Have you tried Lumosity? It has me hooked.
The first time learned about it was as a regular reader of Dr. Oz "RealAge.com". Now each morning when I wake up (which is early, 6am - I just wake up!) I play these games until Don gets up and we have breakfast.
First comes the Crosswords, then 2 Sudoko games and then the new one that I am totally hooked on - "Monster Garden". I play until all the tiles are used with all the bonus plays. It is a challenge.
Today Lumosity sent me their newsletter, so I thought I would pass this entry on their site to you. Hey, Canada!!
WATERLOO — The benefits of physical exercise are well known.
Exercising the mind is beneficial, too, although it’s often overlooked. • “For years we’ve not paid attention to our cognitive health and brain fitness,” said psychologist Dr. Lorie Saxby.
Saxby wants to change that at the Cognitive Wellness Centre she recently opened in Waterloo.
“It all gets down to thinking about our thinking,” Saxby said. Services are tailored to the individual after Saxby does an assessment of a person’s cognitive abilities, making recommendations about what may help. Along with her expertise in neuropsychology, Saxby can call on a multidisciplinary team of consultants, including physiotherapists, a dietitian, pharmacist and other psychologists.
Saxby thinks anyone can benefit from “mental weight lifting,” which can hone a person’s memory and thinking and potentially prevent the effects of aging on the brain.
People tend to overestimate their cognitive capacity, which leads to forgetfulness and inattention. And people play what Saxby calls “memory roulette” — not writing appointments and other notes down because they think they’ll remember.
“Often we’re very scattered because too much is going on at once,” Saxby said. “There’s only so much brain capacity.” Saxby said she can help people take inventory and then make best use of that capacity.
That can mean learning to do one things at a time as much as possible and setting limits to avoid taking on too much.
“A lot of it is making conscious choices,” Saxby said.
That’s especially valuable as people age and can benefit from strategies to compensate.
“As we get older, part of it is learning how to adapt,” she said. Saxby also offers a special program — Cogmed Working Memory Training — to help people improve working memory, which is the ability to temporarily store and manage information to perform complex tasks including reasoning, comprehension and learning.
“The goal is to expand and enhance working memory.”
The Cognitive Wellness Centre Director: Psychologist Dr. Lorie Saxby
Suite 25 – 279 Weber St. N., Waterloo
519-746-8515
info@cognitivewellnesscentre.com
jweidner@therecord.com
Try the games for free. It is fun!!