healthy you
FORE VER YOU NG
Brain Fooc
It’s no secret that a healthful diet is
a big factor in how well your body
and mind hold up. But that’s not the
only kind of brain food—we’re also
talking about the metaphoric kind.
Consider these items as utensils for
“mind meals.”
“When you keep your brain
active and engaged, you build new
connections between the brain
cells that act as a new coat of armor
against age-related memory loss
and the onset of Alzheimer’s,” says
Dr. Thomas Peris, founder and
director of the New England
Centenarian Study and author of
Living to 100: Lessons in L iving
to Your Maximum Potential at
Any Age.
“You can exercise your
brain in much the same way you
exercise muscles.”
To keep your brain stimulated,
Peris recommends novel and
challenging activities, especially
things such as learning a new
language or a musical instrument.
“It maybe hard initially to start
that new learning process,” he says.
“But it seems that once you start
learning, it comes quickly later.”
M A KE M U SIC
Learning to play
music is like
weightlifting for
your brain. Digital
keyboards, such as
Yamaha's extensive
line, make it easy. Several models, such as
the YPG-535 (about $600,
shown),
include the
Yamaha Education Suite, which teaches you
to play through the use of inventive
preprogrammed lessons. Use the dealer
locator
atyamaha.com
to try one out.
t -n
LEARN TO N G U ES
Rosetta
Stone
There are lots of foreign
£Sf*Aot
language programs,
ii?
but perhaps none as
intuitive and effective as
those by Rosetta Stone,
rosettastone.com.
Diplomats use these
programs to learn
languages quickly and fluently. Each level costs
just over $200—less than a college course.
R EA D E A S Y Forget
credit cards—the most
important piece of plastic
in your wallet is your
library card. People who
live well and live long tend
to be avid, curious readers.
Brush your card off and
put it to use today.
TA LK LONG
Paying extra fora
long-distance call is a
disincentive to stcty in
touch with family and
friends. Find a plan
that offers unlimited
calling so you don't
have to worry about
the clock ticking.
BUILD A BUSY BRAIN
A typical day begins by
8
a.m. for
Natasha Josefowitz, an 81-year-
old retired business professor.
As president of the White Sands
resident association in La Jolla,
California, she attends a meeting
about new construction at the
facility before she’s off to the local
Rotary Club to give a lecture. Then
she walks on a treadmill or works
out with a personal trainer.
“I wish I were bored—that
would mean I could sit a little bit
and be quiet,” Natasha jokes. “I
have many balls in the air, but that
makes me happy because it pushes
me to stay active.”
During the week she also attends
art, music appreciation, and current
event classes offered at the White
Sands retirement facility. She’s also
fond of brainteaser games.
b
L I B R A R Y
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6 8
AUGUST 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (LANGUAGE PROGRAM) ROSETTA STONE; (KEYBOARD) YAMAHA CORP^ (LIBRARY SIGN AND
RED PHONE) GETTY IMAGES. HAIR AND MAKEUP: JEN KARASEK
