If you’re looking for a little light reading, then this list won’t do. This list is for those of us who are looking to learn more about the brain and brain fitness.

Originally posted at Sharp Brains, the 10 Most Popular Brain Fitness & Cognitive Health Books list made it’s way to the Huffington Post, adding another book along the way.

If you want to find out why these 10 11 are the chosen ones, head over to either of those two sites.

I’m just posting the covers of the books so that when you see them at your favorite book store, you’ll know that they’re the ones you are looking for.

Happy reading…

Looking for some new health and fitness blogs to read or prehaps searching for some old favorites like, say, Healthbolt?

Then check out this neat Health and Fitness Blog map created by Mike from Beach Fitness.

You can’t see the names of the blogs here as I had to reduce the size to get the map to fit.

But if you click here, you’ll end up at the full screen, readable version of the map. It’s worth it. The map is a great resource and has introduced me to a number of health and fitness blogs I might never have found.

One thing though. I’m thinking that the physical location of the blogs might be a little out of sync. After all, I write the Healthbolt blog from New Zealand and the b5Media network who owns the blog is in Canada, but on this map we are located somewhere near maybe Iceland - can you see us on the map? And Cranky Fitness is way over in the Far East, which, I’m think (though I could be wrong) might be where they really are. So don’t assume that where you find the blog on the map is where that blog is from.

(map posted with permission from beach fitness)

No one ever said baby naming is easy.

With hundreds of thousands of names to choose from, family expectations, and societal trends and fads, it’s definitely something that expectant parents agonize over.

One California couple, having a hard time making a decision,  has come up with a unique baby naming plan.  

Having narrowed the choice down to 17 boys and girls names, they’ve set up an online poll listing the names and hope that the world, or at least cyberspace, will help them decide. 

Want to help them out?

Cast your vote here…

Start spreading the news…

Breast Cancer Awareness month is coming up soon (beginning October 1) and to celebrate, our fabulous sister blog, Pink Ribbon Review, is giving away a prize a day! There are some amazing things donated by some amazing companies, who will also support the cause with a percentage of sales donated to Breast Cancer Awareness. Outstanding.

Be sure to subscribe to Pink Ribbon Review so you don’t miss a single day of give-aways.

Tell your friends. Spread the word, spread the awareness.

For a current list of items to be given away, check here.

Theme Day once again guys, and this time the focus across the Health & Wellness channel is Back to School.

We’ve got posts on everything from getting boys through puberty to nursing your baby at PTA meetings to dealing with juvenile diabetes at school and more. There’s something for everyone, so be sure to visit Grace at Kids Health Notes. Grace was good enough to host this month’s round-up (and she has a pretty sweet contest going on over there as well), so check it out.

Of course, be sure to see the post below to check out our contribution - new research on antibacterial hand soaps.

Hope your Back to School season is kicking off right!

Are you watching the Stand Up 2 Cancer show tonight? It promises to be an amazing star-studded fundraiser and information session for cancer, and I’m proud to say that our very own Pink Ribbon Review will be blogging LIVE during the show. Awesome, hey?

Here’s the scoop:

At 8:00 EST, when the show begins, log into Pink Ribbon Review and have a real-time conversation with blogger Karen Lynch about the event — real time, live, as it happens. She’ll have live coverage and commentary about the event — and you can add your two cents, too!

Her “live” blog will be displayed in a viewer window on the main Pink Ribbon Review website (thanks to software provided by CoveritLive). It’s like instant messaging — except you don’t need a user name or password — and you can watch the conversation, view photos, send in comments, or participate in polls. There’s no downloading … just have her website loaded at 8:00 EST and watch the magic unfold…

Bless the New York Times.com for publishing a list of the best online psychology tests. This is exactly the type of thing you need to sift through on a Friday when your mind cannot possibly focus on work. If your boss bitches, just tell them you’re learning about yourself in hopes that you can become an even more effective worker. Then make cross-eyes at him or her as they exit your office or cubicle. Proceed.

Once you dig into this list, you’ll find assessments such as:

* A Personality Test

* A Memory Test (I would so fail this one lately, I swear)

* Your reaction to faces (what you perceive to be attractive or not)

* Your personal biases (based on race, looks, etc)

And perhaps the piece de resistance…

* A Sanity Score Quiz (again, I seriously doubt this would have a positive outcome for me these days. Heh.)

Sounds like fun to me. And a great way to waste a little time spend a little time getting to know yourself.

Here’s the link to the NYT list, which has a link for each of the tests. Enjoy!

Not sure about yours, but my calendar is saying that summer is (gasp!) almost over! And while the underlying excitement of autumn’s sites and smells, routine schedules and child-free moments helps soften the blow, it’s always hard to say goodbye to such a carefree time of year like summer, is it not?

Well today you don’t have to. Because it’s Theme Day once again here at the b5 media Health & Wellness channel, and this month’s theme is all about eeking out that last bit of Summer Fun. Check out what our bloggers have to say:

We at Healthbolt believe that you should be able to laugh a little about your health, and thus, would like to introduce you to the Laryngospasms. Enjoy.

While it’s often difficult for Alzheimer’s caregivers to plan for summer fun, Mary Emma Allen has some ideas at Alzheimer’s Notes.

At Mental Health Notes, Alicia tells us how to find free mood boosters to manage depression and shake things up in the bedroom with Sunshine Can Help Your Brain Grow Big And Strong.

Kristina at Autism Vox goes on vacation by the ocean for fun in the sun and surf, and some reflections on summers past and how her son has grown.

“So what did your family do this summer?” If you’re still thinking of a cool answer to that question, think no more! Grace from Kids Health Notes gives us FIVE fun ideas to make the end of summer memorable.

For those of you who like to use or who want to try homeopathic remedies for those itches, aches and pains that come along with summer time fun, Marijke at Help My Hurt shares a press release that outlines what types of products may be able to help you.

Summertime is barbecue time, but Ruth at Eating Fabulous recommends you marinate your meat before grilling to reduce the formation of carcinogen compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCA) during grilling.

Karen Lynch at The Pink Ribbon Review wrote a post explaining Why Summer Fun is Just What the Doctor Ordered.

Kelly at Grounded Fitness shows us how to beat the summer heat and intensify your workouts with these special little water bottles.

And finally…

Just for fun, Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 asks the ladies, “Do your breasts have a nickname?”

You’ve debated them around the water cooler for years. Your mother has warned you about a good many of them. Seinfeld even had a whole show built around one of them (#5). What are they?

Old Wives Tales, of course.

But are they tales, or do some of them hold some truth a grain or two of truth? Take the quiz below to test your own knowledge on some of the most commonly accepted thoughts out there. Then check your answers and get the explanations you seek at MSNBC.com.

1. Cell phones are dangerous to use in hospitals because they can interfere with medical equipment. True / False / Maybe So

2. It’s safe to follow “the 5 second rule” for food dropped on the floor. True / False / Maybe So

3. Cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis. True / False / Maybe So

4. Cola type soft drinks can damage your kidneys. True / False / Maybe So

5. “Double dipping” spreads germs from one chip to another. True / False / Maybe So

6. Eating locally produced honey can ease seasonal allergies. True / False / Maybe So

Some of those are pretty tricky, huh? So…how did you do?

Yes, it’s carnival time again and this time around, we have 35 posts covering health, fitness, wellness, dieting, and everything in between. So grab a coffee and start clicking…

Madeleine Begun Kane’s back with another limerick all about Gray Matters posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Fiona King lists 25 Painless Ways You Can Reduce Your Water Consumption posted at Organicasm.

Andre Blackman looks at Google Maps and the Push to Keep Your Car Parked posted at Pulse & Signal, saying, “This post touches on the recent development in Google Maps that now shows walking directions.”

Alvaro Fernandez lists the Top 10 Brain Training Future Trends posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “In an emerging, dynamic, high growth market, like brain training, it is difficult to make precise projections. But, we can observe a number of trends tht bloggers should watch closely in the coming years, as brain fitness and training becomes mainstream, new tools appear, and an ecosystem grows around it.”

Peter presents The Art of Working Out Alone posted at The Change Blog.

Yongho Shin provides suggestions on How To Kickstart Your Metabolism With 0% Effort posted at One Crumb, saying, “Raise your metabolism for no cost, with no exercise, and with no extra or less food? Think it’s impossible? Learn how!”

Dr. Joe Capista says learning to talk to yourself doesn’t mean you’ve gone crazy. Instead, he suggest s that by giving commands to your subconscious mind to carry out orders efficiently and effectively, you are using Key Behaviors for Success posted at The Success Triangle.

Sagar Satapathy lists iFit: 50 Coolest Fitness and Health Apps for the iPhone posted at NursingDegree.net.

Steve M asks When Is The Best Time To Weigh Yourself posted at Weight Loss Weapons, saying, “Simple enough question, but with many differences of opinion on the topic. When or more importantly how often do you weigh yourself?”

Time to turn the page for more great healthy carnival posts…

Read more