About one hundred people attended a free brain fitness seminar at St. Mary's Cultural Centre in Yorkton last Wednesday evening.
"We have held events like walks in Yorkton in the past," said Joanne Michael of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, which hosted the event, "and we wanted to give something back to show them that the money they raise for our organization comes back into the community."
The "Heads Up for Healthier Brains" presentation featured Guy Pilch, a mental fitness consultant from British Columbia. The society was pleased with his talks in Saskatoon and Regina this March, and invited him back for sessions in Yorkton and Prince Albert last week.
"A number of the Alzheimer Societies have worked with Guy, and his presentation style and the information that he shares is just presented in such a unique, practical way," said Michael.
Pilch says his methods are aimed "at people with healthy brains who want to stay healthy and do better" - to improve their memory and overall cognitive abilities, as well as reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Pilch advocates a holistic approach to brain health that combines brain training with physical exercise, healthy diet, and stress/emotion management.
"Brain training works, but it is far more profound when you are supporting brain health," Pilch told Yorkton This Week. "The brain is itself an ecosystem, if you will. Just addressing one part of an ecosystem is not the same as improving the entire balance of the ecosystem."
In the second half of his presentation, Pilch guided audience members through the process of creating a personal "mental fitness regimen" that covered the areas of mind, body, and spirit. The "mind" category, for example, offered activities on a spectrum between simply concentrating more mindfully on daily activities and learning an entirely new language. "Body" covered daily exercise routines and diets rich in brain-healthy foods like fish and vegetables. "Spirit" provided options such as practicing regular prayer or meditation and seeking out meaningful new challenges.
Each category was broken down into three levels of commitment ranging from minor habit alterations to significant lifestyle changes. Pilch hopes that people will increase their commitment over time, but asked that they do not take on more than they are willing to maintain in the long term.
"People lead busy lives, and they're only going to do what they want to do."
This component of Pilch's seminars is one of the things that led the Alzheimer Society to choose him, said Michael.
"That's something we really appreciate about Guy's presentation - the ability for us at the end of the session to make that personal commitment ... to do things to challenge ourselves and improve our brain health."
"We're very pleased with how the presentation went tonight and with the hundred people who came out to hear it," Michael added.
