Mind aerobics: 'You have to keep your brain in tune with your body'

Every Thursday at 3 p.m., 10 to 15 of The Oaks residents get together in their recreation room to practice “Mind Aerobics.” What is that?

It’s exercising your brain for things you can’t remember, a quote you heard on TV, the time you’re due at a meeting and so forth.

“It stretches your creative thinking,” Linda Biswell, director of The Oaks Campus Life, says. She learned about the course through her work, then studied more available material and set up the class.

Last week, as soon as the 12 women and three men had gathered around two big tables pulled together, Linda got things started: “Alright, exercise one. Let’s do our breathing. Keep in mind that of every breath we take, 20 percent of the oxygen goes to our brains and warms them up. We’ll breathe in for four counts, hold it for seven, then breathe out for eight counts and repeat four times.”

The men and women silently followed her lead. After the last exhale, they mumbled reactions among themselves.

Your name; fruit or veggie

Linda moved immediately into the first exercise, a true brain activator requiring quick-fire answers.

“As your turn comes, each of you will call out your first name, then the name of a food that starts with the same letter. For instance, I’ll call ‘Linda Lettuce.’ Then, Eileen Milberg, here on my right, will give her first name and a food, also both names every person before her has spoken. It helps if you repeat them silently as we move along.”

“I’ll never remember a single one,” several people said. Linda started with her name, then Eileen added “Eileen Egg.” Then came “Sarah Salad” (last name, Symmes). The next lady hesitated a moment before adding, “Doris Dark Chocolate” (Bonnette).

Giggles started all around the table. Next, when a man hesitated trying to recall the first three, then blurted out, “Sam Squash” (Wood), laughter broke out. They laughed harder upon hearing “Barbara Baloney” (Mitchum), followed by “Judy Jello” (Shroads) and “Doreeta Doughnuts” (Pigott).

“Wouldn’t kids love this game?” someone commented, then laughed out again at the call of “Yolanda Yam.”

The group next moved into a crossword puzzle in which every square already had one letter.

”Study it and find the name of a famous person,” Linda explained.

The contestants worked silently except for mumbles.

“I’ve already got a Bruce and a Helen. Could that be Helen of Troy?” someone asked.

“I can’t find any last names, either,” another complained.

“It has to be the first and the last name,” the leader said firmly.

Five more minutes of trials and errors passed before three came up with Mary Pickford at the same time.

“Wrong,” they were told. “It isn’t spelled ‘Mary Pickboard.’”

Two minutes later, someone called out, “Merryl Streep,” and the contest ended.

Doodle Contest
Linda, who didn’t let any one of these exercises last more than 10 minutes, moved immediately to one of the favorites, the “Doodle Contest.” Passing out sheets of paper and pens, she instructed them to make a “doodle,” anything round, square – but no more than half finished. They did, then passed their sheets to the person next to them, who was told to draw the doodle into “something recognizable, anything at all.”

When finished, they held up their art to interpret.

“I got a girl with hands, so I drew on big thumbs,” said one lady artist.

The man next to her said, “I got a dog, so I added a dog house.”

Another noted, “I had an outline of what looked like a sick man, so I put him in a cowboy suit and drew a horse under his legs.”

For the last puzzle, Linda handed out a crossword and gave them only five minutes. Only one player solved it all. Then Linda distributed their homework for next week.

“There won’t be any excuse for not finishing and bringing this back,” she announced. “Study the three slots, two syllables each, and try to write one in the little center circle and link the other syllables to the front and back to form words.”

A full room of lively conversation accompanied the departure. Marian Youorski, director of wellness who had sat in on the class, said, “These mental exercises are a perfect companion to our physical strength training, which includes walking and swimming. To attain the best of health, you have to keep your brain in tune with your body.”

Obviously, the puzzle participants agre