Brain Fitness
Schedules, Registration, & Orientation Information

summer 2023

Brain Fitness

Brain Fitness has been taught at San Diego Continuing Education since 2007. It is a culmination of a semester's sabbatical from Professor Emeritus Pat Mosteller. This class offers the Continuing Education student a chance to learn more about their own brain function, what types of activities are good for enhancing brain health, and what changes can be made to achieve a healthier brain for a better quality of life.

Click here for the Brain Fitness Summer 2023 flyer.

FAQs about Summer Brain Fitness classes

After looking at the information below, if you still have questions, you might want to look at an FAQs handout, which may answer your questions. Take a look.

Video: Learn more about the brain fitness class and its long history in the Emeritus department.

Summer Zoom Schedule

Zoom sessions are included in your registration into Brain Fitness. You do not need to register separately to attend a Zoom session. Simply attend the session of your choice that fits your schedule. All Zoom sessions cover the same lesson (Exception: During summer, the Tuesday Zoom session will be dedicated to Mindfulness Meditation). During Zoom sessions, you get an expanded lecture on the lesson and the opportunity to discuss it with your peers. For your convenience, Zoom sessions are offered on different days and times, with different instructors. Please note: Instruction days in the Summer 2023 semester are Monday-Thursday only.

Zoom sessions for summer (combined new and continuing students)

Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. (Mary Burns, Instructor) Note: The Tuesday Zoom session will be dedicated to the topic of Mindfulness Meditation during summer.
Wednesday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor)
Wednesday, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor)
Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (Mary Burns, Instructor)
Thursdays, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor) Note: This is geared toward students at The Glen at Scripps Ranch, though all are welcome to attend.
Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (Anjali Patel, Instructor)
Thursdays, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (Anjali Patel, Instructor)

Brain Fitness Lab

The Brain Fitness Lab Zoom sessions will not be held over the Summer semester, but will be back in the Fall 2023 semester.

Brain Fitness Lab Zoom sessions are open to all Brain Fitness students. Brain Fitness Lab offers Brain Fitness students an opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills relative to BrainHQ exercises. This hands-on lab is intended to empower and build confidence in students who have access to BrainHQ and equip them to independently engage and leverage the impact of the exercises to optimize cognitive functioning. Students may drop-in during Lab hours to ask questions, share their success tips, learn about effective strategies, and discuss their experiences in a supportive learning community. Students may define personal goals, describe changes in their lives, articulate improvements in specific skills, and provide examples of the outcomes associated with practicing the BrainHQ exercises as they gather input from the instructor and their peers. Other topics may be entertained as students explore brain healthy lifestyle choices.

Summer Orientation Schedule
(First Class Meetings)

All Orientations for Summer 2023 are ONLINE. They will be combined with both new and continuing students.
Please select only one session to attend.

Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. (Mary Burns, Instructor) Note: The Tuesday Zoom session will be dedicated to the topic of Mindfulness Meditation during summer.
Wednesday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor)
Wednesday, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor)
Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. (Mary Burns, Instructor)
Thursdays, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. (Mindy Sloan, Instructor) Note: This is geared toward students at The Glen at Scripps Ranch, though all are welcome to attend.
Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (Anjali Patel, Instructor)
Thursdays, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (Anjali Patel, Instructor)

Which Brain Fitness Class Do I Belong In?

If you are brand new to the Brain Fitness program and have never taken a Brain Fitness class with us, you would normally start with the Brain Fitness Basics class. However, over the Summer 2023 semester, we will be combining both new (Basics) and continuing (Topics) students for lessons that cover general brain health. Because of this, new students who continue into the Fall 2023 semester should register into the Brain Fitness Basics class at that time.

Meet the summer 2023 Brain Fitness Instructors

Mary Burns, MS, MA

Mary has been teaching Brain Fitness since 2008. She has a MS degree in Exercise Science and an MA in Educational Technology. She is responsible for most of the lessons and the website. She usually does the Wednesday evening Zoom and enjoys the challenge of whittling the lesson to a short 30 minutes. She is a good contact for technology related questions.

Mindy Jo Sloan, Ph.D.

Mindy joined the Brain Fitness faculty team in Spring 2021. She has many years of experience at other institutions of higher education. Her graduate degrees are in School Psychology, and she has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Mindy believes that education can transform lives, not just the life of the learner but also the lives of those who may be influenced by the learner. She enjoys discussing how to live a healthier life and to serve others.

Anjali Patel, RD

Anjali Patel is a Registered Dietitian (RD) specializing in public health, research and community nutrition. Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, and after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, Anjali moved to a small town in Kumamoto, Japan where she taught English and spent her free time on grassroots internationalization projects centered on food and culture. It was during this work her passion for community nutrition was born. She returned to school to pursue her RD and Master of Public Health, and on the side worked in nutrition research, nutrition communications and public health programs and strategy. In 2011, Anjali moved to the United States and worked with the restaurant industry on environmental change and consumer behavior change research funded by the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health.

Anjali is a food and nutrition educator who hopes to inspire and support individuals and communities with knowledge, tips and tools in healthy cooking and eating behaviors for their overall wellbeing. She believes that food holds much more power than nourishment to the body — it’s identity, belonging and what connects us.

Anjali enjoys skiing, swimming and traveling. When she is not working, you can find her with her family somewhere around the world trying different foods or in her kitchen playing with food.

Contact the Instructors

If you have any questions, please contact one of the instructors:

Mindy Sloan msloan@sdccd.edu

Mary Burns mburns@sdccd.edu

Anjali Patel apatel@sdccd.edu

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Brain Fitness Schedules, Registration, & Orientation Information