Healthy, frugal, easy, refreshing ways to keep hydrated

As the temperature rises, what will you choose to quench your thirst? There is nothing as important for the brain as keeping it hydrated. Our brains are about 80% water.

If you wait until you feel thirsty to have a drink, you are already dehydrated. It is essential to drink often throughout the day. When it is very warm or when you are perspiring, you need to be particularly careful. Living in Phoenix, this is critical. Many people who move here and do not make it a point to drink enough develop kidney stones. If this is occurring, that means the brain has been severely deprived of its required hydration.

To get the optimum function of the brain, it just has to have enough water. When there's Alzheimer's in the family, this is one area where we need to give our attention.

For good hydration, it's important to have drinks that do not have caffeine. And it's easy to choose drinks that are heavily laden with sugar. Sure, water is the best choice, but it can get monotonous.

I've developed a number of drinks that do not have sugar or caffeine. These have helped me stay fully hydrated and refreshed.

I've always enjoyed the drinks in glass bottles like Snapple or Arizona Ice Tea or Fuze drinks. There's something about that really cold bottle and chilled drink that makes them special.

The problem is that there are not any drinks that I have found in glass bottles that are sweetened with Stevia, the only natural artificial sweetener. It is actually made from the Stevia plant.

So in order to have that cold bottle/chilled drink effect, I save the glass drink bottles and wash in the dishwasher. I wash the caps by hand so they do not rust.

I created this combination as an alternative to water that is not sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened.

I enjoy having the fresh squeezed lemon juice.
When the fresh juice is not readily available, I use unsweetened Kool-Aid lemonade packets.

Black Currant Lemonade

Juice of 2 lemons or 1 packet Kool-Aid lemonade
three droppers of liquid Stevia (available at Sprouts or health food stores)
2 quarts of water
1-2 cups of unsweetened Black Currant juice

(Other juices I use are Just Cranberry, Just Pomegranate, Just Raspberry.
I get my juices at Trader Joes or Sprouts. They have no added sweetener.)

Fill recycled glass drink bottles and refrigerate.
Enjoy a wonderfully chilled, refreshing and healthy beverage!

Avoid Alzheimer's With Abundant Exercise

It takes more than crossword puzzles to keep a healthy brain!

COMBINE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXERCISE
We've all heard that mental exercises exercising memory and problem solving can help to keep our brains healthy and vibrant.

What researchers have found out is that physical exercise not only is good for the heart and general circulation, but also contributes significantly to keeping the brain young.

As professional service providers dealing with challenges involving people as well as data, we need that brain power to perform our work effectively.

HUMAN STUDIES CAME AFTER STUDIES WITH RODENTS
After earlier studies on rodents showing that those animals that spent a lot of time running in exercise wheels had better brains than the sedentary rodents, studies were begun on humans.

LESS BRAIN-TISSUE SHRINKAGE
Scientist measured maximal oxygen uptake (a gauge of aerobic fitness) in 55 subjects during walking and treadmill tests. They used subjects with fitness levels from sedentary to those in peak-performance fitness. The physically fit subjects had less age-related brain-tissue shrinkage than the inactive subjects.

MRI AIDS IN RESEARCH
With the help of MRI's (magnetic resonance imaging), the researchers saw that the tissues affected in the brain that are crucial to memory, learning, and carrying out ideas in the mind were very different in the various subjects. (frontal, temporal, and parietal regions)

DECLINE CAN START IN MIDDLE AGE
These abilities are the ones that start to decline as early as middle age, particularly in new situations. Studies have shown that increased physical activity in middle age can help to prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of senile dementia, in which there is a marked decline in brain function and memory.

Researchers found that combining strength training with aerobic exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes had the greatest impact on cognitive function. (University of Illinois)

SCHOOL CHILDREN NOT GETTING ENOUGH EXERCISE
What concerns me is how the brains of the computer and video game generation will be affected by the lack of physical exercise. It is estimated that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not doing vigorous physical activity regularly. Less than one fourth of children are getting at least half an hour of any type of daily physical activity in school. School children spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games.

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
Increasing exercise for all ages would be a great benefit for all of us. Healthy brains increase productivity and full engagement in whatever we are doing. Combining physical activity with memory exercises gives the best results for a healthy brain.

NEXT STEPS
What are you doing now to improve the blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain?

Deciding on what type of exercise you would enjoy and DOING it on a regular basis will determine your short and long term thinking skills.