• Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz about the MIND Diet. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, MIND derives from Mediterranean and other health-conscious diets, and its significance stems from its role in dramatically lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Developed by Rush University Medical Center, the MIND diet consists of 15 nutritional components – 10 cognitive-boosting food groups and 5 unhealthy ones. The go-to foods include dark leafy greens, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, poultry, fish, berries, beans, nuts and wine. Red meats, butter and its substitutes, sweets, cheese and fried/fast food are to be limited.

• Have you ever had to memorize something for school? Maybe you had to recite a poem. There was a small part in the drama show. You were leading a classroom debate. We’ve all been tasked to work our memory since we were babies. Think about it! Anytime we learn something new, we are constantly pulling from our memory, asking questions like “Have I done or seen this before?” “What do I already know about this topic?” or “How can I make understanding this a little bit easier?” We try to put things into a familiar context. It’s second-nature. But it’s not necessarily what we’re learning or recalling that is key. The how is just as important. Understanding and cultivating how we learn allows us to take in new information more efficiently and to keep on learning as we age.

• Chances are, it’s not as great as it could be. And I’m not talking about the scent here. I’m talking about the quality of your breath! Our day-to-day lives are full of tiny stressors which have negative effects on our mood, our nervous system, our physical health, and more. Sometimes our gut reaction is to dwell on the stress, as if it will somehow miraculously get better if we think about it. But something as natural and simple as our breath can actually help lessen the impact, if you know how to use it.

It’s true. You. Me. We’re all guilty of it. We are constantly under the influence. But of what, you ask? The incredible myth of multitasking.

Think about it – you sing along to your favorite song on the radio. You think about the coming week’s meal plan and begin crafting a grocery list. Someone calls in on Bluetooth. And the next thing you know, you’re in your driveway. And you have no idea how you got there. And while we usually don’t think twice about this – deeming it as normal – we miss a big red flag. Behavioral studies indicate that these seemingly small distractions to the brain’s focus deteriorate its overall functionality. That our brain is unable to work properly when required to focus on multiple things. The more things we have going on, the more at risk we are to be confused, make mistakes and fall short with the task at hand.