Staying Sharp

Staying Sharp

in conjunction with American Geriatrics Society and Health in Aging Foundation

Staying Sharp For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016934504

ISBN: 978-1-119-18779-0 (pbk); 978-1-119-18781-3 (ebk); 978-1-119-18780-6 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents at a GlanceIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Part 1: Getting Started with Staying Sharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5CHAPTER 1: Training Your Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7CHAPTER 2: Improving Your Language Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23CHAPTER 3: Sparking Your Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31CHAPTER 4: Recognizing Faces and Remembering Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41CHAPTER 5: Getting a Handle on Brain Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49CHAPTER 6: Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Part 2: Boosting Your Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111CHAPTER 7: Cultivating Your Memory Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113CHAPTER 8: Discovering How Your Brain Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127CHAPTER 9: Memory Tricks and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147CHAPTER 10: Keeping Your Memory Sharp as You Grow Older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157CHAPTER 11: Schooling Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171CHAPTER 12: Honing Your Long-Term Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185CHAPTER 13: Improving Your Short-Term Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197CHAPTER 14: Keeping Your Memory Intact in a High-Speed World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Part 3: Managing Stress: Relaxing Mind and Body . . . . . . . . . 221CHAPTER 15: Understanding Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223CHAPTER 16: Relaxing Your Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257CHAPTER 17: Stress-Reducing Organizational Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279CHAPTER 18: Meditation 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Part 4: Improving Your Lifestyle: Nutrition and Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

CHAPTER 19: Eating, Exercising, and Getting Your Zzzs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333CHAPTER 20: Maintaining a Healthy Weight and Fitness Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357CHAPTER 21: Considering a Plant-Based Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381CHAPTER 22: The Skinny on Superfoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Part 5: Healthy Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431CHAPTER 23: The Four Major Health Concerns as You Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433CHAPTER 24: Evaluating Your Health and History and Setting

Goals for Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

CHAPTER 25: Stroke Risk Factors and Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499CHAPTER 26: Don’t Worry, Be Happy: The Keys to Maintaining Health

and Vitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Part 6: The Part of Tens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549CHAPTER 27: Ten Ways to Make Your Home Safer as You Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551CHAPTER 28: Ten (Plus) Almost-Superfoods that Can Help

Round Out Your Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

Table of Contents vii

Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Foolish Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Icons Used in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Beyond the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

PART 1: GETTING STARTED WITH STAYING SHARP . . . . . . . . . 5

CHAPTER 1: Training Your Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Getting Ready to Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Developing a healthy brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Getting healthy for life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Dispelling the myths of brain training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Using what works for your brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Discovering How the Brain Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11The four-part brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Maintaining decision-making and memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Separating Fact from Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Do you really use only 10 percent of your brain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Does your brain shrink as you get older? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Can you change your brain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

CHAPTER 2: Improving Your Language Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Finding the Right Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Banishing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Using a variety of words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Remembering Your Shopping List and Other Important Things . . . . .26Repeating, repeating, repeating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Rhyming to remember, and other helpful strategies . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Measuring Your Language Skills with IQ Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Looking at the verbal scores on IQ tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Measuring your brain’s IQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

CHAPTER 3: Sparking Your Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Boosting Your Brainpower with Creative Endeavors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Tapping out Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Reaping the benefits of musical training on your brain . . . . . . . . .34Drawing Isn’t Just for Picasso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Doodling to stay on task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Drawing to release your creative side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Looking at the Difference a Creative Brain Makes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

viii Staying Sharp For Dummies

CHAPTER 4: . Recognizing Faces and Remembering Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Understanding Visual-Spatial Memory Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Banishing the “You Look Familiar, But I Can’t Remember You” Phenomenon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Reasoning and logic: The key to training your visual-spatial skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Working Your Memory Muscle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Measuring Your Brain’s Visual-Spatial IQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

CHAPTER 5: Getting a Handle on Brain Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Pumping Up Your Synapses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Building a Cognitive Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Taking a Whole-Body Approach to Brain Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Getting Logical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Fiddling with Riddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Decoding Cryptograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Straightening Out Word Scrambles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Relaxing with Word Searches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Tackling the Crossword Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

CHAPTER 6: Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Logic Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Tricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Treacherous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Riddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Tricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Treacherous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Cryptograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Tricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Treacherous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Word Scrambles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Tricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Treacherous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Word Searches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Table of Contents ix

Tricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Treacherous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

PART 2: BOOSTING YOUR MEMORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

CHAPTER 7: Cultivating Your Memory Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Wondering about Skips in Your Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Being present rather than absentminded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114On the tip of your tongue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Unblocking the block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Clearing the Air of Random Noise and Ridiculous Ideas . . . . . . . . . . .117Sorting fact from fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118The good-news/bad-news reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Improving Your Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Discovering what your memory skills are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Maintaining your brain properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121Avoiding food, drink, and drugs that depress memory . . . . . . . . .122Working your memory systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Putting your memory skills to the test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Keeping your mind sharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

CHAPTER 8: Discovering How Your Brain Remembers . . . . . . . . . . 127Navigating Through Your Hemispheres and Lobes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Introducing your right hemisphere, the emotional side . . . . . . . .128Meeting your left hemisphere, the orderly side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130T is for temporal: Remembering what you hear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130F is for frontal, as in “frontal assault” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132P is for parietal — sensory stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134O is for occipital — visual stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Brain Cells: Zooming in for a Closer Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Understanding your chemical messengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Coating your axons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136Branching out for new thoughts and memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Staging Your Memories: Long Term, Short Term . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Sorting and Recovering Your Memories Down Pathways . . . . . . . . . .141

Feeling memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Smelling memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Experiencing memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Hearing memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143Seeing memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Verbal memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

x Staying Sharp For Dummies

CHAPTER 9: Memory Tricks and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Introducing Mnemonics, Your Memory Sidekick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147Hanging Memories on Pegs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148Putting Memories into Familiar Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150Telling Yourself a Story to Link Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

The link system: Remembering a list without paper and pencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152The story system: Weaving a story to recall a list . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Choosing the Right Mnemonic at the Right Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154Picking a mnemonic that works for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154Matching the mnemonic to what you want to remember . . . . . .154Selecting a mnemonic that fits the situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

CHAPTER 10: Keeping Your Memory Sharp as You Grow Older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Mentally Noting How Memory Changes with Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Making Full Use of a Vintage Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Reducing stress, keeping the blood flowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159Compensating for your graying senses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Mental Gymnastics: Inflating a Shrinking Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163Keeping your neurons from shrinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Becoming an Old Dog Who Remembers New Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165Branching out of routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166Educating your memory skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168Getting artsy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

CHAPTER 11: Schooling Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Organizing Your Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

Stretching out your learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173Sectioning learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Learning deeply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Relearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Putting relearning and direct recall together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Striving for Meaning Rather Than Rote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178Taking Notes and Remembering What You’ve Heard . . . . . . . . . . . . .180Remembering What You Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Survey the book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182Develop questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182Read the book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Recite the material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Review main points and notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

CHAPTER 12: Honing Your Long-Term Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185Remembering Your Past: Autobiographical Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Discovering the importance of childhood memories . . . . . . . . . . .186Harnessing the power of happy memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

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Using Your Everyday Knowledge: Semantic Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188Knowing the Eiffel Tower from the Leaning Tower . . . . . . . . . . . .189Making associations that last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

Long-term Skills: Procedural Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193Practicing for perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194Training in your sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195Thinking like a musician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

CHAPTER 13: Improving Your Short-Term Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Speaking Your Brain’s Language: Verbal Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Giving your brain the best chance to remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199Talking fast to remember more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Seeing Your Brain’s Perspective: Visual Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Harnessing the power of visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202Photographing your memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Moving at Your Brain’s Pace: Spatial Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Getting a bird’s eye perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Move through space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

CHAPTER 14: Keeping Your Memory Intact in a High-Speed World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Staying Organized at the Center of the Cyclone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Setting priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210Organizing your memory of priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

Dodging the Hazards of Multitasking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212Being mindful of the pitfalls of multitasking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213Knowing when to choose multitasking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214

Breaking Away from a Media-Crazed World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Remembering yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Focusing on the here and now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216Flowing with memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

Aiding Your Memory with External Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219

PART 3: MANAGING STRESS: RELAXING MIND AND BODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221

CHAPTER 15: Understanding Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223So What Exactly Is Stress Anyhow? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Sorry, but I really need a definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224Stress causes stress? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

Understanding Where All This Stress Is Coming From . . . . . . . . . . . .225Struggling in a struggling economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226Getting frazzled at work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226Feeling frazzled at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227

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Piling on new stresses with technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229Dealing with daily hassles (the little things add up) . . . . . . . . . . . .230

Looking at the Signs and Symptoms of Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Breaking Down How Stress Can Make You Sick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Feeling like stress is a pain in the neck (and other places) . . . . . .232Taking stress to heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Hitting below the belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Compromising your immune system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234The cold facts: Connecting stress and the sniffles . . . . . . . . . . . . .235Not tonight, dear . I have a (stress) headache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

Stressing Out Your Family and Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235Can Stress Be Good? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236How This Whole Stress Thing Got Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Imagining you’re a cave person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237Surviving the modern jungle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

Knowing the Signs of Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239Your body reacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239Your feelings and behavior change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241

Understanding Stress Is As Simple As ABC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242Managing Stress: A Three-Pronged Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Handling your stressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Changing your thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244Directing your stress responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244

How Stressed Are You? Finding Ways to Measure Your Stress Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Starting with a simple gut check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245Using a stress gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246Measuring your stress in other ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

Monitoring Your Stress with a Stress Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Knowing how to record your stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251Knowing when to record your stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254

Facing Roadblocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254Take it a step at a time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Give it a try . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Accept your different strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Practice to make perfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Find a quiet place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256Link up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256Get a stress buddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256Don’t expect overnight results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256

CHAPTER 16: Relaxing Your Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Stress Can Be a Pain in the Neck (and That’s Just for Starters) . . . . . .257

Funny, I don’t feel tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258Invasion of the body scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

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Breathing Away Your Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260No mints required: Tackling bad breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Evaluating your breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262Cutting yourself some slack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262Changing the way you breathe, changing the way you feel . . . . .263Refreshing yourself with a yawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266

Tensing Your Way to Relaxation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267Exploring how progressive relaxation works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267Scrunching up like a pretzel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Mind over Body: Using the Power of Suggestion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271Stretching Away Your Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273Massage? Ah, There’s the Rub! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Massaging yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274Becoming the massage-er or massage-ee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276

Taking a Three-Minute Energy Burst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276Minding More Ways to Relax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277

CHAPTER 17: Stress-Reducing Organizational Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279Figuring Out Why Your Life Is So Disorganized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

Are you organizationally challenged? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280Identifying your personal disorganization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

Clearing Away the Clutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281Bust those clutter excuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282Get yourself motivated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284Draw yourself a clutter road map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285Get your feet wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285Stop kidding yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286Avoid discouragement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286Get down to the nitty-gritty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288

Organizing Your Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290Organizing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291

Losing the paper trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291Organizing the papers you do need to keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293Safeguarding your digital documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295Never put all your papers in one basket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296Organizing electronically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297Managing your email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298

Keeping Your Life Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299Being proactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299Buying less . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300

CHAPTER 18: Meditation 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301Getting an Overview of How the Journey Unfolds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303

Different paths up the same mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303The view from the summit — and from other peaks along the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305

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The taste of pure mountain water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306There’s no place like home — and you’ve already arrived! . . . . . .308

Developing and Directing Awareness: The Key to Meditation . . . . . .310Building concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311Opening to receptive awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312Using contemplation for greater insight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312Cultivating positive, healing states of mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313

Making Meditation Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313Designing your own practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314Troubleshooting the challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314

How Life Drives You to Meditate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316The myth of the perfect life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316When things keep falling apart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318Dealing with the postmodern predicament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319Four popular “solutions” that don’t really work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322

How to Survive the 21st Century with Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323Advanced technology for the mind and heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324The mind-body benefits of meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325

A Dozen More Great Reasons to Meditate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Awakening to the present moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Making friends with yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Connecting more deeply with others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Relaxing the body and calming the mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Lightening up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Enjoying more happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Experiencing focus and flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Feeling more centered, grounded, and balanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Enhancing your performance at work and at play . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Increasing appreciation, gratitude, and love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330Aligning with a deeper sense of purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330Awakening to a spiritual dimension of being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330

PART 4: IMPROVING YOUR LIFESTYLE: NUTRITION AND EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

CHAPTER 19 Eating, Exercising, and Getting Your Zzzs . . . . . . . . . . 333Surveying Stress-Effective Eating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333

Feeding your brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334Choosing low-stress foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334Stopping the stress-eating cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336Eating mindfully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339Mastering the art of anti-stress snacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340Eating out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341

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Examining Stress-Reducing Exercise and Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343Calming your brain naturally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343Thinking activity, not exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343Doing the gym thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345Keeping yourself motivated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348Knowing your sleep needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348Hitting the sheets earlier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349Developing a sleep routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349Falling asleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354

CHAPTER 20: Maintaining a Healthy Weight and Fitness Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .357Understanding Healthy Body Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358

Calculating body mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358Recognizing unhealthy body mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359

Weighing the Tolls of Extra Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360Assessing Your Current Level of Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362

Evaluating your fitness level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362Getting the green light from your primary physician . . . . . . . . . . .364Crunching your body composition numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365

Custom-Designing Your Plan with Balance in Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368Counting calories for weight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369Creating a safe and effective exercise program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369From trial to style: Making a (good) habit of it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375Evaluating the success of your efforts (and rewarding yourself along the way) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376

When Weight Just Won’t Come Off: Considering Weight-Loss Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377Succeeding at the Hardest Part: Maintaining Your Healthy Weight! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378

CHAPTER 21: Considering a Plant-Based Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381What Does “Plant-Based” Mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382Getting to the Root of a Plant-Based Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382

What’s included . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383What’s off limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386

It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .386Appreciating the power of greens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387Focusing on quality, not quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389It’s all in the genes: Understanding and working with your code for health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389Forging ahead with fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .390

xvi Staying Sharp For Dummies

Answering Common Questions about a Plant-Based Diet . . . . . . . . .391Can I get full eating only plants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391How do I get protein? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391What about calcium? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .391How do I get iron? Won’t I become anemic? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .392Does eating plant-based help people lose weight? . . . . . . . . . . . .392

A Quick Guide to Making Plant-Based Eating Part of Your Everyday Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393Eating According to a Plant-Based Food Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393Feeling Good with Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .395

Weight management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396Energy and vitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396Better sleep quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396

Becoming a Wellness Warrior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397Diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398Heart disease and hypertension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400Osteoporosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403Gastrointestinal illnesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404Other conditions that benefit from a plant-based diet . . . . . . . . .404

CHAPTER 22: The Skinny on Superfoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407Understanding the Difference between Foods and Superfoods . . . .408Boning Up on Basic Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408

Introducing the big nutrients you need: Carbs, proteins, and fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409Getting to know the little nutrients you need: Vitamins and minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413Zeroing in on superfoods nutrients: Phytochemicals . . . . . . . . . .415

Creating a Healthy, Balanced Superfoods Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .416Determining how many calories you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417Planning superfood meals and menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418

Taking the First Steps toward a Healthier You with Superfoods . . . .420Boosting Your Immune System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .420Helping Your Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421Losing Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .423Protecting Against Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .424Improving Digestion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .425Easing Inflammation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .425

Addressing the role of antioxidants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426Investigating fats and inflammation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426

Aging Beautifully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .427Keeping that youthful glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Pumping up your pep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Seeing — and believing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430

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PART 5: HEALTHY AGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

CHAPTER 23: The Four Major Health Concerns as You Age . . . . . . 433Life Expectancy in the 21st Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434

That was then . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434 . . . This is now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436

The Basics of Pro-Aging: The Best Actions You Can Take . . . . . . . . . .437If Staying Young and Healthy Is So Easy, Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .440

Short-sighted thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .440Confusing what feels good with what is good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441The desire for a quick (and easy) fix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441Modifying your lifestyle is key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .443

Looking at Cancer: The Four Most Common Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .444Lung cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445Breast cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449Prostate cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .458Colorectal cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .460

Being Informed about Diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465Differentiating among the types of diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465Understanding your risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466Playing your part in prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467Recognizing the symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467Managing diabetes and considering the prospects . . . . . . . . . . . .468

Cardiovascular Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469Differentiating among the various heart diseases and illnesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469Understanding your risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471Playing your part in prevention and managing cardiovascular disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472Recognizing the symptoms of coronary artery disease . . . . . . . . .472Identifying and responding to a heart attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473

Osteoporosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474Understanding your risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474Playing your part in prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475Recognizing the symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475Managing osteoporosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476

CHAPTER 24: Evaluating Your Health and History and Setting Goals for Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477Investigating and Writing Down Your Medical and Family History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478

Taking stock of yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478Looking down the family line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .479

xviii Staying Sharp For Dummies

Visiting the Doc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .480Having regular checkups: What should happen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481Less frequent exams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .488

Determining Your Goals and Putting Them on Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . .491Developing your goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .491Recording your goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .493

Pushing for Persistence to Successfully Reach Your Goals . . . . . . . . .494Staying focused — and optimistic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .494Measuring your progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495Removing obstacles and getting back on track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .497Finding support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498

CHAPTER 25: Stroke Risk Factors and Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499Noting the Types of Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500Paying Attention to the Warning Signs of Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .501Underscoring the Importance of Stroke Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502

Accepting what you can’t change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502Zeroing in on what you can change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .503

High Blood Pressure: Stalking the Silent Killer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .504Understanding blood pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .504Defining high blood pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505Getting your blood pressure checked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505Battling a lifelong threat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506

Who’s at Risk for High Blood Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506Heredity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507African American ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507Diet and lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507Drugs that may lead to high blood pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .509

Lowering Blood Pressure to Reduce Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .509Control through diet and exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510Control with medication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510

Drugs for Lowering Blood Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .511Checking Out How Fat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512

Fat: Slow-burning fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512Breaking down fat in the digestive system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513

Getting to Know the Two Types of Fat: Cholesterol and Triglycerides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514

Cholesterol is waxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514Triglycerides are greasy or oily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515

Fat Transporters: HDL, LDL, and Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515HDL: The good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516LDL: The bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516VLDL: The ugly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516Chylomicrons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516The stroke connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517

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Testing for Fat Trouble in Your Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517Testing your blood for cholesterol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517Fasting before your blood test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518Interpreting blood test results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518Monitoring your efforts with blood tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520

Keeping Fats in Check with Statin Drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520The skinny on statins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520How statins work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521Side effects of statins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521

Heart and Vascular Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523Atrial fibrillation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523Heart attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523Heart valve disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524Treating to slow blood clotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524

Controlling Diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .525Fighting Obesity with Diet and Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .526

The principle of weight gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .526Changing your eating habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .526Seeing through the advertising hype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527Exercising as a lifelong habit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .527

Making a Plan for Reducing Stroke Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .528Collecting the evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529Setting your prevention goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530

CHAPTER 26: Don’t Worry, Be Happy: The Keys to Maintaining Health and Vitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .531Factoring In the Importance of a Positive Attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .532Embracing a Healthy, Balanced Approach to Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533

Turning around negativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533Being less confrontational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .535

Staying Active and In Touch with the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537Connecting with Your Spiritual Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .538Connecting with Others: The Significance of Support . . . . . . . . . . . . .539

Family and friends: Life preservers of the human kind . . . . . . . . .540Love relationships: With or without them, how you age . . . . . . . .542

S-E-X: Why Getting It On May Help You Live Longer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .543Sexual activity is good for . . . everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .544Recognizing the effects of aging on sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .544Solving sexual problems together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .547

xx Staying Sharp For Dummies

PART 6: THE PART OF TENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

CHAPTER 27: Ten Ways to Make Your Home Safer as You Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .551Take Precautions to Prevent Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .551In Case of Fire . . . Plan Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .552Be Sure Your Meds are Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .552Stock Your Emergency Supply Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .553Update Your Life-Saving Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .554Let Lighting Lead Your Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555Reach Easily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555Bathe Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .556Prevent Poisoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .556Make Sure that You Can See Clearly Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557

CHAPTER 28: Ten (Plus) Almost-Superfoods that Can Help Round Out Your Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .559Whole Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .560Poultry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .560Bison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561Yogurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .561Snap Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .562Cabbage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .562Winter Squash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .562Cauliflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .563Canola Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .563Grapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .564Mangos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .565

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

Introduction 1

Introduction

W elcome to Staying Sharp For Dummies!

Your brain plays a major role in almost everything you do, including thinking, feeling, communicating, breathing, remembering, working, playing, sleeping, and countless other activities. Maintaining and improving your brain’s health is vital to your quality of life — a fact that becomes even truer as you get older. Stay-ing Sharp For Dummies focuses on understanding how to maximize your brain power within the context of your overall health. The book aims to provide you with information, tools, resources, and tangible steps to keep a healthy, active mind. The good news is that you can do a lot to keep your brain sharp throughout your life.

About This BookThis book weaves together up-to-date information from a range of For Dummies titles into a fresh take on helping keep your body and your brain working better and longer. You’ll find a wealth of tips and ideas not only for improving your memory and reasoning but also for practicing mindfulness, relaxing, eating right, exercising, and heading off common health problems as you get older.

Because this is a For Dummies book, the chapters are written and arranged so you can pick and choose whichever topics interest you most and dive right in. You don’t need to read the chapters in sequential order, although you certainly can if you like — the topics are organized to provide a rich experience should you just plow through starting at Chapter 1.

Foolish AssumptionsThis book makes some assumptions about you, the reader. Hopefully, one of the following descriptions fits you:

» You’re young, bright, and healthy and want to stay that way as much as possible your whole life.

» You’re entering middle age, and it’s dawning on you that your past choices in lifestyle, habits, diet, and so on may be starting to affect your life in not entirely positive ways — and you want to turn things around.

» You’re already experiencing health issues that seem to be affecting your brain function and quality of life, and you want to explore remedies and options for reversing some decline and/or staying as sharp as possible as you get older.

This book doesn’t assume any particularly advanced knowledge of medicine or physiology (or any other ology, for that matter). All you need is a desire to investi-gate how your brain and body can work together as beneficially as possible. When followed properly, much of the advice herein could add years to your life — not to mention sparking interest, spurring action, strengthening, and even calming your soul. Not a bad deal.

Icons Used in This BookThroughout the book, several icons designed to point out specific kinds of infor-mation. Keep an eye out for them:

A Tip points out especially helpful or practical information about a topic. It may be hard-won advice on the best way to do something or a useful insight that may not be obvious at first glance.

A Warning highlights potential problems or trouble you may encounter and mis-taken assumptions that can lead to difficulties.

Technical Stuff points out nonessential stuff that may be interesting if you’re really curious about something. You can safely skip these bits if you’re in a hurry or just looking for the basics.

2 Staying Sharp For Dummies

Remember indicates stuff that you’ll do well to stash somewhere in your memory for future benefit.

Beyond the BookIn addition to what you’re reading right now, this product also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that provides tips on keeping your brain sharp through exercise, nutrition, reducing stress, and so on. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Staying Sharp For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Where to Go From HereYou can approach this book from several different angles. You can start with Chapter 1 and read straight through to the end. But you may not have time for that, or maybe you feel like exploring, say, meditation or improving your diet or lowering your blood pressure. Try checking out the table of contents to see a map of what’s covered in the book and then flip to any particular chapter that catches your eye. Or if you’ve got a specific issue or topic you’re burning to know more about, try looking it up in the index.

When you’re done with the book, you can further your adventures in staying sharp by checking out other titles written by the authors of the original books this mate-rial comes from. Check out the “About the Authors” page to see what else these experts have written on topics of interest to you.

Ultimately, the phrase staying sharp should imply long-term commitment to changing some of your habits and making different lifestyle choices. Science has learned a whole lot about how the body and brain work and what you can do to make them work better. This book is an attempt to provide a kind of synthesis of a lot of different areas of study, all converging on this integrated topic. You should aim to do that, too. Part of staying sharp, then, should include maintaining an interest in continuing to stay sharp. Never stop trying to challenge and improve yourself — just that by itself can do wonders. Good luck to you!

Introduction 3

1Getting Started with Staying Sharp

IN THIS PART . . .

Get an introduction to brain training and discover how keeping your brain alert and active can keep your thinking sharp.

Discover how to enhance your language skills and remember more.

Boost your brain power with music, drawing, and more kinds of creativity.

Focus on visual-spatial memory — learning how your eyes and your brain work together to help you remember names and directions.

Find out how games and training help your brain stay sharp.

Give your gray matter a workout with lots and lots of examples of real logic puzzles, riddles, cryptograms, and word scrambles.

CHAPTER 1 Training Your Brain 7

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding out about your brain

Sorting through brain facts and legends

Introducing brain training for adults

Training Your Brain

You want your brain to work at its best, whether you want to stay sharp to keep up with your children or to excel at your work. The exciting thing is that science now provides evidence for what works and what doesn’t.

Training your brain no longer has to be a case of trial and error. Staying Sharp For Dummies covers some cutting-edge, scientific research and examines how this research can influence your life and change your brain for the better.

The brain weighs a mere three pounds, yet it’s responsible for the smooth running of your whole body. With 100 billion cells, your brain is like the CEO of a giant corporation. How can something so small have so much responsibility? This chapter provides basic information on how your brain works. This understanding gives you the foundation for knowing how to best train your brain.

Getting Ready to TrainBrain training is a growing area of interest, both in research and in the public mind. Exciting emerging evidence indicates that you can train your brain and, as a result, change your circumstances. But what works and what doesn’t? Can everyone benefit from brain training? The final section of this chapter looks at this issue in some detail.

People who use their brains more efficiently tend to have better jobs, better rela-tionships, and more happy and fulfilling lives. Although you may have heard that

Chapter 1

8 PART 1 Getting Started with Staying Sharp

you’re stuck with the brain you have, scientific research has now found that this isn’t true!

You’re probably familiar with the left brain and the right brain. Well, it’s true that the brain is made up of left and right hemispheres, which do have different func-tions. However, the idea that some people are only left-brainers and others are only right-brainers isn’t entirely true. For example, language skills are located in the left hemisphere (see Chapter 2), and everyone uses this part of the brain! You don’t need to hide behind the excuse that you’re a right-brainer so you can’t do math calculations. With the activities included in this book, you can get both halves of your brain working at their optimum levels.

The different parts of the brain don’t work in isolation; they work together as a team. When you train one part of the brain, the whole brain benefits. You can think of the brain like an orchestra or a sports team. The message is the same — one star player can’t carry the rest of the team.

Developing a healthy brainMental health refers to your state of being. Are you happy? When do you find your-self frustrated? Do you feel stressed out? What makes you feel anxious? These questions are important in determining how well your brain functions, so make sure you pay attention to your mental health. Doing so can make the difference between living a fulfilled life or a frustrated one.

Don’t take your passions and hobbies for granted. Discover how they can make your brain more creative. A more creative brain is a smarter brain. Whether you’re a music lover, a budding writer, or a person with any of dozens of other interests, you can choose from a range of activities to help your brain.

Getting swept into myriad things that demand your attention on a daily basis is easy. Yet, in this ever-demanding environment, finding time to quiet your brain and create a space for contemplation is increasingly important. Calm time brings tremendous benefits for your brain. You don’t have to be a nun or a monk spend-ing hours at a time to experience the benefits of contemplation. Scientific research has found that even ten minutes a day makes a big difference in improving how your brain functions.

One great way to train your brain is to keep it socially active. From picking up the phone to meeting for coffee to discussing the latest movie, growing research illustrates that friendships benefit the brain.

It’s not just face-to-face interactions that make a positive impact. Virtual friendships and actively engaging with others via digital technology or interact-ing within virtual experiences can also boost your brain power. Note that this