Does Brain Training Work (Brain Researchers on Improving Memory)

Does Brain Training Work (Brain Researchers on Improving Memory) Does brain training work?There are 10 million new cases of dementia every year, with most from Alzheimers disease. 200,000 of those affect young people.I have a vested interest in defending my own mind, so I asked two brain researchers and authors for the answer.My mother died of Alzheimers disease. The only good thing I can say about it is she never lost her sense of humor.Shed say, Are you Irish?Id say, Half.Whats the other half?Hungarian.Oh, God help you.Since her death, my own lapses terrify me. Ill forget a friends name, an actors, or where I put the car keys. Once at a restaurant I got up to wash my hands and ran into a friend. Who are you eating with? she asked. My face and neck went hot as I realized I couldnt name everybody at the table.Then theres Ronald Reagans journey from telling a friend, My minds playing tricks on me to a confused death a few years later. Or CBS news correspondent Jan Petersen, struck down by early-onset Alzheimers at the peak of her career.And now her es me with two young kids. Will I remember them in ten years? Twenty?Its enough to keep you up at night. But theres encouraging science, and surprisingly a lot of hope.Does Brain Training Work?The first brain researcher I spoke with was Dr. Lawrence Whalley, author of The Aging Brain and Understanding Brain Aging and Dementia.I can tell you with confidence, Dr. Whalley says, that the benefits of brain training extend only as far as improved scores on mental tests.In other words, if you do brain games, you get better at doing brain games.However, there is evidence that those who stay intellectually and socially active get dementia later.From there, says Dr. Whalley, People have speculated that you can slow the onset of dementia by becoming active. Well thats a leap.Claiming brain training slows dementia because intellectually active people get it later is fudging it.Theres a lot of snake oil out there, says Dr. Whalley.Still, he doesnt discount brain training whole-cloth. On its own, it wont stop the progression of dementia. But in combination with other interventions, it forms part of a useful package.Butand theres a huge but.A Significant Drop in DementiaOver the past 20 years, several large, exciting studies have shown a roughly 20% drop in dementia around the world. The first was the massive health and retirement study in the United States.Researchers followed 45,000 people as they aged. They found a big decline in age-related dementia.Then came another large study from Stockholm, followed by studies in the UK, Massachusetts, Holland, and Spain, all showing the same thing.Whats causing the sea change? Researchers think its our generally improving economy, education, and health. Were more educated and better informed. We have better medications that help our overall outlook.Thats not to say we only have to kick back and watch from the sidelines as things get sunnier.Even a 20% decline will not reduce dementia prevalence for almost 40 years, says Dr. Whalley. Worse, the number of cases will ramp up quickly as the baby boomers age.So, how can you make sure youre in that lucky, growing group whose brains stay healthy longer?Dr. Timothy Jennings lays out a plan in his book, The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind.It all comes down to what causes Alzheimers and dementia in the first place.What Causes Dementia?Insulin helps our brain cells toss out waste products. When insulin resistance starts, our brains cant clear those wastes as well. That can cause what Dr. Jennings calls a cascade of changes that damage and kill our neurons and lead us down the slippery slope to cognitive decline.Sowhat causes insulin resistance?Well its the same thing that causes insulin resistance in diabetes type II, says Dr. Jennings.In other words, anything that increases inflammation in the body:ObesityFast FoodLack of ExerciseSedentary LifestyleChronic Mental StressThose things activate your immune system, which triggers the inflam matory process. It follows that removing them can cut dementia risk.Manage Your Blood PressureIf you want to keep your brain healthy, keep your body healthy.You probably already get regular health checkups and manage your blood pressure. Thats not just good for your heart. Several long-term studies show keeping blood pressure and cholesterol at bay fights cognitive decline.It happens that your brain also benefits if you look to your heart, says Dr. Whalley.One large long-term study of 16,000 participants showed people with high blood pressure have more dementia risk. Managing blood pressure is one of the most impactful brain-healthy choices you can make.Get Regular Physical ExerciseIf you exercise regularly, says Dr. Jennings, you turn on all the various neurotrophins. Those are proteins in your brain that make neurons grow strong and sprout new connections.A study by the University of Washington found people with Alzheimers genes had less tau protein in their brains and didnt progr ess to dementia if they had a history of exercise.Its not a bad thing that exercise also helps your heart.Reduce StressConflict resolution, resolving guilt and hostility, and dropping old grudges may actually prevent dementia.All that stuff keeps you stressed out, says Dr. Jennings. It activates inflammation.Stress elevates your levels of cortisolthe stress hormone. High cortisol levels can damage your brain cells and the connections between them.By contrast, a 30-year study showed that those with lower stress levels saw less dementia and Alzheimers disease.Get 7 Hours of SleepSleep is crucial in the fight against dementia. During sleep, your neurons contract and expel the waste built up throughout the day.So if youre chronically getting less than 7 hours of sleep, says Dr. Jennings, youre not clearing all these waste products.That means 30% of Americans are putting themselves at risk.But can you just take a sleeping pill? No. Many sleep-promoting drugs interfere chemically with m emory consolidation. They actually cause memory problems.Practice Daily Mindfulness MeditationIsnt meditation something beautiful people do in ads with half smiles and lidded eyes? To cut the mumbo-jumbo from what was originally intended as a practical, healthy habit, no.Meditation is a big weapon in the war against dementia, because it has so many positive effects. It can lower blood pressure. It can help you sleep through the night. It slashes stress and cortisol.Meditation at its core is nothing more than feeling emotions without letting them turn into a waterfall of words. For most of us, our inner dialogue runs in the background constantly, like a TV set left on in the other room. Any machine that revs all day without a break like that eventually overheats.A growing body of research points to daily meditation as a way to shield the brain against Alzheimers and dementia.Want to start meditating? Try the excellent meditation book for beginners, Making Space by Thich Nhat Hanh.Eat an Anti-Inflammatory DietAn anti-inflammatory diet, whole food, vegan, or Mediterranean diet may fight dementia.Those have been shown in various studies to correlate with better brain volume and cognitive and memory performance than the typical American diet, Dr. Jennings says.Why? Fast food causes inflammation.Studies show that people who eat fast food and junk food have a 60 percent higher rate of depression than people who dont, says Jennings.That's because inflammation also drives depression. People with higher depression rates have higher dementia risk too.Get Enough B VitaminsVitamin B12 (from fish, meat, eggs, and milk) and folic acid (from leafy greens) may fight dementia by reducing homocysteine levels.If you can lower homocysteine, says Dr. Whalley, youll reduce the risk of dementia.According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people with higher levels of this protein saw nearly twice the risk of Alzheimers disease. Cutting it with folic acid for ms a valuable piece of our dementia shield.Yep, Train Your BrainBrain training wont stave off Alzheimers or dementia. But it can help you build a more robust brain. In other words, the bigger and tougher your mental house, the longer it may take the demolition guys to tear it down.But are brain games the best way?Learning a new language, learning to paint or play an instrument, or picking up any new skill may be a brainier bet.First, theyre more fun than jumping through a lot of artificial mental hoops. Second, they keep you socially active too. Thats exciting, since avoiding loneliness may fight dementia also.Brush Your Teeth and Get Regular Dental CheckupsUnhealthy gums leave one more door open for dementia to slip through. People who get regular dental checkups and brush twice a day have less dementia than those who dont.Why would that be? According to Dr. Jennings, unhealthy teeth and gums increase your inflammation risk. More inflammation means more chance to get dementia.Stay InvolvedStaying active has definite positive effects on the brain. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association says staying active socially and intellectually cuts dementia risk.For a personal anecdote, my Uncle Bill is 98 and basically the poster-child for staying active.In his career he was a genius. (Hes not actually related to me, so I cant claim any of it rubbed off.) As the chief engineer for MITRE corporation in the 1970s, he led the team that built NASAs advanced Space Shuttle computer system.One day he showed me a beautiful wooden kayak hed created. When I asked if he would make another, he said no.He explained he could have bought one cheaper, with less hassle. But he was after the effect the learning process would have on his brain.If youre always learning something new, he said, your brain stays young.At 98, I cant argue.Parting ShotClearly theres a lot of ground for optimism. First, we can take heart that our generally improving quality of life, educatio n, and medical system are fighting cognitive decline on our behalf.Second, we can choose an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise, meditate, get the right amount of sleep, take folic acidand yes, even train our brains.I think the evidence is very strong that Alzheimers is preventable, says Dr. Jennings.Thats a ray of hope amid the torrent of bad news.So, what do you think?Do you know of other ways to help improve memory? What techniques have you been using so far? Or perhaps you think it's too early to worry? Give us a shout in the comments. Let's chat!

Rule For Writing Numbers in a Resume - Rule For Writing Numbers in a Resume

Rule For Writing Numbers in a Resume - 'Rule For Writing Numbers in a Resume''Rule for Writing Numbers in a Resume' is a best-selling self-help guide for people who want to succeed in their career. I have used this book to help me improve my resumes every year for the past few years. I was surprised to learn that the author, a certified personal coach, had written another book on the same topic.Coaching people through this process can be beneficial to both the person being coached and the coach. I always ask myself if the advantage to a coach is to help others succeed or if it is better to learn what not to do when coaching people.I had never been asked to critique a self-improvement book before and I guess I had learned to trust the author's judgment of each of his clients, particularly since he was so well-known. It seemed very rare that the coach would be questioned on his or her techniques.After reading this book I am more concerned with having a coach is accountable for his or h er techniques instead of just teaching them to other coaches. As I read the rule for writing numbers in a resume I began to question some of the instructions because they seemed vague and unrealistic.When I am working with others to help them learn how to improve their resume skills, it makes sense to do some trial and error. By doing this, I am putting myself into the driver's seat. If I was not comfortable with what I was seeing, I can discard it and move on to another issue.However, by having a coach critiquing my resume to ensure that it meets the first rule for writing numbers in a resume, I can ask him or her to take a look at it and provide feedback. This allows me to take a closer look atmy results rather than having one person look over the other's work.The second rule for writing numbers in a resume is to incorporate the first rule by making sure that I add the numbers with precision. It seems obvious but you still see some businesses leaving out a space between the number and the word 'one' in the heading of the resume. This is a mistake because it is hard to emphasize the importance of your company's hiring practices without including the word 'one.'My rule for writing numbers in a resume is to add the numbers and put them in the right spots. With that said, I look forward to writing more of these guides and sharing them with other coaches.

Welcome to Warwick! 8 tips on making the most of your time at University

Welcome to Warwick! 8 tips on making the most of your time at University Welcome to all of you who have arrived here at Warwick. You’ll be immersing yourself in the various activities taking place on campus for the first few days and getting used to your new environment, fellow students and your studies and wondering, as all new students do, how to pronounce ‘Xananas.’ Here are some tips from Warwick’s Careers team designed to encourage you to make the most of your first year. 1. Try new things out have fun! The time you’re here will fly past, and you’ll be tempted to throw yourself into lots of different things. The reality is there are only 24 hours in a day- joining more than 3 or 4 clubs and societies means you won’t have enough time for all of them. Our advice: have fun! You are a student after all. Follow your curiosity and choose the things you are genuinely enthusiastic about. Be guided by what you want to do, rather than what you feel you ‘ought’ to do. 2. Develop your unique self If you’re engaged in clubs and societies you’re motivated by, you’re more likely to put yourself forward for positions of responsibility when these opportunities come round each year. These will help you to stand out later on when you’re making applications for internships, work experience or eventually, graduate jobs. Recruiters are interested in what you’ve done that makes you stand out, what’s enthused you and where you’ve developed your skills the kinds of skills recruiters value such as leadership, managing a budget, marketing events, event or project management and dealing with challenging people or situations. 3. Take risks â€" build your resilience Say ‘yes’ to opportunities that take you out of your comfort zone as these will build your confidence and self-belief. They provide a chance to learn through failure as much as success â€" which contributes to building character, persistence and grit. Failure provides many rich opportunities to learn. Successful people have been through many, many failures to get where they are. Grit and persistence along with a positive mindset are responsible for career success and progression rather than talent. 4. Know yourself Get to know yourself before you start to explore where your degree might take you. What’s important to yo? What are your values? What motivates and interests you? What are your strengths? Career planning makes sense when you have a clearer understanding of your preferred direction of travel. N.B. You don’t need to know what you want to do when you graduate. If you do know yourself however, when you do start to consider your options it will be easier to decide what would suit you. Your first year is an ideal time to complete our Careers Moodle on Self-Awareness. 5. Follow your curiosity   Very often reading a book, watching a You Tube clip, starting a conversation with someone, can lead to all kinds of opportunities…be ready and willing to seize these when they come along. 6. Begin with the end in mind You don’t have to have a clear career idea in order to see a Careers Consultant. Complete the Moodle Self-Awareness course and once you’ve done this, later on in Y1 or Y2 then consider whether you’d find it helpful to book an appointment to get started on thinking about your future career planning. Statistically, students who engage in career planning early in their University course find jobs sooner and which pay more than those who leave career planning until after they graduate. 7. How careers staff can help you Our role is to help you achieve your next steps so you can graduate from Warwick with the skills you’ll need to navigate your future career path, whatever that might be. We don’t do the work for you it’s your career. To use a driving analogy, we aren’t your taxi driver. A taxi driver simply picks you up and drops you off. Think of us as your driving instructor. You choose the car and the destination. Once you have acquired the skills you need to drive, you can drive anywhere. 8. It’s not what you do, it’s how you tell your story As you go through your time at Warwick you’ll acquire a wealth of experiences and a good deal of learning. Take the time to capture your learning and learn how to describe and articulate your unique Warwick experience to graduate recruiters. They will be interested not in what you’ve done but in what you’ve learned through what you’ve done in failures as well as triumphs

Employee Referrals Your Ticket to Your Next Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Employee Referrals â€" Your Ticket to Your Next Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Did you know that employee referrals have become the most valued tool in hiring? I just returned from speaking at the Career Thought Leaders Conference in Baltimore. The theme of the conference was Framing the Future. A common theme throughout many of the presentations was that employee referrals are golden. I wrote extensively about the value of employee referrals in my Targeted Job Search series on this blog. I wrote about continuously building your referral network so that you stay employed at companies where you want to work. Employee Referrals The numbers dont lie! Gerry Crispin  co-founded a non-profit, TalentBoard, to better define and measure the Candidate Experience. In his presentation, he presented some startling numbers on hiring, and the effect of employee referrals that came from the Candidate Experience Award. The Candidate Experience Award process is a competition, but it is also designed to provide every organization that chooses to participate some confidential and specific feedback on how they can improve their candidate experience. Gerry gave the following typical example: 100 applications for every open position 4 employee referrals will be submitted Approximately, half of all candidates are screened out or deemed unqualified for the position which leaves: 50 applications 2 employee referrals 5 candidates will be interviewed including the 2 employee referrals. The numbers do not lie. If you apply and an employee referred you for the position, 50% chance of getting an interview and you have a 20% chance of getting hired. If you do not have an employee referral, you have a 3% chance of getting an interview and only 1.2% chance of getting hired. What this should tell you is that employee referrals are invaluable! The Employee Referrals Bonus Employee referrals are so valued by many corporations that the employee referrals bonuses are commonly offered. The bonus is paid if the employee refers the candidate before the candidate applies and the candidate is hired. Therefore, before you apply for a job online seek out a referral! In 2009, in the depth of the recession, I was working for a sexy tech startup and we were hiring. I had more candidates from the Launch Pad Job Club, where I serve on the board of directors, asking me to submit their resume. My first question was always: Have you applied online? The answer almost every time was: Yes My response every time was: Next time, please send me your resume first and only apply when I tell you. Due to the fact that they already applied, I was not eligible for the bonus and their application would not be seen as a employee referral. Not every employee referral program works this way, but most do. I was more than willing to work for these candidates because of my position with the job club. I was motivated by reasons other than money. I received close to 100 resumes that year, and only one sent it to me first. I received my $2500 bonus for that position. I do not know of another hire from the other 99. If you want to boost your chance to get hired, work diligently on building your referral network. Marc Miller â€" Career Pivot Check out my book Repurpose Your Career â€" A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers Do not forget to follow me on Twitter or FaceBook

How Should You List Per Previous Employment on Your Resume?

How Should You List Per Previous Employment on Your Resume?The most common question people have when writing a resume is what should you list per previous employment? The proper answer is to state all of your relevant positions in an order that makes sense. Also, you should list your prior jobs in chronological order.One of the first steps in listing previous jobs is to determine which jobs you want to include on your resume. Remember, some jobs are great, and some jobs are not so great. After you decide what jobs you want to include, go through them listing out the job titles, dates of employment, location, and other relevant information. Then, go through each position listing and note all of the dates and locations of employment.Once you know how to list previous employment, you need to pick a format for your resume. First, check with the Human Resources personnel at your current employer. You can find out what format they prefer by calling in or speaking with someone in HR. Some e mployers prefer one page resumes, while others prefer two or three pages. So, if you have been employed at a company for two years and you want to ask for an interview at a competitor, you would be better off using two pages.If you have moved to a new company, you should always send your resume in a new cover letter. When listing positions you left behind, list them starting with the 'D' position. The 'E'F' positions are not considered part of your former employer's organization, so you can list these positions on your resume as they will be included on a new opening at another company. Once you determine the right format for your resume, you can start listing your positions and dates of employment.Next, you need to check your references to see if there are any previous positions that are relevant to the open position you are applying for. In this example, let's say that you are applying for a position as an accountant. You are asked to list every position that you held while workin g for the competitor. If you leave out any positions that were within the same industry, it will make it difficult for your references to refer you to the proper person.Another tip for listing your prior employment is to list them by occupation rather than division. For example, you listed on your resume that you were a certified public accountant, not a CPA. This is an easy way to help you search for a position within a division or field of expertise.To help you better understand how to list your previous employment, try not to go overboard and list everything. Instead, list only what you feel is relevant. You may find that there are other positions that you need to fill.There is no magic solution to choosing the proper way to list your previous employment. Each job is different, and each company may have a different method for placing their previous employees on their organizational chart. In most cases, it is best to list your job title in a manner that makes sense.

A RN Resume Sample Test is Available

A RN Resume Sample Test is AvailableA candidate who has tried to create an RN resume that should be current is given a test and the candidate is allowed to create a different RN resume for the test. This same test may be given to any RN candidate who has tried to write their resume and has not been successful.It is a good idea for a person who has tried to write a resume and can see that they need to change something, to ask a counselor about it. The counselor will advise the individual on what the reason for the change might be. A resume is meant to be flexible and you want to be able to apply it to a variety of situations.For example, an individual who has written a good one for their specific position doesn't need to re-write a different resume. They can get the same results. The same type of pattern might be used for each of the different types of people who have tried to write their resume.If an individual is trying to get into medical doctor's surgery, they should make sure the ir resume is strong enough to support the medical doctor. If they have received a good score on the test, they should then go ahead and write a resume to make it more applicable to surgery and be accepted. A two page resume could be prepared to show that they have the needed qualifications. They could be offered an extra fifty or sixty thousand dollars if they become a surgical nurse.The person who scored the highest in the exam will also be able to pass and move on in the way they were trained. They could get hired without as much training as they would if they had the more advanced program. These RN job openings could be due to many things.Most people who are considering going into nursing usually have some basic knowledge about the subject. They are also involved in sports orat least do a lot of physical activities like lifting weights. Many times people who go into the nursing field have a little more than the basic knowledge. The same applies to someone who has not studied nurs ing at all.All of these things will add up to the RN being able to get into the best nursing jobs possible. They will probably end up performing better on their tests than someone who has already gone through the process of becoming a nurse. That can happen in many different fields and will be related to education and experience.You should not assume that someone who hasn't gone through a specific process and has a shorter list of things they don't need to have to include on their resume, will get the same kind of result as someone who has gone through the entire process. The only way to know this is to try and write your own sample RN resume and test it to see what happens. You never know until you do.

181 Kyle Elliot - CaffeinatedKyle.com - Jane Jackson Career

181 Kyle Elliot - CaffeinatedKyle.com - Jane Jackson Career As a career coach, I enjoy sharing ideas with others passionate about helping others in their careers. One such professional is Kyle Elliot, MPA, CHES, who has enjoyed an interesting career journey himself before becoming Caffeinated Kyle!Join us during this lively interview in which we share the values, passion and purpose in our careers in order to help YOU to find yours, in YOUR CAREER Podcast!As promised in our podcast interview, heres the link to download your FREE Job Search Guide. Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES is the founder and career coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com. He is also a self-proclaimed Starbucks addict. As a result of working with Kyle, students through c-suite executives have landed jobs at Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and nearly every other Fortune 100/500 company you can think of. They have also found happiness.His passion for coaching has positioned him to present and motivate people on the topics of professional development, mental health and/or social justice. Audiences have included Fortune 100/500 companies, startups, government agencies, nonprofits and university campuses, among many others.Kyle is an official member of the invitation-only Forbes Coaches Council and a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. He is also a proud alum of San Francisco State University, where he completed his Bachelor of Science in Health Education, and the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy Governance at University of Washington, where he completed his Masters of Public Administration (MPA).And finally, while Kyle Elliot has received national and international recognition and awards for his work, he is most proud of being dubbed ‘Mr. Loquacious’ by his fifth grade teacher.Where to find Kyle:WebsiteTwitter

When Your Past Impacts Your (Job) Future -

When Your Past Impacts Your (Job) Future - Much is being written about President-elect Obamas application for employment. The new administration will fill about 7,000 jobs that last until the end of his time in office. Sarah Needleman at the Wall Street Journal wrote that you can find listings at gpoaccess.gov. She notes, The positions are projected to be filled throughout the first year of the new administration, and will range from jobs such as director of accounting services for the Department of Defense to deputy manager of cleanup for the Department of Energy. Applications are available at change.gov. The site shares information about the transition and various updates, including an ethics policy. The application itself, which includes 63 detailed questions, may deter many job seekers. In fact, Nisha Chittal at Brazen Careerist suggested that anyone who posts information online not even bother with the application. She points to questions such as: If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but not limited to an email, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-elect if it were made public, please describe. Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g. Facebook, My Space, etc.) If you keep or have ever kept a diary that contains anything that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect if it were made public, please describe. Please list, and, if readily available, provide a copy of each book, article, column, or publication (including but not limited to any posts or comments on blogs or other websites) you have authored, individually or with others. Please list all aliases or handles you have used to communicate on the internet. Certainly, anyone with a deep digital footprint would need to be careful about answering these questions. What? You forgot about that diary/blog you kept two years ago detailing an intimate relationship with someone who is anti-government? Can you imagine providing copies of everything youve ever published? Including comments on other blogs? What about offering your online aliases? What is the point of an alias if its not anonymous? Clearly, most people are not going to be applying for one of these 7,000 jobs, but I think the application should make all of us think about what we are doing online and in our personal lives that may impact our employability later on. The fact is, when you go online, you enter a very public space and content you create will be out in cyber-space forever. Think before you post (or do) things that could incriminate you. Dont assume that it wont matter or that you wont use your own name, so no one will know. I wouldnt be surprised to see more employers asking for online aliases, and to answer honestly, it would be necessary to provide them. So, whether or not you are thinking of going to work for President-elect Obama, this application is a wake-up call for every professional. Be sure your digital footprint isnt resting on a pile of quicksand that is ready to swallow you whole! Are you prepared to respond to personal questions for a job application? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Dont forget that Keppie Careers is here to help you succeed in your search! photo by orebokech