13 Brain exercises to keep your mind sharp:
(Information courtesy of Healthline)
Exercising your brain to improve memory, focus clarity and daily functionality is the top priority for many older adults. It is certainly something that most of us, of all ages, can benefit from. Incorporating a few Brain exercises into your daily life has amazing benefits.
The brain is involved in everything we do and just like the rest of our body, we need to take care of it.
Brain Exercises:
Research has shown that there are several ways to hone your mental sharpness and help your brain stay healthy, regardless of age. Certain brain exercises can help boost your memory, concentration and focus and make daily tasks quicker and easier to do. It will also keep your brain sharper as you age.
Here are 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best Brain boosting benefits:
Jig saw Puzzles;
Working on a jigsaw puzzle regardless of whether it is 1000 pieces or 100 pieces, is an excellent way to strengthen your brain. Research has shown that doing jigsaw puzzles recruits multiple cognitive abilities and is a protective factor for visuospatial cognitive aging. When putting a puzzle together you have to look at different pieces and figure out exactly where they fit within the larger picture. This is a great way to challenge and exercise your brain.
2. Card games: A research study in 2015 on mentally stimulating activities for adults found that a quick card game can lead to greater brain volume in several regions of the brain. It also found that a game of cards could improve memory and thinking skills.
Try one of the following games:Solitaire
Bridge
Gin Rummy
Poker
Hearts
Crazy eights
3. Build your vocabulary:
An expansive and rich vocabulary has a way of making you sound smart. But did you know that you can also turn a quick vocab lesson into a stimulating brain game? Research shows that many regions oof the brain and involved in vocabulary tasks, particularly in the important areas of visual and auditory processing.
Test this theory by trying the following cognitive boosting activity:Keep a notebook with you when you read.
Write down the unfamiliar words you find and look up their definition.
Try to use that word at least 5 times the next day. (this part really helps you remember and cement the information)
4. Dance like nobodies watching:
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control notes that learning new dance moves can increaser your brain’s processing speed as well as memory. Allow your brain to thank you by busting a move on the dance floor.
Try one of these dance activities to test it out:Take a salsa, hip hop, or contemporary dance class.
Try a Zumba, NIA or Jazz exercise class.
Watch an online dance tutorial with fun dance moves you would love to learn.
Grab your partner and learn to ballroom dance.
Or go line dancing with your friends
5. Use all your senses:
Another 2015 research report suggests that using all your senses may help strengthen your brain. To give all your senses and your brain a workout, try doing activities that engage all five senses, like baking cookies, visiting a farmers’ market or trying that fancy new restaurant you have been eyeing, whilst you focus on smelling, tasting, touching, seeing, sensing and hearing all at the same time.
6. Learn a new skill:
Learning a new skill isn’t just fun and interesting it will also help strengthen the connections in your brain. May even create new synapses. 2014 research shows that learning a new skill can help improve memory function in older adults. If there is something you have always wanted to learn how to do, hesitate no longer. Your brain needs you to pursue these desires to improve its health. Want to learn how to fix a car, motorcycle, use a particular software program, or ride a horse? Now you have a good reason to learn that new skill.
7. Teach a new skill to someone else:
The best way to expand your learning is to teach it to another. After you learn a new skill, you must practice it. Teaching it to another requires that you explain the concept and correct any mistakes you may make. For example, learn how to swing a golf club and then teach the steps to a friend.
8. Listen to or play music.
Turning on some music is an easy way to increase your creative brain power. A 2017 study found that listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being silent. So, crank up some feel-good music and boost your creative thinking and brain power. And if you want to learn how to play music, there is NEVER a bad time to start. Your brain is capable of learning new skills at any point in your life.
9. Take a new route:
Try not to get stuck in a rut doing your daily tasks. Switch it up, try new ways to do the same tasks. Choose a different route to get to the store or work each week. Try a different mode of transport, like biking or using public transport instead of driving. Your brain can benefit from such simple changes, and you will be surprised how easy it is to change your thinking.
10. Meditate:
Daily meditation calms the mind, calms your body, and slows your breathing, which helps reduce stress, anxiety and can help you sleep better. Did you know that it may also fine-tune your memory and increase your brain’s ability to process information.
Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and spend at least 5 min meditating each day.
11. Learn a new language:
Reviewed research from 2012 has overwhelmingly proven the many cognitive benefits of being able to speak more than one language. According to numerous studies, bilingualism can contribute to better memory, improved visual-special skills, and higher levels of creativity. Being fluent in more than pone language may also help you switch between tasks more easily and delay the onset of age-related mental decline. It’s never too late to learn a new language and boost your memory as well as other mental functions.
12. Practice Tai Chi:
Tai Chi can help you improve your health on many levels including your mental health. It has a very centering ability when life seems crazy and out of whack. It can help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and improve memory. A study in 2013 found that long term practice could induce structural changes in the brain, resulting in increased brain volume.
13. Focus on another person:
Upon your next interaction, focus on four things about that person. The color of their shirt, or blouse or leggings. Do they wear glasses? Are they wearing a hat or scarf and if so, what kind of hat or scarf? What color is their eyes or their hair? Once you have decided on your four things, memorize them, and come back to it later in the day. Write down what you remember about those four details.
Focusing on your brain health is one of the best things you can do to improve concentration, focus, memory, and metal agility at any age. By incorporating brain exercises into your daily life, you get to challenge your mind, sharpen your cognitive abilities, and quite possibly learn something new and enriching along the way, too.