Training Your Brain For Dummies

by Packiam Alloway, Tracy

• ISBN13: 9780470974490
• ISBN10: 0470974494
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-31
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Mastering the latest fitness craze-keeping your brain healthy at any ageJudging from the worldwide popularity of the brain game, Nintendo DS, and such mind-bending puzzles as SuDoku and KenKenr, keeping one's mind as limber as an Olympic athlete is an international obsession. With forecasters predicting over a million people with dementia by 2025, today's young and senior population have a vested interest in keeping their grey matter in the pink for as long as possible. Training Your Brain For Dummies is an indispensable guide to every aspect of brain fitness-and keeping your mind as sharp, agile, and creative for as long as you can. Whether you want to hone your memory, manage stress and anxiety, or simply eat brain healthy food, this guide will help you build brain health into your everyday life. Includes verbal, numerical and memory games, brain games to play on the move, tips on the best day-to-day habits, and long-term mental fitness techniques Offers ten key brain training basics, tips on brain training through one's lifetime, and improving long- and short-term memory Includes advice on improving creativity, developing a positive mindset, and reaping the rewards of peace and quietWith tips on mind/body fitness, Training Your Brain For Dummies is a must-have guide for anyone, at any age, for keeping one's mind-and quality of life-in peak condition.

Author Biography

Dr Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD is the Director of the Centre for Memory and Learning in the Lifespan at the University of Striling. Her research has been featured in newspapers including The Guardian and The Daily Mail, as well as on BBC Radio, Sky News, and ABC News. She has also written over 75 scientific articles and books about memory and learning. Tracy was the winner of the 2009 Joseph Lister Science Award.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
About This Book	p. 1
Conventions Used in This Book	p. 1
What You're Not to Read	p. 2
Foolish Assumptions	p. 2
How This Book Is Organised	p. 2
Brain Training Basics	p. 2
Remember, Remember... Keeping Your Memory Sharp	p. 3
Fostering a Happy, Healthy Mind	p. 3
Getting Physical: Looking at Brain-Friendly Diet and Lifestyle	p. 3
Game On! Brain Training Games to Play at Home	p. 3
The Part of Tens	p. 4
Icons Used in This Book	p. 4
Where to Go from Here	p. 5
Brain Training Basics	p. 7
Introducing Brain Training	p. 9
Yes, You Can Train Your Brain!	p. 9
Getting to Know Your Brain	p. 10
The Long and Short of Memory	p. 10
The long story	p. 11
The short story	p. 11
Developing a Healthy Brain	p. 12
Getting Active for Life	p. 13
Getting to Know Your Brain	p. 15
Discovering How the Brain Works	p. 15
The four-part brain	p. 15
Keeping the brain alert and active	p. 18
Looking at the Brain's Two Sides	p. 22
Saying hello to the left side	p. 22
Getting to know the right side	p. 23
Separating Fact from Fiction	p. 24
Do you really only use 10 per cent of your brain?	p. 24
Does your brain shrink as you get older?	p. 25
Can you change your brain?	p. 27
Brain Training for Your Needs	p. 29
Brain Training in Children	p. 29
Providing a stimulating environment for the brain	p. 29
Sesame Street versus Dr Seuss	p. 32
Making the most of the early years	p. 32
Brain Training for Adults	p. 34
Dispelling the myths of brain training	p. 35
Using what works for your brain	p. 35
Remember, Remember... Keeping Your Memory Sharp	p. 39
Honing Your Long-Term Memory	p. 41
Remembering Your Past: Autobiographical Memory	p. 41
Discovering the importance of childhood memories	p. 42
Harnessing the power of happy memories	p. 43
Using Your Everyday Knowledge: Semantic Memory	p. 45
Knowing the Eiffel Tower from the Learning Tower	p. 45
Making associations that last	p. 47
Long-term Skills: Procedural Memory	p. 50
Practising for perfection	p. 50
Training in your sleep	p. 52
Improving Your Short-Term Memory	p. 53
Speaking Your Brain's Language: Verbal Memory	p. 54
Articulating for a better brain	p. 55
Talking fast to remember more	p. 56
Seeing Your Brain's Perspective: Visual Memory	p. 57
Harnessing the power of visualisation	p. 59
Photographing your memory	p. 60
Moving at Your Brain's Pace: Spatial Memory	p. 61
Getting a bird's eye perspective	p. 62
Move through space	p. 63
Improving Your Language Skills	p. 67
Avoiding Verbal Loss	p. 67
Banishing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon	p. 68
Using a variety of words	p. 69
Remembering Your Shopping List and Other Important Things	p. 70
Repeating, repeating, repeating	p. 70
Rhyming to remember	p. 71
Measuring Your Language Skills with Verbal IQ Tests	p. 72
Looking at verbal IQ tests	p. 72
Measuring your brain's verbal IQ	p. 73
Recognising Faces and Remembering Directions	p. 75
Understanding Visual-Spatial Memory Skills	p. 75
Banishing the 'You Look Familiar, But I Can't Remember You' Phenomenon	p. 76
Reasoning and logic: The key to training your visual-spatial skills	p. 78
Working Your Memory Muscle	p. 81
Looking at Visual-Spatial IQ Tests	p. 82
Testing, testing	p. 83
Measuring your brain's visual-spatial IQ	p. 84
Scoring your test	p. 85
Fostering a Happy, Healthy Mind	p. 87
Improving Your Creativity	p. 89
Boosting Your Brain Power with Creative Endeavours	p. 89
Tapping Out Tempo	p. 91
Music and language development	p. 92
Perfecting your pitch to keep your brain	p. 94
Drawing Isn't Just for Picasso	p. 97
Doodling to stay on task	p. 98
Drawing to release your creative side	p. 98
Comparing the Brains of Creative and Non-creative People	p. 99
Developing a Positive Mindset	p. 101
Smiling Your Way to a Better Brain	p. 101
When everyday life has you stressed out	p. 102
Thinking positive	p. 103
Changing Perspectives	p. 105
Taking stock of your brain's health	p. 106
Why 'half-empty' doesn't make a difference to your mental health	p. 108
Managing Stress and Anxiety	p. 108
Understanding why stress kills brain cells	p. 109
Taking control to de-stress	p. 111
Reaping the Rewards of Peace and Quiet	p. 113
Using the Power of Silence	p. 113
Finding meaning in the noise	p. 113
Finding calm amidst the chaos	p. 115
Making time for quiet	p. 116
Overcoming the Daily Bustle with Meditation	p. 116
What happens in the brain during meditation?	p. 117
Boosting your visual memory with meditation	p. 118
Changing Your Brain with Prayer	p. 119
Keeping Your Brain Sociable	p. 123
Letting Go of Anger and Loneliness	p. 123
Making Friends and Losing Enemies	p. 124
Staying Happy and Fostering Friendships	p. 125
Socialising Your Brain Digitally	p. 128
Multiplayer computer games count as socialising	p. 129
Social networking sites are A-OK	p. 129
Getting Physical: Looking at Brain-Friendly Diet and Lifestyle	p. 133
Feeding Your Brain	p. 135
Eating for Life: Nutrition in the Womb	p. 135
Craving Marmite	p. 135
Resisting the sugary urge	p. 138
Eating for Life: Nutrition in Childhood	p. 139
Fishing for your brain	p. 139
Dealing with picky eaters	p. 140
Snacking right for a better brain	p. 141
Developing Eating Habits for a Lifetime	p. 143
Juicing for life	p. 143
Making meat count	p. 145
Brain foods in your cupboard	p. 146
Looking at Stimulants: Drugs and Caffeine	p. 147
Pepping Up Your Brain	p. 147
Keeping your brain sharp: What works and what doesn't	p. 147
Avoiding the caffeine dip	p. 149
Relaxing Your Brain	p. 150
Taking a cup of green tea a day to keep the doctor away	p. 150
Calming your brain	p. 151
Medicating Your Brain	p. 152
Popping pills: Can they keep your brain sharp?	p. 153
Staying away from brain drainers	p. 154
Building Up Mind/Body Fitness	p. 157
Moving Your Body to Keep Your Brain Healthy	p. 157
Comparing running and yoga	p. 157
Finding your ideal level	p. 159
Feeling good from exercise	p. 160
Getting Started On an Exercise Programme	p. 161
Resting Your Brain	p. 163
Getting better rest	p. 164
Sleeping your way to a better brain	p. 165
Game On! Brain Training Games to Play at Home	p. 171
Verbal Brain Games	p. 173
Scrambling Words	p. 173
Getting a feel for different types of word scrambles	p. 174
Being strategic	p. 175
Giving word scrambles a try	p. 175
Relaxing with Word Searches	p. 178
Being strategic	p. 178
Trying your hand at word searches	p. 179
Numerical Brain Games	p. 183
Using Logic to Solve Sudoku Puzzles	p. 183
Solving strategies	p. 184
Trying the puzzles	p. 185
Taking Target Practice with Circular Sudoku	p. 197
Logic Games	p. 203
Logic Puzzles	p. 203
Easy	p. 204
Tricky	p. 204
Tough	p. 205
Treacherous	p. 205
Riddles	p. 206
Easy	p. 206
Tricky	p. 207
Tough	p. 207
Treacherous	p. 208
Cryptograms	p. 208
Easy	p. 209
Tricky	p. 210
Tough	p. 211
Treacherous	p. 212
The Part of Tens	p. 215
Ten New Habits to Train Your Brain	p. 217
Try Line Dancing	p. 217
Puzzle Over Jigsaws	p. 218
Learn a Language	p. 219
Memorise Capital Cities	p. 220
Walk in a Different Park	p. 221
Eat New Food	p. 221
Join a Book Club	p. 222
Write a Film Review	p. 223
Spend Five Minutes Each Morning in Contemplation	p. 224
List Three Things You're Thankful for Before Bed	p. 224
Ten Brain Games to Play on the Move	p. 225
Match That Face	p. 225
Spot the Objects	p. 225
Tip-of-the-tongue Game	p. 226
Number Game	p. 226
Memory Game	p. 227
Tell Me a Story	p. 227
Drumming for your Brain	p. 228
Read a Challenging Book	p. 228
Circling Fun	p. 228
Wrapping It Up	p. 229
Appendix: The Payoff: Checking Your Answers	p. 231
Index	p. 247
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