By Health & Wellness Librarian Claire Ong
Our brain is a muscle. How do we exercise it, keep it healthy, and nurture it? In honor of Brain Awareness Week (March 16-22), explore books, articles, and resources available with your Oak Park library card to boost your brain health.
Boost your brain health
Ready to jump-start your brain health journey? Use your Oak Park library card to explore The New York Times. With access to the full website, you’ll find:
- The 5‑Day Brain Health Challenge: where you can test your knowledge, focus on brain‑friendly nutrition, try new workouts, play engaging games, and set five wellness appointments
- 10 Small Things Neurologists Wish You’d Do for Your Brain: a look at simple daily habits that help keep you sharp
- A Healthy Brain: offers additional insights into long‑term cognitive well‑being
Plus, explore this list of librarian-curated titles that support brain health.
Improve your attention, memory & executive function with exercise
“Exercise is top, No. 1, when we’re thinking about the biggest bang for your buck,” says Dr. Gregg Day, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, in The 5‑Day Brain Health Challenge from The New York Times.
Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly tend to perform better on attention, memory, and executive functioning tests. There can be a small cognitive boost immediately after a workout, and the effects are sustained if people exercise consistently. And while staying active can’t guarantee you won’t develop dementia, over the long term, it is associated with a lower risk of it.
Ready to get moving? Use your library card to access Hoopla‘s Get Healthy U TV BingePass. With one checkout, you can choose from accessible categories like strength, cardio, kickboxing, barre, bodyweight, low impact, yoga, and more for an entire week. No matter your fitness level, there is something for everyone. With workouts of varying lengths and difficulty levels, the inspiring trainers will keep you consistent and help you reach your goals.
Plus, register now for weekly Virtual Chair Yoga, where you can calm and center your mind while moving your body through intentional poses and sequences.
Build new brain connections at library events
“[E]ngaging in mentally stimulating activities creates new brain connections and creates more backup circuits. So if there’s damage, you still have backup to help you think,” explains Dr. Joel Salinas in Better Habits, Better Brain Health (an article available with Health Source: Consumer Edition and your Oak Park library card).
The backup is called cognitive reserve, and it’s associated with lower rates of dementia and better thinking skills in older adults. Build your cognitive reserve by learning something new, such as a language, a dance step, or a recipe. Socializing also has important brain benefits.
Dr. Salinas, a neurologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, continues, “People who report having more companionship and more emotional support have a lower risk for dementia and stroke, and higher levels of BDNF.” He also states that the more habits you practice at once, the better, such as taking a new exercise class with a group of friends.
Nurture healthy habits for a healthier brain by joining us for one of the library’s many events—whether you prefer connecting with others from home or joining us in person. Register now for weekly Virtual Chair Yoga, monthly Sound Bath Meditation, or monthly Older Adult Coffee Hour.
Activate your mind & nurture a healthy brain with games
Use your library card to access Hoopla’s Puzzmo BingePass and the Puzzle Palace BingePass. You can play brand new games only on Puzzmo: Flipart, a quick digital jigsaw puzzle; and Typeshift, an anagram game with a literal twist.
On Puzzle Palace, you can also easily play a variety of brain-bending Sudoku, crossword, and word games. Take a crack at 10 variations of Sudoku, five crossword puzzle types, and four word games. From “Guesstionary” and “Word Sleuth” to Stacked Sudoku and the Thomas Joseph Crossword, there’s something for kids, beginners, and seasoned experts alike. New games are added daily!
Whether you attend an upcoming health and wellness program at the library or virtually, or pick up a new healthy habit, we hope that you enjoy this month and find something that brings you health and joy!
About Claire
Health and Wellness Librarian Claire believes creativity is essential to well-being. Her reading tastes vary with the seasons, and when not working through her pile of books, she is on a mission to traverse the world.