Workshop to link optimal brain function with fun exercise

Want to keep your brain in tiptop shape? Sudoku and crossword puzzles certainly help, but enjoyable exercise and movement are key factors in maintaining a youthful mind.

On July 28, La Sierra University's School of Education in collaboration with the Department of Health and Exercise Science will hold its sixth annual Summer Institute on Brain and Learning. The institute will offer a day-long workshop titled “Movement and the Brain” and will explore ways of maintaining optimal brain function. The event will provide information about the health benefits of incorporating movement into one's life and the importance of doing so with enjoyment. Topics will cover the ties between physical fitness and academic achievement, laughter as a brain booster, technology and physical activity, and the benefits of new technology game-based tools for aiding balance and physical activity in the elderly.

The workshop will be held 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the meeting room of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 11330 Pierce St., Riverside. The workshop is geared for K-12 teachers, students, physical educators, academicians, parents, curriculum developers, district personnel, retirement center activity directors and the general public.

Workshop presenters will include Belinda Lange, senior research associate at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies who will speak on “Game Technology for Maintaining Cognitive Function Among the Elderly”; Rob Thomas, chair of La Sierra University's Health and Exercise Science department who will speak on “Academic Performance and Physical Fitness Levels”; William Andress, La Sierra University associate professor of Health and Exercise Science who will speak on “Laughter and its Effects on the Brain”; and Ernie Medina, assistant clinical professor at Loma Linda University who will speak on “Using Digital Technology to Promote Physical Activity.”

Pre-registration is $80 per person. After July 15 registration is $95 per person. Registration for La Sierra University students is $40, faculty and staff, $50. To register call 951-785-2266 or click here: lasierra.edu/education/. Registration fee includes lunch and one unit of CEU (workshop).

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)