Don’t be surprised if you soon see staff at Burnbrae Gardens doing these exercises prior to carrying out certain job duties.

It’s all part-and-parcel with Brain Gym, a concept recently learned by Burnbrae staff such as April Anderson, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator. As explained in an article on Monday’s OMNIway News, she and her colleagues are doing Brain Gym exercises with a group of residents who have dementia – and they’re finding success.

Brain Gym is a program that includes 26 targeted physical activities to enhance learning and improve concentration, organizational skills, language, number skills and more.

Now, April is confident the concept could also benefit staff. According to what she has learned from the Brain Gym course and manuals, “it can be used for businesses. It (one of the manuals) specifies which exercises are best for doing certain activities, like problem-solving, filing and giving a speech,” says April.

For example, prior to giving a speech, the manual recommends doing a big, wide yawn, touching your elbows to your opposite knees, deep belly breathing, and – get this – unrolling and rolling the curves of your earlobes back and forth.

“That one is called ‘the thinking cap.’ I know, it sounds weird,” notes April.

But there is reason behind the apparent madness. As April explains, each Brain Gym exercise stimulates certain areas of the brain and body, which in turn allows for better performance.

So, for example, according to the Brain Gym concepts, stretching your calves ultimately releases the reflex to hold back and take action. It also apparently improves concentration, comprehension and the ability to bring projects to closure. And, doing a big yawn while rubbing your jaw will supposedly free up neurological connections and promote whole-brain use, ease of expression and creative ability.

“We’re definitely looking into the managers doing Brain Gym at our morning meetings. And the other staff too – it would be good if it became a daily thing for everyone. It’s something that I hope will happen in the near future,” says April.