I had hummus and salad with chicken at lunch. I will get a smoothie on my way home.

I do several of these daily, but one note I want to make is ground turkey... I use it to make chili, herbed meatballs (a great recipe from Mark Hyman's cookbook), and sloppy joes. Sloppy joes is my ultimate comfort food, and I prefer it with ground turkey rather than ground beef. I have no need for ground beef in my life anymore.

I agree ground turkey is an easy and pain-free substitute. Though i usually buy 93% lean beef so I am not sure it matters much. I do have a fave recipe.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Fry until brown, then add ¼ c sauce of the sauce (below):

1 lb ground turkey

In 1 T oil

Sauce:

2T 2t oil - canola or avocado

4 T soy sauce

2T 2t rice vinegar

2T 2t brown sugar

Serve in lettuce leaves and Garnish with:

Diced cuke

Julienned carrot

Chopped Peanuts

Chiffonaded Mint and and/or cilantro

leftover sauce

That sounds good, Mtn. It's similar to a Thai salad I often make (we don't have Publix here where I live... I'm not sure how I found this recipe). Similar flavors. I usually swap fish sauce for the clam juice, add red cabbage, and serve it over quinoa.

https://www.publix.com/recipe/thai-style-beef-with-carrot-basil-salad

Let’s see- I just ordered beans from Rancho Gordo- does that count 😀

I actually love beans and eat them almost every day. I’m excited to try these, I’ve been meaning to for a long time. I eat a lot of nuts too and recently started using blueberries instead of chocolate chips in my oatmeal. I had walnuts instead of cashews for my snack.

Yesterday I sat with my mom - who has dementia- while she took her cognitive test. It was interesting what she knew and didn’t. The only challenging one was spell WORLD backward. visual tests are always hard for me.

I have oatmeal frequently for breakfast with diced apple, about 1/8 cup of chopped walnuts and a drizzle of boiled apple cider. I usually have that with just a bit of whole milk, which I am going to have to re-think.. I have at least one salad each day and berries almost every day, along with vegetables. I don’t really need to add anything, just omit a few things. We are not seafood eaters so I’m trying the omega 3 eggs for that part of the equation.

NYT’s former food critic, Pete Wells, has written a series of 4 articles about his journey to reset his appetite after 12 years of non-stop restaurant eating. The first part (link below)

Excerpt

[Being a food critic] gave me many rewards, but an easy glide path to health was not one of them. By my last year on the job, I was a mess. I creaked and groaned and belched like a tractor. Heaving myself out of the back seat of a car took so much effort that I dreamed about a portable winch. I waddled to the bathroom four or five times a night, between bouts of heartburn. I woke up with headaches, a mouth as dry as an emery board and a heavy coating of fatigue that I could never shake.

LINK TO ARTICLE Part 1 of a 4 part series. It does not appear to be behind a paywall.

Bbstx, thanks. Thats a great article . Nicer to read what someone actually did and how it worked for him rather than a list of what you should do, that only makes you (me) feel guilty.

Today’s challenge is no surprise. I have a cold again (two people in our small inn had it at the end of our week there, and apparently I catch everything), but I will do 20 min on the Peloton.

I am going to start a new thread ”Brain Health Challenge Recipes.” If you have recipes that fit within the guidelines, please post there.

Thank you BBstx!

Today’s brain health email and article has me thinking I need to get serious about aerobic exercise! I do walk but not as fast as I probably should, and I have been lax about going to the gym since Thanksgiving. I didn’t like any of the exercises the questionnaire algorithm provided (in the times article); I thought the parameters were not varied enough. So I am simply going to try to go to the gym faithfully twice a week, continue to dance around in the mornings to happy music and play golf as often as I can.

I wonder if they are going to address oral health. There have been some studies that show a pretty strong link between poor oral health and dementia.

I just typed a long post and now it’s gone! LSS: played my usual 3 hours of pickleball with DH and our group of 20 today. I brought a 5 gallon bucket of meyer lemons to share with the group. In this town, anyone with a fruit tree shares their bounty. I have been dancing hula for 20 years and take that class once a week with self practices during the week. Our grocery stores sell locally grown fruits and vegetables, meat and herbs year round. That makes it easy to get in a varied diet of veggies.

@bbstx Yes to oral health and I’m expecting a social component to this brain challenge.

@Kswl Yes, if you enjoy the exercise, you will be more likely to keep it up.

Today's recommended brain boosting activities are not all that compelling, unless you don't do any puzzles at all. The times puzzles have been significantly dumbed down over the years, and are not very challenging for puzzle lovers. I even remember reading something a while back that said that their goal is for the games to be soothing rather than difficult. Looks like it's a good way for the NYT to recommend subscriptions to their games, though!

I love word games, and play about 8 a day, both from NYT and others. Does anyone have any recommendations for some more challenging or interesting ones?

My biggest brain enhancing activity is my Spanish study, I think. I started from scratch and have been at it for 6 years now, and I take a class most every day. That really helps, because since you never stop learning a language, so it's a continual challenge. Also it's a constant lesson in humility, which is also important!

As for yesterday, I hope traipsing around the mall with returns counts as exercise. The place was like a morgue. Hard to even find a salesperson.

Sue, i cant believe youvare sick again, especially after your arduous flight. Enough already.

Havent looked at todays challenge yet. Company coming this afternoon.

I do the crossword, wordle, and spelling bee every day. I followed today’s rule and picked a new one: Tiles. It did take me a while to figure out how to play!

I also did a 15 min peloton cycle, 10 min weights, and my PT hip stretches. And had my yogurt, berries, and home made granola plus a few chopped walnuts for breakfast. I had 2 eggs and a slice of wholegrain toast for lunch. Dinner tonight will be chicken and veggies.

ded, fortunately it was a mild cold, pretty much over it now but my stomach is still in vacation-recovery mode.

Back to brain building, I have been pretty good about learning new things during the last few years. I have taken classes and learned weaving on different types of looms, cyanotype processes, and woven paper baskets. I am also in a book group that forces me to read certain books I might not otherwise go to (current book, The Overstory, which is very long and I have only read two chapters for next week’s meeting!).

bb, I thought of you when I flossed last night. 😬

Sueb, 😂😂😂

I’ve tried all of the NYT Games, so I chose LetterBox (my least favorite) for my ”something new” activity. I already do Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, and Strands everyday with a group. Does that make it a social activity?

Next up….hearing aids. There have been many studies linking hearing loss to dementia. Although one of the articles I read said researchers didn’t know why there was a link, I think it is pretty obvious - lack of social interaction. If you can’t hear, you can’t have social interaction. (I’m not including people who are deaf and who have been trained in sign language or other forms of communication.) Article from Johns Hopkins on the topic

Okay, finally read todays challenge. I read all the time and listen to a podcast every day. I also belong to a book club. Like others, I do Spelling Bee, Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Strands ( in that exact order!) every day, too. So, those parts of my brain are good.

Imtried to pick up French again but that part of my brain is fried.

Guess I will try a new game.

Bb, I am going to get hearing aids, too. I am okay most of the time but I notice some hearing loss, and its hard to know what Im missing.

Dedtired, what did you do to try to pick up French again?

I can’t tell you how many people thought my dad had dementia before he got hearing aids! I had to basically force him to get them, but they were such a game changer.

You obviously can't *keep* doing new games, but we have always been big game people and big readers. I really only play Connections and Spelling Bee online; I am not a fan of Wordle anymore. I have a weekly Mahjong group game in person and also play online. We also have game nights with family and/or friends probably every month. I was doing Duolingo but honestly I have pretty good vocab but no accent so I stopped.

I do want to join a new book club here in Maine tho.

I think making a trying new recipes is almost like a game, too.

The ”spinner ” landed on crossword or Wordle everytime. I finally gave up and selected the crossword. I do several every night before bed. but not usually the Times. If I get stuck and cannot finish before retiring, I find that I am much brighter in the morning when I pick it up again. not surprising. I have never been a group game person but I like to read and research whatever I find interesting. I play Solitaire online but unsure how much it contributes to brain health.

@dedtired, I have hearing aids (results of jet engines and rock concerts). I would encourage you to find a good degreed audiologist. Mine is in practice with my ENT.

It has taken some work to get mine adjusted properly and fitting properly. You don’t just slap them in your ears and walk away. I know they are cheaper at Costco and places like that, but I wonder about personal attention. We’ve experimented with various size tips, various types of tips, etc. Plus, I have a quirk. When I chew, the piece in my right ear backs out. There is a fix for that! She has been a sweetheart to get everything just so for me.

Once a week a group of us stay after pickleball to play majong. And I do the usual NYT games, but not consistently. We play a competitive game of Scrabble and a wicked game of Hana Fuda (a Japanese card game), but not consistently.

Hula is an interesting experience. You need to learn the song in Hawaiian and its English translation, count in your head to the music and stay on the beat, remember the hand and foot movements and all the while express the meaning of the song through your face, or at least have a pleasant face! We learn a new hula each month so the repertoire adds up quickly. You need to know the dance well enough to get up at a party and dance if you are asked. And I take it one step further where I type up the song, Hawaiian and English translation, and the motions into a ”hula sheet” to have something to refer to when I practice. I feel like all of that checks a lot of the compartments in my brain. I should do more to really learn the language and am considering an online class.

Sas, I took a French course at our adult school night. It reactivated my five years of jr/sr high school french but I could tell I wasnt going any further than that.

Bb, Lots of people seem very impressed with our Costco. My GP recommends an audiologist. Will have to give it more thought. Also the parking lot at Costco is a death trap.

Now I want to try hula.

I already do wordle strands and connections. And today was also a run day with coffee following. Tomorrow is hike day with no coffee following.

Today my so-called brain challenge was the meeting with our investment team. I understand what's going on but we always wind up with a lively conversation and today it was about geopolitics and if that will change our investment strategy in any way.

If you are looking for a quick, clever game, I discovered this on reddit. I'm not sure if you need to sign up to play.
https://www.reddit.com/r/syllo/

I do the NYT crossword every day, as well as Connections and Spelling Bee. Also do a game called Blossom on the Merriam Webster site, and a couple of other games there, including Tightrope, a trivia game. I sporadically do the New Yorker crossword, and another New Yorker game called Shuffalo. And a word game on Slate called Pears. The only ones I really care about anymore are the crossword, Connections and Blossom.

Thanks for the reddit game, Deegw, it's cute!

I really want to improve my French. I took it in high school, and tried to study it again before we went to France last fall, but found it to be too confusing with my Spanish. In France, I was surprised how much came back to me in terms of comprehension, but I found myself reflexively answering questions with "Sí" instead of "Oui." I keep promising myself that I will start it up again, but also keep procrastinating.

Today’s challenge is pretty ho-hum…but important. It did remind me to make my annual gyn checkup appt.! Within the next 5 months, I’ve got annual dermatology check (which will be changed to 6 mos after this bc of the recent skin cancer); physical; dental cleaning; and gyn. I always get a reminder from the eye dr when it’s time to schedule an eye exam, which I think will be in early spring. Have had my shingles vax already!

I would add that everyone, especially those of us who spent time in the sun back before spf 30 was invented, should have a skin check by a dermatologist.

This whole series was a bit dull. 🫤

I really enjoyed last year’s challenge to learn Recuerdo by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I still recite the poem to myself. That type of challenge was good for my brain.

Last week at the dentist he told me to skoosh up on the fully reclined chair. I can’t imagine my facial expression, because skoosh is a word I’ve only heard the GYN use. You want me to do what now?! Ah, move my head closer to you, got it. 😆

This whole series was a bit dull

Agreed.

When I look over the five days, my takeaways are:

Day 1 - If you are interested in the challenge and a NYT reader, you probably know most of this, as most of us did.

Day 2 - This was probably the most valuable day for me. I did not know just how significant diet was to brain health. I am resistant to very restrictive diets, which have been at the root of my decades long weight yo-yo-ing. BTDT. But I am excited to add new foods and recipes to my diet that emphasize ingredients I want to eat more often, most notably beans and fish.

I am reposting the link I put in the recipe thread because I think this is a great guide: https://www.alz.org/getmedia/123b671b-d306-4ca5-b096-fa3f25221ae9/tue-8_15-am-keynote-mind-diet-wi-alz.pdf

Day 3 - I have been doing strength training since September and mentioned that DH is going to start with me. That will make it easier to go on days when my trainer is not available. I need to also do more cardio, though that gets less mention nowadays.

Day 4- In all the talk about games and such, I overlooked what might be the best thing; I still work, about 40-60 hours a month, and I go into the office every other week. Between that, the various games I am addicted to, and the fact that we usually make guests play games, I think this is my strongest category

Day 5- I have a new PCP as of last spring and he made sure I did *all* of these appointments. I also have a new dentist and those appointments are made when i leave.

Out of the 5 days of challenges, my weakest area is exercise. I’ve never been able to get that endorphin thing going where I really want to do more. It is total drudgery for me.

After DH died, I canceled our country club membership thereby losing my access to the gym, but I continued going with my trainer. Then she moved.

I’m intimidated by public gyms. I’m in a college town. Gyms are all infested with lithe little cuties in skimpy but adorable outfits. I’m a total schlump!

I’ve tried all of the YouTube ”do it at home” exercise videos. Again, it is just drudgery.

”It’s good for you” should be motivation enough, but it isn’t.

I have a list of excuses for not exercising longer than Mtn is tall!

ETA: Yes, I’d like some cheese with my whine

I’ve never been able to get that endorphin thing going where I really want to do more. It is total drudgery for me.

I hear you. To complicate things, I am just clumsy and unathletic and always have been and no amount of can-do attitude will really change that. I am old enough to know better. So that takes out group sports which I think are great for accountability, and are totally my husband's thing.

There are really only two choices as I see it --- keep trying until you find something you like.

Or pay someone to make you do it --- ie a trainer

I have a few pieces of equipment-- an elliptical, a recumbent bike, and a rower. But the only one I use is the elliptical. I have a TV in the room, put on a show, and work out for 30 minutes most days. Without the TV, I'd do it zero days. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. I have just made the 30 minutes part of my life. When we were planning for the France walking trip, we started going to the state park and walking 4-6 miles incorporating hills, 4 or 5 days a week. That was so much better-- better, more sustained exercise, and something my husband and I could enjoy together. I never "miss" doing the elliptical, but we both really miss the walking. But living in NY and walking in this weather is out of the question for me.

I have just made the 30 minutes part of my life.

Habit stacking! Yes, this is also good if you can force yourself to do it long enough to make it a rebuttable presumption.

When we were planning for the France walking trip, we started going to the state park and walking 4-6 miles incorporating hills, 4 or 5 days a week.

This is the other thing I always say about exercise, especially for those of us who are exercising purely to maintain or enhance function (my trainer thinks it is so funny that that is my goal, but it is). I want to make sure I don't become someone who lags behind when I am travelling or siteseeing, or cannot participate. It seems to me the best way to maintain that function, is to do it. SAS walked, so she could walk on vacation. That make so much more sense to me than, I will force myself to do "x" just because it is good for me. I guess maybe I am saying, stay active so you can be active?

PS I think I may plan a walking vacation, you and Localeater have tempted me!

We have a dedicated exercise room. Peloton, treadmill, pull up bar, resistant band plates on the wall, etc. And it's lovely. It's a cheery color, we have a big TV and lots of windows that look out over trees.
I'd still rather just walk outside and even then I drag my feet about it.
I look fine, mostly because of good genes and eating habits. I just can't keep motivated to do much more than walk 30 minutes per day.
Edited to add - DH uses the room multiple times per day so the equipment is not gathering dust!

I think one thing leads to another. We walked to be able to walk on vacation, then we had a great time walking on vacation, so when we returned we kept up our walking until it got too cold. I think what starts out as a chore can end up making you feel really good, so you keep it up.

Why does your trainer think it's funny that you are exercising to enhance function? That doesn't seem that weird.

I'm with bbstx - while I wouldn't give myself an "A" on any of the five areas, exercise is my weakest. I was a pretty athletic young person- ran track, gymnastics, racquetball, etc. I never developed the exercise for health and well-being habit. I do play golf and pickleball but seriously need to work on strength training and flexibility. As mtn suggests, I will likely have to pay someone (a trainer) to get me started and keep me motivated. At least long enough for me to develop a habit. When I have utilized physical therapy for a few issues, I always enjoy the process and keep it up...for awhile. C'mon @bbstx, we can do this!!

ETA: I had some Just for Men on my eyebrows while typing this and it took too long so now I look like Groucho Marx.

For me, the best motivation to exercise is having someone to do it with. I will walk for hours if I am walking with a friend. I have friends who are slow walkers and friends who are fast walkers. I am fine with either, and it kills two healthy birds with one stone: movement and social connection. I walk with 2 friends on most Wed mornings, and with another on Fri mornings, but my Fri friend is now away for several weeks.

I thought setting up a home gym in our guest room, mere feet from our bedroom, would encourage me to exercise first thing every morning. But I need my coffee first. Now that the holidays and travel are done for a while, I have made a deal with myself to do something in that room every day. Yesterday it was a Peloton ride and free weights. Today I just did a 10 min ”yoga sculpt” class on the Peloton app, then a walk outside because it is almost 40 and sunny.

I also am not athletic and you will not find me on the pickleball court or the softball field. I like yoga, though, and need to do it more.

Why does your trainer think it's funny that you are exercising to enhance function?

Because most of his clients are females who are trying to lose weight (I am, but that is not why I am creating an exercise habit) or want to look good for an event or something like that. Or are training for something.

I have had several iterations of home gyms over the years, but I really only used them when a trainer showed up. The only thing I have ever actually enjoyed is spin, but that depends a lot on the music, the people etc. I should look into that again.

ETA: I had some Just for Men on my eyebrows while typing this and it took too long so now I look like Groucho Marx.

I was surprised, in another thread, how few people get their eyebrows done!

When I was coloring my hair, I would have my eyebrows colored at the same time. I never thought about using Just for Men! I probably need it. I’ll be mindful of not sliding over into Groucho territory. 🤓

My eyebrows are still dark, but less full than they used to be — having them dyed makes them appear fuller. I don’t do it all the time, though.

I get my eyebrows shaped professionally, but I use Just for Men, too. I need to tint much more often than I need to shape.

I don’t get my eyebrows shaped professionally (probably should) and I do my own base color (probably shouldn’t) so I use JFM as it is pretty cheap, easy and effective.

Sorry for the sidebar - brain health is way more important than our eyebrows. Right?

What does it mean to get your eyebrows ”done”? Is that like threading? Please tell me more. A lot of women where I live get their eyebrows tattooed and it looks just like they’ve used eyebrow pencil without the daily chore. I use JFM occasionally and shape them myself - should I be doing more? Do tell!

Wow, Mtn, no offence but your trainer sounds out of touch. I hear you all about the difficulty keeping to an exercising routine. There are 5 areas of physical fitness and I fully believe they each contribute to enhanced function, particularly as we age. They are: stregnth, cardiovascular, endurance, flexibility and coordination. I realize coordination has been replaced with BMI, but let’s just consider the original 5 for now. While it’s important to touch on all 5, if you’re just getting started, pick one that makes you feel good. A few stretches or a short stretching program once a day can do wonders. Maybe try that, or try balancing on one foot - tighten your core, pull up through your spine, put your arms slightly out to the side for balance, remember to breathe and to shift your weight so your standing foot is directly under the middle of your body and slightly turned out.

I guess what I’m saying is start small. And walking is wonderful, too. Do you have a mall nearby? That’s a great place to walk before the stores open. You don’t need to be a specimen of physical fitness. Just think tiny steps for tiny feet! And love yourself.

The only regular exercise I get apart from chores such as yard work, is walking. I "bribe" myself to go on almost daily walks by listening to an interesting audiobook. It means that I am not tethered to a particular location and can walk indoors or out, and on my own schedule. I get audiobooks from Audible as well as the public library and now I have a good collection of favorites to keep me entertained.

When I look over the week, my biggest challenge is getting enough protein in my diet and Omega 3 fats (I don’t like fish); I am doing pretty well in the other categories. Occasionally I resolve to start working on my rusty French but that impulse is usually short-lived and I start getting messages that I am ”making Duo sad.” I do the Spelling Bee and Letter Box daily, the crossword, and games on other apps like sudoku and my favorite word search. I also play free cell solitaire several times a day and read, and I do enough volunteer work managing committees and projects that I am satisfied I’m doing as much problem solving as I reasonably can. And yet I am still losing the occasional word or forgetting to put something on the calendar ….. consternation …..

Socially I could probably cut my activity in half and still be in good shape. Between hobbies (painting, choral singing, golf) and volunteering and church and our family I sometimes need to just sit on the porch and turn off my phone and pretend I’m not home. These are all people and activities for which I am very thankful but I believe we need as much alone time as social time.

In terms of physical fitness I am still a work in progress 🙄 I walk our dogs daily, go to the gym twice a week for the elliptical, and play golf a couple of times a week. I have been practicing balancing on one foot and then the other, and getting up off the floor using no hands. My arms have more strength than my hands (arthritis) so even though I can carry almost anything necessary I still sometimes need help opening jars!

The dentist is a quarterly appointment for me, and I see my GP and an endocrinologist every six months. Dh is making an appointment for me with a neurologist for some baseline testing for cognitive decline; I want some line in the sand established that any further test can be measured against. My mother is starting to slip at almost 93 but ALL her five sisters died with Alzheimer’s, as did DH’s mother. IMHO by the time you fail the annual screening and cannot draw a clock face or remember three words you’ve lost valuable months when you could have been on medication to slow the disease.

Thanks to everyone for following along this week. I agree it was not especially interesting and no groundbreaking material was presented. However the reminders and clarifications are helpful and I hope we keep that brain health recipe thread going—thanks again for that Bbstx!

K - I've been trying to add ground flaxseed to my diet to up my omega-3s but it's a slog. I put the two tablespoons I supposedly need in a small bowl on the counter to remind me to use it through the day. I usually end up dumping most of it in some Greek yogurt. To be honest, I think it tastes like I'd imagine sawdust would taste.