THEME 7 GET YOUR ZZZs · Welcome back! I’m so glad we are spending this time together to learn...

TBH FOCUS

BODY | Live With Your Brain In Mind. Lifestyle choices we make daily can significantly impact our everyday thinking and brain fitness over the long-term.

THEME 7 INTRODUCTION | GET YOUR ZZZsWelcome back! I’m so glad we are spending this time together to learn the many valuable ways we can help our brains. Today our Theme is “Get Your Zzzz’s.” We’re going to talk about why sleep is so important for memory and brain health. There are lots of reasons. We think better when we are well rested. We are able to pay better attention, to think more quickly and multi-task better, when we sleep well. In addition, our brains consolidate or store new things we have learned during the day while we sleep.

Sleep becomes even more important when we get older. But it also can get harder to get enough of it. We often have to get up more during the night to go to the bathroom, for exam-ple. That interrupts our sleep. Some medications can interfere with sleep. If we have memory loss, that can get in the way of our realizing when we need to sleep. Memory loss can disrupt our natural sleep rhythms.

The good news is there are lots of helpful strategies for getting the sleep our brains (and bodies) need.

Today we’re going to learn some other things we can do to help us relax so that we can get a good night’s sleep. I know this is information we can all use!

© TBH Brands LLC 2018, Upper Montclair, NJ. All rights reserved.

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TBH FLEX 1.0 THEME 7

Adapt to the needs of your group by offering the TBH FLEX Builders in 1 or 2 classes. See the “Start Here | It’s as Easy as 1-2-3” Guide in your online toolkit for best practices tips on adjusting class length.

THEME 7 | GET YOUR ZZZs


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TBH FLEX 1.0

TBH LET’S GET IT STARTED! 10 MINUTES

Start each session with this upbeat workout to prime focus, boost energy and get the group ready to learn together. Use music from the suggested playlist to set a steady rhythm (see Resources). Everyone should be seated in a circle.

First, let’s begin with our TBH Let’s Get It Started warm-up. Is everyone ready to get their brains and bodies going? It’s always more fun when we do this, together!

First, let’s get our feet started!• TAP IT OUT. Put both feet flat on the ground and tap your toes. (Begin tapping your toes

to an upbeat, steady rhythm, but not too fast. Slow down if you notice folks aren’t keeping up.) Now let’s count it out from 1 to 10. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

• TAP IN TURN. Great! Now let’s alternate feet. Watch. (Alternate tapping with your left foot and then your right.) Now tap along with me and count. Ready? A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J!

Now, let’s get our legs started!• KICK IT UP. Kick one leg at a time. Not too hard, though. (Starting with either foot, kick

gently from the knee. When everyone is kicking, start the counting.) Now count from 1 to 10. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

• LIFT A LEG. Great! Now pick up your feet, one at a time, like this. (From the knee, lift and lower one leg at a time.) Good. Ready? A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J!

• MARCH IT OUT. Now let’s march, like this! (Demonstrate marching in place while seated. If class is able to march in place safely while standing, you may choose that option. When everyone is moving together, begin the count.) Now repeat after me: 1 (signal group to say “1”). 2 (signal). 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. TBH! (signal for repeat). GOOD FOR ME! (signal)

Okay, our legs are warmed up. Time to get our arms started!

• UP AND DOWN ARMS. Watch me first, then join in. Be gentle with these. (Hold arms straight out in front, shoulder level, with palms facing down. Gently lower both hands to thighs and then raise them back to shoulder level.) Ready? Count with me. Here we go: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

• CHOP WOOD! Fantastic, everyone! Now let’s chop some wood together, just like this. (Lift the right hand up by the left side of your face. Slowly “chop” down to the outside of your right knee. Then lift the right hand back to the right side of the face. Slowly “chop” down to the outside of your left knee. Then do the same with your left hand and right knee, repeating the movements in the opposite direction.) Got it? Let’s start chopping everyone! Counting together : 1, 2, and 3, 4. Let’s do that again, but this time with some “saw-ing” sounds, which may sound a lot like those ZZZ’s we are talking about today! ZZZZ, ZZZZZ, and ZZZZZ, ZZZZZ. Great job!

GET YOUR ZZZs


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TBH FLEX 1.0

• STRETCH SET. Think we can handle one more arm warm-up? Let’s go back to the first move and alternate arms. Let me show you first. (Extend both arms straight in front of you, then alternate lifting and lowering them to demonstrate.) Pick up your arms and let’s get it started. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Now let’s get our shoulders started with some shrugs!

• SHOULDER SHRUGS. Keep your hands on your thighs, take a big breath in through your nose, and shrug your shoulders up toward your ears. (Demonstrate.) Let that big breath out and let your shoulders drop at the same time. We’ll do ten of those. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

Almost done, everyone. We’re going to finish up with our voices. Let’s get our voices warmed up by making sounds together. Ready?

• VOICE VOCALS

Say “OHHHHHHHHHH” (hold sound for a few seconds)

Say “EHHHHHHHHHHH” (hold for a few seconds)

Say “AHHHHHHHHHHHH” (hold for a few seconds)

One more time! Say “OHHHHHHHHHH” (hold sound for a few seconds)

Say “EHHHHHHHHHHH” (hold for a few seconds)

Say “AHHHHHHHHHHHH” (hold for a few seconds)

Now all 3 sounds together! Say “OH - EH - AH” (Hold each sound for several seconds; repeat three times.)Awesome, everyone! Let’s end with one more big breath in through the nose… (inhale deeply through your nose) and out (exhale, this time through your mouth). Give yourselves a great big FLEX hug (hug yourself to demonstrate) and send some TBH love to your brain.Now open your arms wide in support of one another. And, give yourselves a round of applause for being here today. Great job, everyone! Do you think our bodies and brains are started up and ready to go?

THEME 7

TBH FLEX WORKOUT 7 | GETTING MORE SLEEP 15 MINUTES

This workout teaches a simple relaxation exercise that uses visualization and deep breathing participants can use to get a better night’s sleep.

SBBT All Together

BRAIN SKILLS WORKED Attention, Verbal Skills, Visual Skills, Memory, Executive Control

YOU WILL NEED • Soothing instrumental music (Optional)• Devices for playing music recordings (Optional) • If doing harder variation: Kirtan Kriya Meditation Worksheet (see Resources)

LEARN THE TBH SCIENCE This TBH FLEX Builder is called “Getting More Sleep.” We are going to learn some ways we can help ourselves get a better night’s sleep because sometimes memory loss can get in the way of good sleep. And, when we are not getting enough sleep, we can feel more stressed or anxious. And that also can make it harder to sleep well.

The good news is that we can help ourselves get a better night’s sleep. We can make sure we have a regular bedtime routine. That means going to bed around the same time each night and making sure the room you sleep in is a comfortable temperature and darkened. There should only be enough light for you to move safely if you need to get up.

Also, we should be careful not to drink too much liquid right before bed. That reduces the chances we will have to get up to go to the bathroom during the night.

Finally, we can do things before bed to help us relax and make it easier to fall asleep. We can use aromatherapy oils such as lavender to help with sleep. We can do gentle stretches to relax areas of our body where we hold lots of tension, such as our neck and upper back.

We can also use breathing exercises, like we do here at the end of each class, to help us re-lax and get to sleep more easily. This kind of breathing gets us to focus on one thing – our breath – so that we pay less attention to the chatter of our minds that can keep us awake. We can even add to the breathing for a deeper level of focus or mindfulness. For example, we can add visualization, when we focus on an image while we breathe deeply.


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NOW DO ITGuide class through the following steps of “Breathe into Your Heart” Meditation. Speak slow-ly and clearly as you provide each step. Option to play soft music in the background.

We are going to try that together now. This exercise is called “Breathe into Your Heart.” It is a mindfulness or meditative exercise that uses the breath and visualization. It is the kind of exercise we can use to help us feel more relaxed when we are trying to fall asleep.

Okay everyone. Make sure you feel comfortable in your seat. Place both of your feet flat on the floor. Let your arms relax in your lap or on the arms of your chair. Close your eyes.

Begin to pay attention to your breath. Notice when you inhale. Notice when you exhale.

When you can see that everyone is situated comfortably and breathing in and out, say:

Now, imagine that every time you take a breath in, the air goes straight to your heart as if you’re filling up a balloon in your chest.

Allow class enough breaths to get into the rhythm of this. Then say:

Next, picture something in your mind that makes your feel wonderful. It can be someone you love. It can be an object that you enjoy looking at or holding. It could be a place where you feel safe and happy. Picture it in your mind as you continue to breathe into your heart. Make the picture in your mind as clear as possible, like a photograph.

Allow class to do this for several minutes before bringing them out of the exercise.

Okay, everyone. Take a few more breaths and then open your eyes and look around the room (Give participants time to get to this point). How did that feel? Are you more relaxed? Anyone feeling calmer? (Lead discussion around experience of this exercise). You can do this exercise anytime you feel stressed or you’re trying to go to sleep.

VARIATIONS• Make It Harder: Teach the Kirtan Kriya Meditation instead of the “Breathe into Your Heart”

Meditation (See Resources). • Make It Easier: Discuss and have each participant choose a visual image of a heart to pic-

ture as they breathe. If needed, remind them of their image as they do the exercise.

TBH FLEX WORKOUT 7 | RELAXING MASSAGE 15 MINUTES

This workout teaches a simple way participants can use self-massage to encourage relaxation and gain a better night’s sleep.

SBBT All Together

BRAIN SKILLS WORKED Sensory Perception, Coordination, Attention, Executive Control

YOU WILL NEED • Tennis balls or similarly-sized soft balls• Soothing instrumental music (Optional) • Devices for playing music recordings (Optional)

LEARN THE SCIENCEOur next TBH FLEX Builder is called “Relaxing Massage.” As we learned, a good night’s sleep is important to our brain health, especially as we get older. Sleep is even more im-portant if we have memory loss. But we can have trouble getting enough sleep.

Sometimes we have trouble sleeping because of tension or discomfort in our bodies. We may have arthritis, or just some common aches and pains. Or we may have muscle tension from stress during the day.

We can help ourselves sleep better by getting more comfortable before we fall asleep. We can make sure our bedroom is quiet and darkened. We can use things such as deep breathing to relax.

Today we are going to learn self-massage as a way of relaxing before bed. Gentle self-mas-sage can help us fall asleep more easily by helping relieve that tension or discomfort that can make it harder to relax. And it is easy to do. We will learn how to do it using a ball. If you like it, it is something you can do on your own, to help you fall asleep more easily.


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NOW DO ITGive each person a tennis ball or similarly-sized soft ball. As you distribute them, say:

I’m giving each of you a tennis (or describe other) ball. We are going to gently roll the ball on different parts of our bodies. Self-massage is so easy and feels great. We can do it sitting right here in our chairs. We can also do it in bed at night, before we fall asleep.

Let’s be sure to be gentle as we practice. Our bodies respond to the sensation of the ball rolling across our skin, there is no need to press down hard. You just need enough gentle pressure to hold the ball in place. Like this (demonstrate gently rolling the ball across your forearm). Are you all ready to roll? OK! Watch me first. Then we will try each step together.

Let’s start with our hands. Roll the ball between your palms, like this (demonstrate rolling the ball between your palms). Press into the ball with both hands gently, roll it back and forth.

Now let’s do our arms. Just roll the ball up and down one arm for a while and then switch (demonstrate gently rolling the ball up and down both arms). If you find a spot where it feels especially good to massage with the ball, you can spend a bit of extra time there.

Next, let’s do our thighs. You can roll the ball straight up and down your thigh, like this. (Demonstrate by rolling a ball from knee to top of thigh.) You can make little circles with ball up and down your leg. (Demonstrate.) Do whatever feels good. Just remember to be gentle.

Optional: If the class seems capable, remove shoes for foot massage. Now let’s try a bit of foot massage. Take off your shoes, everyone. Now place the ball underneath your right foot, like this (Demonstrate by placing the ball under your foot, then rolling it gently back and forth, pressing the ball between the foot and the floor). Use your foot to press down enough that you can roll the ball back and forth on the floor. How does that feel? Now let’s switch feet and try it on the other side (Switch feet).

How do you feel? Did you enjoy the self-massage? (Encourage class discussion). Great job, everyone! I hope you will try this on you own. (If allowing class members to keep the balls, let them know).

VARIATIONS• Make It Harder: Pair Up. Break class into pairs. Have partners help each other with ball

placement and discuss with each other how the massage feels. • Make It Easier: Simplify exercises. Use the balls on hands and arms only.

TBH THEME 7 TAKEAWAYToday we learned about why sleep is so important to our brain health. We tried different ways we can help ourselves relax and get a better night’s rest such as mindfulness exercis-es like the focused breathing that we practiced, or self-massage. And a good night’s sleep is so important to help our attention and focus in our waking hours. I hope you will continue to try them on your own.

TBH TAKE A BREATH 10 MINUTES

End class with this signature TBH relaxation exercise.

Speaking of sleep and relaxation, we’ll end class with our deep breathing exercise. This is a great practice for relaxing into sleep at night as well. And a great way to end our class! Is everyone comfortable? Place your feet flat on the floor and let your hands rest in your lap or on top of your thighs. Gently close your eyes. (Demonstrate.)

Begin to notice your breathing. Inhale slowing and deeply through your nose. Feel your chest and belly get bigger they fill with air. Breathe in deeply, then let the breath out slowly through your mouth or your nose. Keep breathing in and out, in and out at your own pace. Keep your eyes closed. Focus on the breath going into your body and flowing out.

Let class focus on breathing for a few minutes, and then offer the following affirmations calm-ly and slowly.

As you breathe, I’d like to offer you the following thoughts. You can just listen to my voice or repeat them to yourself. Think about what they mean to you.

My body is relaxed.

I am grateful for my breath.

I am grateful for my imagination.

I am grateful that I can take care of my body and give it rest.

I am grateful for myself.

Let class continue to breathe for a few minutes. End with these words:

Ahhhh… that was so nice. Slowly open your eyes and look around the room. Great class everyone. Isn’t it wonderful that something we all do as naturally as sleep is so good for our brain health? I hope you’ll all get a wonderful night’s sleep tonight!


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TBH FLEX 1.0

TBH TAKE THIS HOMEPass out TBH FLEX Theme 7 cards (1 per participant) while saying the following:To help you with your sleep, our take-home card this week has instructions for doing the Breathe Into Your Heart meditation so you can practice on your own.

WHAT’S NEXT | TBH THEME 8: LET’S CELEBRATE!End with a sneak peak of what the class will be doing at the next session.

Next time will be our final class in the TBH FLEX 1.0 Course. We’re going to celebrate all the wonderful ways we’ve learned to take better care of ourselves. It will be fun to cheer for each other and our well-being!Thanks for being here, everyone. See you at our next class.

THEME 7

THEME 7 GET YOUR ZZZs · Welcome back! I’m so glad we are spending this time together to learn...

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