By Doreen Nagle
Gannett News Service

Make this the week you'll start your own parent-pampering routine.

Pamper yourself because...

• Being a parent means you are in it for the long haul. If you think you can't find the time to take care of yourself, then do it for the kids. It's part of the responsibility you accepted when you became a parent.

• Being a parent means you need lots of energy. If you care for yourself, you will feel better, have more endurance and have a better outlook.

Pamper your brain

As the years go by, our brain function diminishes. But you can keep it sharp: just like with other parts of your body, your brain needs exercise:

• Do demanding mental activities: Grab a pencil and a book of crossword puzzles, word jumbles or seek-and-search word games. Buy one book for your nightstand and one to keep with you when you commute or go on vacation.

• Been reading only work-related material lately (or parenting topics)? Try a different magazine than one you would normally read. Read materials that challenge you. Join a book club and attend discussion meetings.

• Write in a journal every day. It will keep your wordsmith skills sharp as well as create great memories.

• Learn a new word each day. Use it in a sentence or write a few paragraphs building a story around it.

• Make time to have adult conversations about adult things - with actual adults.

• Sign up for a lecture series or take a workshop. Always wanted to learn guitar? Get a baby-sitter and, like the ad says, just do it.

• Take vitamin E and gingko biloba for staying brainpower.

Pamper your body

• Water: Drink lots. If the prospect of eight glasses per day seems overwhelming, maybe it will be more manageable if you refill a small sports bottle several times daily.

Or buy bottled water in a size that you can carry with you. Aside from everything else water does for us, it's a good pick-me-up when we are starting to melt.

• Don't eliminate fats from your diet altogether. Fats supply needed energy. Good fats include olive oil.

Stay away from palm kernel and coconut oils, and limit your use of animal fats.

• Include vitamins C, E, and the Bs in your everyday diet. Make sure your multiple vitamin includes PABA, inositol and folic acid.

• Eat well. While vitamins are great additions to your diet, it is wise to get the nutrients we all need from healthy foods. Many health food stores sell charts or books that show what vitamins and minerals are found in each food.

• Regular meals with healthy snacks keep your energy constant all day.

Make up the majority of your meals from complex carbohydrates such as whole grains.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals, such as oatmeal for breakfast, salad and soup for lunch, broiled salmon with brown rice and steamed broccoli for dinner and some fruit snacks in between.

• Get thee to a spa or a hot tub. An occasional pampering treat is a necessity.

Pamper your soul

• If you don't have a spiritual life, get one. Take time to nurture the inner you and your connection to the larger picture.

• Rediscover nature. Go on a hike or a stroll through the countryside or spend a day staring at the ocean waves.