By Serenah McKay / Rogers
Today’s technology-driven culture offers many ways to stay in touch with people, get all the latest news and stay up-to-date with developments in our industry. We can find virtually anything we need to know in seconds, and be available to customers and employees 24/7.
This high-tech lifestyle is convenient and can be loads of fun. It can also leave people feeling overwhelmed. There’s simply far more information coming at us than most of us can process or retain.
This is a common experience, said Tony Miltich, co-owner of Learning Rx Centers in Bentonville and Fayetteville. Learning Rx is a “brain training center” where cognitive skills training helps students of any age to learn faster and easier, by identifying and strengthening the skills behind how we learn. Non-academic training procedures strengthen the brain’s core mental abilities such as processing speed, attention, memory, auditory and visual processing, and reasoning.
Learning RX will soon be offering a new program for adults who work in “brain-intensive” jobs that require multitasking and keeping track of information. Part of the problem, says Miltich, is that when we get into adulthood, we sometimes let our brains start “coasting,” compared to when we were kids in school and learning all the time.
But, he says, it is entirely possible for adults to not only stay smart as they age, but actually get smarter, even raise their IQ. Miltich suggests two things people can do to keep their minds sharp no matter their age.
1. Get in the Game – First, stay active in something that’s a mental challenge, whether it’s a game, playing a musical instrument, learning a language, or learning something new at work.
“The brain is like a muscle,” Miltich says. “If you don’t use it, it will get flabby.”
2. Exercise – The other part of the formula for staying smart. “That stimulates hormones that keep the brain well. Exercise is something that’s been recognized lately as necessary to keep our brains, as well as our hearts and lungs, healthy.”
Miltich equates a workout at the Learning Rx to a workout at a fitness center “from the neck up.” When you join a fitness center, they first assess where you are and what areas you need to work on.
“At Learning Rx, we do that with tests that measure cognitive abilities such as memory, attention and reasoning. Then we have a personal trainer who works one-on-one to enhance or develop those skills,” says Miltich, who adds that, like a fitness center, the program holds you accountable and makes sure you’re following proper technique.
From Biz2Biz NWA, January 2010, “The Business of Education”
By Serenah McKay / Rogers: Serenah McKay is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Rogers. Contact her at serenahmckay@hotmail.com.
