Walk to Better Memory (video)

Keep Your Brain Sharp!

Watch Arthur Kramer, University of Illinois at Urbana reporting his research showing a 15% improvement in memory and attention in 6 months.  Older brains have Neuroplasticity to revise, building new neuro-networks with exercise and mental activities.

  

Pump Dopamine Naturally

Use your body to pump this essential brain-boosting chemical

Good-feeling dopamine is a pleasure/reward neurochemical that boosts attention, raises motivation, and orchestrates the prefrontal cortex – the executive brain that focuses on learning and minimizes impulsivity. Stimulant drugs are sometimes prescribed to help people diagnosed with ADD and ADHD produce more dopamine. Brisk, large muscle movements do the same, especially aerobic exercise.

Daily physical education, morning and afternoon recess, frequent physical activity breaks, and subject matter taught with movement will get dopamine pumping naturally.

This is a great fix for frittering minds!

Note: The Health Care-toon shown above is taken from the Health Care-toon Calendar, 365 Ways to Look and Feel Great by cartoonist Ed Fischer and Jeff Haebig. Visit WellnessQuest.com for a daily Health Care-toon and related wellness ideas.

Brain Gym ® Exercises

Simple PACE exercises prime the body and brain

A short article by Kenneth Beare writing for About.com describes four Brain Gym PACE exercises designed to help students become Positive, Active, Clear and Energetic. Other interesting body brain-enhancing articles are linked to this article. One needs to keep an eye on the research supporting these activities.

Mind Your Room Design

How Room Designs Affect Your Work and Mood

Emily Anthes writing for the Scientific American Mind cites brain research showing how to craft spaces that “relax, inspire, awaken, comfort and heal.” The article urges us to fabricate rooms and buildings with the Mind in Mind. Ceiling height, greenery, sunlight, room contents, furniture choices, all have a bearing on our moods and our ability to attend and think. In fact, students can perform better on their test scores with wise school design. Neuroeducation the new buzz may get into furniture and light fixtures… as well as body brain enhancing teaching and learning methods – the focus of this Blog.

Cerebellum Key to Learning

Watch Prof Bellum's explanation about how the brain makes skills automatic.

Watch this video explaining how the cerebellum is involved with reading, writing, spelling, coordination, attention and memory. Expanded research of the cerebellum shows how movement is essential to learning. Thank you Dore.com for advancing the need for Physical Education in our schools.

Star in Your SUPER Know!

Feel a Super Glow... Pumping... Super Learning Chemicals

By Jeff Haebig

Star in this Super Video… Mimic the following movements…Star in your Super Know! High in your Super Dome! Feeling the Super Glow! Moving muscles... Pump, pump, pumping… Super Learning Chemicals… Like good-feeling Dopamine… Pleasure/reward chemical… Increasing its flow… Helps you feel more rationale… Less impulsive… More in control… Norepinephrine… Go-go chemical… Mental arousal… Serotonin steady… Adrenaline ready… Boosting attention… Sharpening focus… Stronger retention… Higher motivation… Happy celebration!

Available soon… on this Boogie Blog… Free for you!

Aerobics Keeps Your Brain Young

More than Good Nutrition, Education and Positive Thinking

http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2005 BioEd Online reports that Aerobic exercise is the best way to keep your memory healthy. According to Jennifer Wild's research report of Ian Robertson research at the University of Dublin, Cardiovascular exercise surpasses stretching for being sharper, with memory and attention improvement. Read this interesting article and see why exercise is sort of a wonder drug in the over 50s age group.

Jeff Haebig

Accelerated Learning is Music to Our Ears

Sound Learning Involves Music

Chris Brewer founder of LifeSounds provides a Brief History of Music related to Learning http://www.musicandlearning.com/articles_ltssl.cfm. Focusing first on Accelerated Learning, based on Georgi Lozanov's work, Chris cites many benefits for using music to enhance learning. It creates positive learning states, builds anticipation, increases attention, enhances imagination, develops rapport, build motivation, releases tension, improves memory, and is fun. Chris provides an Annotated Music Bibliography in her article. Long considered a leader in the field of Music and Learning, Chris Brewer is one of the most qualified experts to sing its praises.

Jeff Haebig

Are Big or Small Movements Best?

Which actions boost attention best – large or small?

That is an excellent question. There are many variables that we will soon address; for example, does the child prefer angular, twisting and rotating actions to stimulate their hypo-slow vestibular system, or linear forward and backward movements to calm their over-sensitive hyper vestibular system? Play catchy music and encourage people to move freely – watch how their body brain seeks the most satisfying movements.

You might offer a follow-along movement sequence that combines fine (small) and gross (large) motor movements, with age appropriate complexity that challenges the mind. Physcally connecting gestures to words or lyrics engages the auditory, visual and kinesthetic systems boosting attention. Crossing the body’s vertical mid-line stimulates both sides (hemispheres) of the brain.

In their own way, (moving big or small) encourage people to mimic gestures and echo the words shown on http://www.wellnessquest.com/videos.html. This Vibrant Learning Sequence engages the basal ganglia (brain’s transmission) connecting thinking, feelings and motion. This demands more attention-boosting dopamine (transmission fluid) to aid mindbody shifting. It's also the pleasure/reward chemical raising motivation. Memorizing the gesture sequence recruits the cerebellum, further boosting attentional centers.

Above all, encourage people to move freely in fun, safe and satisfying ways.

Jeff Haebig

Classical Music Expands My Mind

Boogie Along with the Music Movement Sequence

Madeline Frank http://www.madelinefrankviola.com/ offers a comprehensive monthly newsletter and radio broadcast citing current research showing how music enhances learning. I created an interactive movement sequence to the 1812 Overture demonstrating the music and brain connection. You can tap, tap, tap into this on http://www.madelinefrankviola.com/radio.php.

See if you can mimic the movements and echo the words... this will create a total brain activity involving the cerebellum, basal ganglia, pre-frontal and motor cortex. All of these brain areas and senses will be activated, boosting attention, focus, and motivation. Try it and see.

Jeff Haebig

Jeff Haebig teams with Body/brain Boogieman

Boost Brain Power with Exercise

Jeff Haebig and the Body/brain Boogieman team up, enlightening people about current neuroscientific research – then making this science come alive with simple and enjoyable movement sequences designed to boost attention, sharpen focus, strengthen memory, heighten motivation, and capture the joy of vibrant living and learning. Whether you sit back and watch or participate in the novel movements, you will get a leg-up on instant ways to calm and energize yourself naturally, plus handy ways to grow new brain cells and systems to maximize your living and learning potential. Humor and fun prevail in this insightful and delightful program!


Outcomes: All participants will…

Freely choose whether to watch or comfortably participate in the intriguing movement sequences.

Use fun gestures showing neurons, dendrites, genetic expression, axons, myelin, synapses, and neurochemicals – then showing how each is strengthened through specific movements and exercise.

Demonstrate how muscles produce and pump more good-feeling dopamine, the pleasure-reward super-learning chemical that boosts attention and heightens motivation ‘naturally’.

Relate Attention Deficit Disorder and Parkinson Disease to low-levels of dopamine.

Demonstrate how muscles produce and pump norepinephrine for brain arousal and heightened concentration... and more adrenaline the memory fixative.

Know how schools, worksites, and homes can become body/brain friendly, encouraging frequent movement and exercise needed to maximize people’s life-long living and learning potential.


The Presenters:

Jeff Haebig, Ph.D. is founder and president of Wellness Quest, a company specializing in health promotion since 1984. He has co-authored and published 8 wellness books in the Health Care-toons and Toon Ups! series, as well as booklets, audiotapes, videos and DVDs in the areas of self-esteem, tobacco prevention, and body/brain-enhanced teaching and learning. His interactive http://www.wellnessquest.com/ website offers free Health Care-toons, wellness challenges, jokes and inspirational quotes each day. His wellness Quest for Your Best! motivational program inspires individuals, families and groups to pursue higher levels of well-being.

After 31 years as a physical education and health teacher in Rochester Minnesota, Dr. Haebig travels extensively stimulating interest in whole body/brain-enhancing practices spurred by neuroresearch. A champion in public speaking, his specialty is audience involvement, blending humor, excitement, and skill building, while maintaining audience comfort.

Body/brain Boogieman, is recognized internationally for his intriguing ways of adding ‘hip’ to ‘lip’ service, rock n’ role-modeling practical ways of inspiriting learning through sensory-motor stimulation. Standing along side Jeff Haebig, the ‘Boogieman’ invites people to enjoy the magical wonder-workings of their body/brain.