Monthly Health Challenge™
Train Your Brain
How much do you know about healthy brain habits?
Take this quiz to find out.
CHALLENGE
Practice healthy
brain habits
T F
1. n n Less than 8 hours of sleep a day can limit your
brain’s ability to store and recall information.
2. n n Exercise at any age enlarges the
hippocampus in the brain, improves
brain activity, and memory recall.
3. n n If you are obese, your risk for developing
dementia is 80 percent higher than
a healthy weight person.
4. n n Spending a lot of time using technology
(computer, smartphone, tablet, video
games, TV) can actually make it harder
for your brain to think, focus, and
move from one task to another.
5. n n Proper hydration improves mood and
response times in the brain needed for
decision making and memory recall.
Requirements to complete
this HEALTH CHALLENGE™
1. Read Train Your Brain.
2. To complete the challenge, practice healthy brain habits on
at least 22 days this month.
3. Keep a record of your completed challenge in case your
organization requires documentation.
If you answered any of these statements incorrectly, you
may benefit from learning more about habits you can
develop to keep your brain healthy.2 Your brain functions
best when it is challenged regularly to form memories,
store information, and engaged to recall it. Proper
nutrition, hydration, sleep, and exercise can all help. Your
lifestyle choices also help keep your brain healthy and
active and prevent dementia and brain diseases as you age.
1. Drink More Water
7 Ways to Boost Brain Health
The brain has about
100 billion neurons
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10 ways
to drink more
water:
tinyurl.com/
nfoua4a
2. Feed Your Brain Healthy Food
Stock
up on these
healthy brain
foods
tinyurl.com/
pfspo2t
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4. Be More Active
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20 ways to
fit exercise into
your life
tinyurl.com/
abha7c8
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Tips for a
good night’s
sleep:
tinyurl.com/
phytmly
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5. Develop Healthy Relationships
3. Get Your Zzzs
Social
ties are
good for your
health:
tinyurl.com/
z7me532
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Try these
brain games:
tinyurl.
com/2fhau8s
© Wellsource, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon. All rights reserved.
6. Manage Stress in Healthy Ways
7. Keep on Learning
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What is anomia?
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Anomia (uh-noh-mee-uh). It’s the word
used to describe the tip-of-your-tongue
moment when you can almost remember
something, but it just won’t come to you.
References
1 Sun, F.W., et al. (2016). Youthful brains in older adults: Preserved neuroanatomy in default mode and salience networks contributes to
youthful memory in superaging. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(37): 9569-9668. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1492-16.2016.
2 Alzheimer’s Association. (2016). 10 ways to love your brain. Accessed on November 16, 2016 from http://tinyurl.com/jyoa8o5.
3 Edmonds, C., et al. (2013). Subjective thirst moderates changes in speed of responding associated with water consumption. Frontiers in
Human Neuroscience, 7:363. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00363.
4 Bowman, G.L., et al. (2012). Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain aging. Neurology, 78(4):241-249. doi:
10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182436598.
5 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2015). Research on drowsy driving. Accessed on November 18, 2016 from http://tinyurl.com/
gteqksm.
6 Basner, M., et al. (2013). Sleep deprivation and neurobehavioral dynamics. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 23(5):854-863. doi: 10.1016/j.
conb.2013.02.008.
7 Goodman, H. (2014). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Publications, April 9, 2014.
Accessed on November 22, 2016 from http://tinyurl.com/pbswjy8.
8 Ristau, S. (2011). People do need people: Social interaction boost brain health in older age. Journal of the American Society on Aging,
35(2):70-76. Accessed on November 22, 2016 from http://tinyurl.com/zcb3s8b.
9 Park, D.,et al. (2013). The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: The synapse projects. Psychological Science,
25(1):103-12. doi:10.1177/0956797613499592.
© Wellsource, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon. All rights reserved.
Winner 2016 Gold Award
Health Challenge™ Calendar
Train Your Brain
Instructions
CHALLENGE
Practice healthy
brain habits
1. Post this calendar where you will see it daily (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.).
2. Record the number of days you practice healthy brain habits.
3. Use the calendar to record the actions and choices you made to
make healthy brain habits become a regular part of your life.
4. At the end of the month, total the number of days you practiced healthy
brain habits. You must do this on at least 22 days this month to complete
this challenge. Then keep up this practice for a lifetime of best health.
HC = Health Challenge™ ex. min. = exercise minutes
MONTH:
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
HC
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
ex. min._______
______ Number of days this month I practiced healthy brain habits
______ Number of days this month I exercised at least 30 minutes
Other wellness projects completed this month:
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Name _______________________________________________ Date __________________________
© Wellsource, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon. All rights reserved.
Weight
& weekly
summary