Paula Quam, front center, recently went hiking in Grand Portage, Minnesota, with her daughters and family friends. Getting exercise, particularly in nature, is proven to help create and keep a healthy brain. Special to On the Minds of Moms
How to sharpen those back-to-school brains A
By Paula Quam
s a mother of four, I've always tried my college best to make sure my kids understand the importance of taking care of themselves. But holy cow, there is sooo much nagging to do, and when you've got four children like I do, it's hard to keep straight what you've nagged about, to whom, and if it's been laid on sufficiently heavy in each of the necessary categories: brushing teeth, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, exercising, eating right, etc. There have been many times when I've passed by one of the kids and randomly, and for no particular reason, blurted out a drive-by nag regarding one of those things just to kind of make sure I'm covering bases. 18
ON THE MINDS OF MOMS | AUGUST • SEPTEMBER 2021
But now, my friends, I'm trading in all of my micro-nags for one, overarching and allencompassing macro nag: "Have you taken care of your brain today?" I recently read a book from Dr. Sanjya Gupta called "Keep Sharp: Build A Better Brain at Any Age", which changed the way I think about mental and physical health, not just for my kids but for me as well. The premise of the book is that if you do the things you need to do have a healthy brain, the rest will just naturally follow. According to Gupta, focusing in on that one special, spongy organ in your noggin will actually have a trickle-down effect on a whole host of health issues, a few of which includes anxiety, depression, focus and obesity — four things that plague many children. And as kids everywhere
