POP-UP SEASONAL WORKOUTS

WINTER 2021 ACTIVITY | WHAT LIGHTS YOU UP? As the days get shorter, it’s become tradition to warm our homes and our hearts with the warmth and energy of lights. It’s also the perfect time to nurture our inner light and gift ourselves the time to stay emotionally balanced and pursue our own vitality and happiness. 

Research shows that building mental well-being, resilience, and a sense of purpose supports better brain health. By exploring our inner curiosities and understanding better our personal passions, we lay the foundation for an improved sense of self. 

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD a joyful, seasonal activity you can use this holiday season.

SUMMER 2021 ACTIVITY | WE’VE GOT BERRIES ON THE BRAIN! Nothing says summer more than an abundance of fresh, ripe berries. But did you know that besides being delicious, berries are a great source of flavonoids – a naturally occurring plant-based chemical – and a proven brain booster?

Research has long shown the benefits of a diet high in dark-colored fruits and vegetables for better long-term cognitive vitality. But a study released this past summer at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference underscored the protective benefit berries and other foods high in flavonoids have for our brains. Harvard-based scientists looked at long-term flavonoid consumption in over 77,000 study participants over two decades. They found that those who regularly ate foods high in flavonoids reported a significantly lower ratio of subjective cognitive decline, or how people felt they were performing cognitively.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD an easy, fun recipe you can do together to enjoy some flavonoid-packed deliciousness and stay hydrated as we enjoy these last days of summer. Included as a bonus, be sure to also share the take-home list of top flavonoid-boosting foods so they can bring the science home!

SPRING 2021 ACTIVITY | FOUND ART: This Spring, try this special seasonal activity as a novel way to help grow and change your brain. Enjoy a sense of renewal this season with this wonderful, highly flexible workout that offers a powerful punch of creative play, socializing and fun as you build better thinking. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD.

Found Art Instructions

1.    Gather a variety of natural objects. Choose seasonal items such as flowers, small budding branches, grass, as well as other objects such as nuts, pinecones, small sticks, etc. Option to gather these for your students ahead of the activity.

2.    Have students work together or on their own to create art with the found objects. Encourage everyone to use their imagination as they decide what to do with the objects. They can be arranged in a design on the pavement or paper, stacked for a sculpture, used to “paint,” etc.

3.    Display everyone’s “found art” in an outdoor art show. Take photographs of the “found art” projects to share on social media or on the community eboard. Leave them in surprising places around the community for everyone to enjoy!

JANUARY 2021 ACTIVITY | SMART THINKING TED TALKS. Start the New Year with some smart thinking certain to motivate you to better brain health! Enjoy and share this series of talks, curated by our experts at Total Brain Health, on everything from how food affects our brains to what we can do to rid ourselves of bad habits. Here’s to brain fitness! CLICK TO DOWNLOAD.