10 Ideas To Improve Body, Mind & Spirit
by Shawn Miller

By this time of year, with the impending summer season indicated by both calendar date and gloomy shoreline weather, any New Year’s resolutions made back on January 1 have long since been broken and ultimately discarded. In fact, at this point it might even be difficult to bring to mind what any of them might have been. All the more reason to make a mid-year commitment to sharpen cognitive skills (so maybe next year, resolutions can be remembered from January to June). And why stop with honing frameworks of the mental sort? Be all that you can be physically — because there is no season like the present that calls for greater body revealing attire — and reawaken the spirit to fully relish all life has to offer.

A Mental Workout
The brain is a muscle just like any other — and, just like any other, it atrophies unless it is not just used, but challenged on a regular basis. One byproduct of our e-generation is the ability to at least get started in the pursuit of virtually (emphasis on “virtually”) any endeavor with the click of a mouse. It’s therefore no surprise that the path to mental stimulation leads directly into cyberspace. At www.mensa.org (site of the renowned “brainiac” organization) follow the link to the Mensa Workout. Here, just for kicks (of the mental variety, that is), answer 30 challenging questions in 30 minutes. For example: “If it were two hours later, it would be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?”

Revisit The Classics
Researchers have long shown a link between exposure to classical music and increased brain activity in children — but why stop trying to activate brainwaves in infancy? Though perhaps not backed up by the same kind of scientific evidence, it seems logical to presume that exposure to classics of all kinds — music, literature, art — can do nothing but good for the mind. Whether your preference is to soak up the complex musical compositions of composers like Mozart, delve into challenging literature of old like Tolstoy’s War and Peace, or study the subtle yet scintillating changes in artistic depth and perspective throughout the Middle Ages, the resultant popping of synapses will feel akin to the tingling of muscles that occurs in the body post-pilates.

Retain A Life Coach
Few things weigh on the mind and spirit like goals gone unaccomplished. That’s why life coaching is now listed among the fastest growing fields in the country. In simplest terms, coaching accelerates the personal growth process. Coaching often takes place over the phone, although many coaches also work in person or even via email and instant messaging. “Clients come to me for various reasons, including business and career issues, self confidence, to get in shape, and when their lives are in transition,” says Laura Hendershot, founder of Consummate Coaching. “My clients often end up going for a much bigger vision than they would have on their own.”

Hire A Personal Trainer
Even for those who stick to workout regimes without falter, it can still be easy to get into a fitness rut. It does the body good to mix it up occasionally, or even make sure you’re getting the most out of current workout routines. Personal trainer, Marcus Bornstein likens his craft to that of a private detective. He explains, “Everyone has a different combination that will solve their self improvement goal. If it was less specific to the individual than that, then every fad diet book, gimmicky piece of workout equipment, and video would work for all people. An accredited personal trainer will take all the guess work out make your goal a case that’s solved.”

Keep A Nutrition Journal
From Oprah’s Bob Greene, to Weight Watchers and eDiets.com, a common element of many diet plans is the recommendation to keep a food journal. That’s because the experts know how easy it is to fool ourselves into thinking “just a handful” of potato chips (insert any guilty pleasure of choice) — won’t hinder diet efforts. A journal not only keeps you honest if you’re dieting, it can also be a useful tool for tracking intake of requisite vitamins and minerals for those who just want to achieve optimum health. Nowadays we know that certain fruits and vegetables can be powerful aids to long lasting health and well being. A nutrition journal can remove any stress that comes from trying to keep in our heads whether or not we’re incorporating all the essentials that the latest advances in medical research indicate we regularly need.

Schedule Screening Appointments
Make the date for all the necessary annual screenings — physical, prostate exam, pap smear, mammogram, skin cancer screening — one you can’t forget: your birth date. And don’t just rely on those screenings covered by your medical insurance for preventative measures. At Scripps Center for Executive Health, a clinic on the Scripps La Jolla hospital campus, annual exams take into account far more than the standard annual physical. In a comprehensive health evaluation and lifestyle guidance session, practitioners assess everything from personal and family history, to results of some of the most medically advanced physical screenings, such as a cardiac risk profile, prostate specific antigen test, and flexible sigmoidoscopy, to a complete appraisal of lifestyle. Preventative screenings are not always covered under typical insurance plans so might cost more than the average $15-20 copay, but at what price insight — and therefore early intervention to problems — into health?

Give Unto Others
In the pages of this magazine alone, evidence of the immense spirit of generosity in San Diego abounds. Page after page demonstrate awesome amounts of funds raised by community members for various worthy causes throughout the county — even the world. Time spent dedicated to worthy causes abounds, the figures on the dollars raised at some events astounding, but sometimes in the crush of event participation and other life responsibilities, a direct link to the people that need and benefit from our help can become somewhat tenuous. But it’s true what they say, that the more hands-on involved you become when helping other people, the more selfish a pursuit philanthropy becomes.

Schedule Family Field Trips
For those with small children — or, let’s face it, offspring of any shape or size — one of the major challenges to a spiritually healthy home can be forging time, in addition to that spent on school work, activities, sports, — and the list can go on and on — for pursuits of the purely enjoyable. Yet, it’s the time spent outside of frenzy in mutually enjoyable activities that will create happy memories and nurture bonds between family members. The end result hopefully being that grown children will still want to come “home” and bring the grandchildren once you find yourself in an empty nest. At regular intervals on the calendar, set aside time for a family field trip — you can let everyone in on the planning, or preserve a feeling of spontaneity by keeping the date and destination a surprise until the last minute.

Reconnect With Your Higher Power
On lifestyle surveys of typical Americans, attention to spiritual matters often ranks surprisingly low. Whatever your name for it — God, Buddha, Mohammed — many of us believe in a spiritual core to humanity that transcends beyond ordinary physical function. If it’s been so long you’ve forgotten how to reach that metaphysical center, or if you’d just like to improve upon current techniques, the Chopra Center at La Costa Resort & Spa is the ultimate place to concentrate on spirit. Seminars focus on renewing and healing the soul, three- and five-day wellness programs teach meditation, yoga, as well as physical purification and rejuvenation, and the Chopra Spa offers its signature ayurvedic spa therapies.

Learn The Art Of The Spirit Dance
Summer Autio brings 26 years movement experience to her new Dance North County Encinitas location with a Sunday from 10-11:30am Spirit Dance class for adults. Touted as “a soulful dance celebration that will unleash the animal energy within,” this unique offering “blends all cultures of music and dance inviting the non-dancer and the dancer alike to express the heart through movement.” Dance North County also offers instruction in an array of categories for adults — in addition to the ballet, jazz, and other movement classes available for children — like the waltz, tango, salsa, and swing dances for those who like to unleash their inner dance a deux.