Just like weight workouts add muscle to your body, an article posted on the brain science website SharpBrains.com reports that brain exercises can help increase your brain’s cognitive reserve. Here are some ideas to keep it sharp.

• Test your recall. Make a list—of grocery items, things to do, or anything else you can think of—and memorize it. An hour later, see how many items you can recall. Make items on the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation.
• Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of pencil, paper or computer. Try walking at the same time to make it more difficult and get some healthy motion in, too!
• Take a cooking class. Learn to cook a new, healthy cuisine. Cooking uses a number of senses: smell, touch, sight and taste, which all involve different parts of the brain.
• Create word pictures. Visualize the spelling of a word in your head, then try and think of other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
• Refine your hand-eye abilities. Take up a new hobby that involves fine-motor skills, such as knitting, drawing, painting, or assembling a puzzle.

These are just a few ways to keep your brain refreshed and on point. Healthy habits are rooted in the way you think. Strengthening your mental wellbeing goes a long way towards making your health journey a success!

Whether you have five minutes or half an hour to spare, there are lots of ways to make exercise fun*. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Exercise with a friend. f you struggle to get out of bed in the morning to exercise or find yourself making excuses after work, find an exercise buddy. Exercising with a friend will give you more motivation and some laughs along the way.
• Get outside. If a gym isn’t for you, head outside and take in some Vitamin D. Find somewhere new to go for a walk or enjoy a bike ride. If you have a four-legged friend at home, they’ll be thrilled to join you!
• Join a class. Yoga, Pilates, aqua aerobics, dancing, spinning, kickboxing, Zumba—be adventurous and join a class. Not only will you have fun, but you could make new friends in the process.
• Pump up the volume. Instead of exercising in silence, load your music player with upbeat songs to get you moving. Have fun creating your own playlist!
• Download some apps. Browse the many fitness apps available to help you stay on track. Not only can you monitor your workouts, you can also get tips, advice and most importantly, reminders. Some fun apps to peruse include MapMyWalk, 20 Minute Beginners Workout, and PocketYoga.

Contact me for Healthy Motion ideas that might work for you. And don’t forget the importance of Dr. A’s micro Habits for Healthy Motion that are easy to fit into your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking your car farther away in the parking lot. Keep it fun and exercise will become a welcome part of your life!

*When on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan®, we recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise while limiting exercise to 45 minutes of light to moderate physical activity each day.

Healthy and Happy

“I learned healthy eating habits, healthy shopping… I not only changed myself, but I also changed my children.”

Danielle Judge’s health journey was truly transformational. She broke her ankle in 2015 and was unable to get around, leading to a weight gain of 65 pounds on top of an already unhealthy body weight.

“I was suffering from depression, high blood pressure, and I had no energy. I wasn’t a good healthcare provider for my mother because I was tired all the time. I joined the OPTAVIA program in March of 2016 and got an amazing Coach who helped me see that this wasn’t a diet—it was a whole new way of life.”

OPTAVIA taught Danielle how to make healthy choices not just for her, but for her family. In addition to losing 150 pounds--half her body weight*--Danielle is thrilled with how happy and healthy she’s become, and where her life is going right now.

“I have so much more energy. I’m active with my children, we go bike riding and play games. I walk ten miles a day. Due to losing the weight, my blood pressure is better. In addition to cooking healthy for everyone, I’m also teaching my children how to make healthy choices.”

Danielle decided to become an OPTAVIA Coach so she could help others with their health journey. “It’s so great being a part of this amazing Community—helping people get a second lease on life.” Now that she’s a Coach herself, Danielle is paying it forward and helping others write transformational stories as successful as her own.

*Average weight loss for Clients on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan^® with support is 20 pounds. Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.