In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging

My dad is going to turn 70 this year (wow). So despite the fact that his health and mental clarity are currently great, the aura of fear around aging in our culture - especially regarding mental decline - has caused him and the rest of our family to become increasingly more concerned about ensuring his continued good health throughout his latter years. Yet when I read this book, it really helped me see that aging can actually be a very positive, empowering process. Ilchi Lee and Jessie Jones are a perfect match for this book: combining Lee's wisdom and spiritual know-how with Jones' years of expertise on the aging process. Together they've managed to create a compelling (and even reverent) case for a person's final years to be their very best, while maintaining a sense of light-hearted simplicity throughout. By presenting the latest scientific discoveries about aging (which challenge many preconceptions we've all had about aging and mental decline), providing helpful holistic exercises for body and brain, and delivering a powerful spiritual message about being in charge of your own health and wellness as you age, this book is sure to make its mark as an essential guidebook for anyone who wants to be at the top of their game until their last moments on this earth.If you want another great read by Lee, check out this book:  Human Technology: A Toolkit For Authentic Living

Attempting to keep brain alert.

This is a wonderful guide for restoration of health and cognition for the aging. Great chapter on neuroplasticity exercises for Dementia symptoms, etc.

'In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging',by Ilchi Lee & Dr Jessie Jones;I reckon most of us have readily accepted brain vitality from the standpoint of "use it or lose it".The joint authors of 'In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging' have however come up with a new mantra:"Use more of it or lose everything!"In fact, the foregoing book is the lead author Ilchi Lee's second book, which I am reviewing.His earlier book is 'Principles of Brain Management: A Practical Approach to Making the Most of Your Brain', which I have already reviewed on Amazon.In a nut shell, 'In Full Bloom' reiterates the lead author's five-step 'Brain Education System Training (BEST)' methodology, originally featured in the earlier book, which seeks to enhance human potential through a variety of mind-body training methods.Apparently with the timely participation of Dr Jessie Jones, an expert in gerokinesiology (the specialised science of the ways in which exercise & aging interact), the new book now amalgamates the physical & mental activities into a more wholesome holistic program designed to promote & sustain successful aging.The book is obviously targetted at senior adults, even though many of the exercises illustrated in the book are applicable to both the old & the young.As a dedicated practitioner of Brain Gym for more than fifteen years, I am already familiar with quite a number of the exercises, which seem to be simple variations of what I have learned & applied over the years. The 'Cook's Hookup', known as 'Wrist Twist' in the book, is a case in point.All the mind & body exercises in the book have been dove-tailed to suit the original five steps of 'BEST' as envisaged by the lead author Ilchi Lee: Sensitising, Versatilising, Refreshing, Integrating & Mastering.Again, I must say that there are no ground-breaking or thought-provoking stuff, especially if readers are already familiar with the pioneering work of Arthur & Ruth Winter, Dharma Singh Khalsa, Lawrence Katz, Andrew Weil, just to name a few.Interestingly, from the standpoint of building posture, strength, flexibility, balance & endurance of senior adults, I have noted that there are many parallels in the recommended fitness exercises with the work of clinical physical therapists Marilyn Moffat & Carole Lewis, writing in their book, entitled 'Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life'.Nonetheless, what I like most about the book is the reasonably vast collection of well-illustrated integrated exercises for mind & body, mostly drawn from a variety of complementary & alternative domains, a sort of East-West synthesis.For me, I generally concur with the soundness & validity of the principal premises of the authors, as exemplified here:- we have the power to control at least 70% of our aging process through the lifelong choices we make in diet, exercise, mental health, learning & relationships;- we can make proactive, conscious choices to help our bodies & brains remain healthy & vital into our senior most years;- more importantly, our brains are infinitely adaptable; physical wellness, lifestyle, weight, diet, & exercise are far more significant factors in long term brain health than genetics or age;- best of all, age is not a choice; healthy living is;Luckily, to my pleasant delight, the nutrition aspect - food & your brain - is touched on in this book, which I have highlighted as "missing" from the earlier book.In my view, the two authors have appropriately ended the book with a great 'Afterword: Embodying the Jansaeng Lifestyle'. (Jangsaeng is a Korean word that roughly translates as long life vitality in respect to the passage of time.)The 'Walking Yourself Young: Jangsaeng Walking' as illustrated in the Appendix is a good take-away, at least from my perspective.It appears that Adrian Yeo aka Dr Yeo Ning Hong, author of 'T.H.E A2Z Diet', which I have already reviewed earlier, has shared the same idea of a walking journey of 10,000 steps in order to increase general fitness.There is also an interesting 'Senior Fitness Test' at the back of the book.To end my review, all I can say is that, if readers are looking for a highly readable book that integrates &/or combines the wisdom of Western processes & Eastern practices on the fountain of health, happiness & peace, then this book will do you a great favour.[Reviewed by Lee Say Keng, Knowledge Adventurer & Technology Explorer, December 2008]

read this one on loan and had to get my own copy! Good descriptions and diagrams for performing exercises.

This is a short story about a `friend'. My `friend' spent most of his adult life as an unhappy individual. This `friend' hated the work he was doing but stayed with the same employer for 25 years. He didn't particularly care for his neighbors but is living in the same house for 17 years. He didn't want to keep in touch with friends or relatives unless he absolutely had to. During his 30's and 40's, he was always complaining about his health and the aches and pains that conveniently kept him home from work and was also a good excuse to avoid keeping in touch with friends and family. He spent too many days going from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital, throughout his life, only to get the same answers to all the tests he subjected himself to. The tests were all negative, but this `friend' was not convinced that there was nothing wrong with him. This `friend' was living a self-fulfilling prophecy. He had used his failing health as an excuse for so long that he had convinced himself that he was really sick. Instead of being happy that all the test results were negative, he complained that the doctors could not find the problems, which made him feel sicker. Finally at age 58, this 'friend' went to see a doctor who happened to be of Korean origin. After another round of tests with still negative results, this doctor told this 'friend' that he was in good health, in fact, he was in very good health. The doctor recommended that he should get into an exercise and diet program before long or his health would start to deteriorate. The doctor suggested that he should look into a Yoga program which is both physical as well as educational. So this `friend' found a Dahn Yoga Center only a few blocks from his home. He gathered enough courage to go upstairs and speak with the Instructor. After a 20 minute initial exam, the instructor was describing all the ailments this 'friend' was experiencing, and he was right on. After an introduction to the Yoga exercise routine, this 'friend' attended his first Yoga class the same evening. Although he was always skeptical and doubting everything in his life, something about the Yoga class made him feel different. He continued with the classes and participated in educational programs called B.E.S.T. The instructor recommended the he read a book named; In Full Bloom: A brain Education Guide For Successful Aging, by Ilchi Lee and Doctor Jessie Jones. This book helped this `friend' to understand how he was creating his own problems and how to start to correct his physical and mental balance back to a healthy body and mind. If you didn't guess by now this `friend' is really me. At age 58, I am now able to realize that my negative outlook was causing my aches and pains. It all took place in my head. For over 25 years my constant complaining and whining brought myself and everybody around me down. Just to be able to write this story shows how much I have changed. In one year I lost 14 lbs., my aches and pains have gone away, and my attitude has changed from negative to positive. But writing this story serves another purpose. If anybody reading this story has the same or similar attitude, I urge you, I'll even beg you, don't wait for your life to pass by without changing how you feel. Get a copy of: In Full Bloom, and / or visit a Yoga center near you. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the rest of your life. It's never to late to change.

Excellent book