Health and Wellness Seminar held at NHCC
A Health and Wellness Seminar held on April 21 at the North Hasting Community Centre had over 40 attendees getting advice on how to boost their memory. Phyllis Vallieres with the Bancroft Seventh Day Adventist Group presented tips to the attendees, over 40 people overall, on how to boost their memory and overall brain health. They also served food to the crowd at the end that boost memory and overall brain health. Vallieres says over 40 people attended and comments further on the event.
Vallieres presented tips on how to boost memory at the April 21 health and wellness presentation at the NHCC. She said that spending time with others and connecting were very important to prevent cognitive decline, engaging spiritually helped and getting others to share the responsibility for remembering (by sending you an email or calling you) were all essential to boosting memory and preventing forgetfulness. Staying organized by decluttering your home, having a calendar of events, using a timer, or using objects to remember were also beneficial.
Physical activity, like walking, were also of paramount importance in keeping your brain active and your memories flowing well. “Walking is one of the best exercises. They say you should walk 150 minutes a week as it’s great for everybody. That what they say. That’s 21 minutes a day. Can’t we all do 21 minutes a day? And not only that, they say you can do it interrupted; 10 minutes here, five minutes there. So, what I do is every day before breakfast, I run down the hill. Well that only takes seven minutes. Well, a little later, I go back up the hill and come down again. Guess what? Three times seven minutes is already 21 minutes. Not only that, my husband and I take a big walk at nighttime,” she says. Vallieres also suggested staying mentally active by doing puzzles, or playing an instrument. “If you learn to play an instrument, it actually uses every single area of your brain,” she says. Other things she suggested was memorizing scripture, trying a new hobby and volunteering in the community. “So, if you don’t challenge your brain, would you believe it shrinks? And it does. This is something very serious so it’s important to keep it active,” she says. Reducing stress is important as stress releases cortisone, which impairs short-term memory, according to Vallieres. “You need to take care of yourself. Nobody else will take care of you as you will,” she says.
Managing time on social media is also important, as things like the Internet and your cell phone can take way too much time in your day and cause elevated stress, which could lead to conditions like obesity and diabetes from sedentary behaviour if you’re always on your devices.
Vallieres pointed out that medications could affect the brain and multiple medications could impair memory if one is not careful. She mentioned the term polypharmacy, which is taking too many pills than you need, which could have deleterious effects on your body and mind.
Sleeping soundly for seven to eight hours a night is also important to protect and improve memory and cognitive function. Vallieres said most people only get six to seven hours a night, and if they got an additional 60 to 90 minutes, it would boost their memory. If they don’t, memory suffers and the risk of Alzheimers and amnesia rise. Lastly, eating the right foods for your brain and your memory are essential. Vallieres says eating breakfast is very important and sets you up for the day.
Getting enough vitamin D and vitamin B12 also helps memory. Consuming foods like oats, other whole grains, beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, leafy green vegetables and nuts and seeds are all extremely helpful in boosting memory and overall brain health. For those needing a gluten-free diet, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat were recommended by Vallieres. “Let me tell you, these foods are vital to your health and vital to your memory. You see people eating things and they don’t realize what they’re eating and they don’t have nutrition and they don’t have health and they don’t know why,” she says.
Food to avoid that will decrease your memory and brain health according to Vallieres are things like white sugar, processed foods, stimulant beverages, and saturated and trans fats.
During and after the talk, they had a draw for door prizes related to that day’s talk, and then they served everyone a plateful of food that enhance memory and boost overall brain health, which included beans, Carib oat bars, nuts, oranges, grapes, and strawberries. Everyone went home with new knowledge about their brain health, boosting memory and a full stomach.
There are two classes coming in August to the NHCC. One is called Break Free to Healthy Living on Aug. 11 and the other will be on Aug. 18 called Rejuvenate with Healthy Herbs. For more information or to register, call Vallieres at 613-473-5332 or Jane at 613-403-0251.
Vallieres told Bancroft This Week that they had more than 40 people there on April 21. “It was more than we had in March. That was a great turnout. The town had to bring 10 extra chairs for us yesterday. I’m so happy we had so many people,” she says. “I really hope they will have learned to live a little more healthily.”
Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times
