2/3: Getting Started on BHQ & Websites

BHQ site: (www.brainhq.com) you can click on this link to start the exercises at home anytime.

Congratulations on joining the SDCE Brain Fitness class! You have been successfully registered and your BrainHQ brain training license has been set up and activated.

This is Week 2 of our online Brain Fitness Class - Week 1 was our Orientation and Registration in-person meetings.

This week will be a simple lesson all about “Getting Started” in the online class and brain training exercises. We'd like you to explore the exercises and the BrainHQ website. It is filled with many interesting and valuable resources that we will be discussing together as we proceed through the semester.

We have set up a BrainHQ license for every student. If you are encountering any problems getting on either website, please contact us right away and let us help you. You should all be able to start reading the Lessons and accessing the BHQ brain training exercises.

As you navigate this page and travel to different links, you can always come back to this page by scrolling up to the top of the page (above the title) and clicking on the drop-down menu that says "Brain Fitness Basics Spring 2020" (that's your class), then find this week's date and click on it to open this page. Or you can "X-out" of the page you are on (the x on the highlighted "tab" above) and this page will pop back up.

Enjoy this week's lesson.

Optional (Week 1): If you didn’t get a chance to look at the website after orientation, or read the handouts, you can take a look at last week's entry to see what you may have missed. Just click on it here to open it: Week 1 – Orientation. All of the handouts we had at orientation are right there, in case you missed them, as well as some additional introductory documents for you to read.

Everyone who attended one of our orientations and registered for class now has an active BHQ license. You should be able to log in to the BrainHQ brain-training website, following the instructions given in class, or below (but please read through this entire page first).

Go directly to the BrainHQ website by clicking here: www.brainhq.com or by entering the address into your ADDRESS BAR at the top of your internet screen. When the BrainHQ program opens, click on Log In and enter your email address and your password, which for all first-time students will be spring20 (if you had a password with us in the past – your password is the same as it has always been). Click Log In at the top of the BrainHQ screen to start.

You should now be seeing the orange BrainHQ Home page, with a couple of ovals in the lower center. Most of you are brand new to the program or returning after some time away. If so, we suggest that you start your training with fewer options, so that you can better understand how BrainHQ works. Choosing the “PERSONAL TRAINER” option in the center of the Home Screen is a good place to start because they will choose the exercises for you. You will see a series of circles (exercises to choose from). You can start with the first and move through them one at a time, or switch around. But you should try to complete them all this week. You should stay on each exercise until the program tells you to move on. Your goal is to complete each exercise before going on to another. You don't need to complete them all in one day, the PERSONAL TRAINER represents your exercise program for an entire week. Work for about 30-60 minutes a day. When you return the following day, the additional exercises will still be available for you to complete.

You can see the entire list of categories and exercises that are offered on your BHQ Program and Personal Trainer by clicking on the orange “EXERCISE” oval on the HOME PAGE and then scrolling down through all of the options. You don't need to do this right away, unless you'd just like to explore the website. You can't hurt anything, so feel free to look around, and maybe even try a couple of exercises. When you’re ready to go back to the Home page, just click on the little orange brain in the upper left corner of any screen (or the back arrow) to go back to the orange screen. Enjoy the website, but don’t be intimidated by the amount on information available. We will go through it all with you eventually. It’s a lot to take in at first, but soon it will become a familiar friend. We encourage beginners to explore and contact us with questions. The sooner we can help you become comfortable with the brain training website, the sooner you will be on track to a better brain. Our contact information is below and on the bottom of the class website which you can click on here: Home Page.

Quiz: Now, how well do you think you know the BHQ website? Just for fun, TAKE THE QUIZ to find out. It will automatically let you know how many you got correct (and yes, you can retake it).

Zoom Session: We will be having our first face-to-face, online Zoom session this week, on Wednesday evening, Feb 5th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. It's really pretty easy to access and it's fun, so we hope to see some of you there. At 6:30 we will answer questions about the exercises or the websites. Then, at 7:00 we will talk about the weekly lesson and share BHQ experiences. You are also welcome to log in early to ask specific questions about issues that you may be having trouble with. We will be live from 6:30 for individual questions. Just follow the instructions on the Home Page or click here and scroll down to Weekly Zoom Sessions to learn how.

If it’s your first time participating in a Zoom session, you can try it by getting on the site early to see how easy it is to get it set up. We begin our first BHQ Lesson at 6:30, so try getting on at about 6:15-6:30 and call Pat (at the number below) if you have any trouble. You can participate by video and audio, or just listen in by phone. Please let us know if you need help!

Enjoy your brain-healthy week!

Need help? Contact us at:

Pat Mosteller (pmostell@sdccd.edu) Cell 619-818-3953 - Online classes

Mary Burns (mburns@sdccd.edu) - Online classes

Debbie Flores (dsflores@sdccd.edu) - Online classes & Wednesday AM and PM classes at the Kroc Center

Janet Blair ( blusdbits@gmail.com ) - St Pauls Plaza. Contact for Support and Lesson Review

Yael Lorberfeld (ylorberfeld@sdccd.edu) . Mondays at the Kroc Center, Wednesdays at the College Ave Senior Center (Temple Emanu-El), and Friday mornings at the La Jolla JCC.

Marilyn Kessler (marilynk@ifssd.org) - Mondays at the College Ave Senior Center (Temple Emanu-El)