain health. Interestingly the lifestyle choices which should be addressed for Alzheimer’s are almost exactly the same for heart disease. If heart disease is American males’ and female’s number one cause of death, do you see why we’re possibly seeing such a surge in Alzheimer’s?