By now, almost everyone is aware that exercise can boost their physical wellbeing. But did you know that brain exercise can help improve your mental health? Your brain is involved in everything you do. Even while asleep, your brain controls your sleep and determines whether you’ll enjoy a good sleep or not. Therefore, there is a need to exercise your brain to keep it fit and functioning well.
Brain Exercise to Help Boost Mental Capacity
The following are some leading exercises that can ensure you have a sharp, intelligent, and healthy brain.
Game of Cards
Can you remember the last time you played a game of cards? Some people have never even tried the game. While this type of game might not be a favorite for many people, 2015 research on mentally revitalizing activities for adults found that a quick card game can enhance volume in some brain regions. It was indicated that card games could also improve thinking capacity and memory.
Take Good Care for Your Body
A good state of mind requires well-taken care of the body. Individuals who eat a well-balanced diet, exercise more, and drink lots of water are bound to be mentally fit. A 2016 study suggested that exercise can protect one’s brain from shrinkage associated with age. Regular exercise can also increase neurogenesis- the formation of new brain cells.
Men who live a healthy lifestyle are 60% less likely to have cognitive challenges and dementia as years go by. A healthy lifestyle means a life free of smoking, maintaining a healthy BMI, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, regularly exercising, drinking the required amount of water, and consuming less or no alcohol. If you need to be in a good state of mind, ensure that your body is well taken care of.
Brain Exercise – Test Your Recall
Exercise your brain with a sort of challenge to determine its memory capability. For example, make a list of things to do and the grocery you need – write down anything that comes to your mind and memorize. After an hour or two, see how many items you can remember. Ensure that you make your list as challenging as possible for greater mental stimulation.
Meditation
Meditation means calmly controlling your mind. While meditation may benefit the body, it also slows brain aging while increasing its ability to process information. Meditation is also a good way of ensuring that your brain concentrates on important things.
Build Your Vocabulary
A good vocabulary makes you sound smart. While vocabulary lessons are meant for a quick review of words, they can also stimulate your brain. Several brain regions are involved in vocabulary tasks, especially the areas that enhance the visual and auditory processes. For instance, you can try this cognitive-boosting theory:
- Write down a single unfamiliar word
- Check its definition
- Try to use the word for at least five times the following day
Learn a New Skill
Besides having fun while learning a new skill, it can also strengthen the connections in your brain. For example, get someone to help you prepare a healthy new dish. After some time, try to do it all by yourself without checking out the recipe to see if you can remember the ingredients and the procedure.
Draw a Map of Your Neighborhood from Memory
While you might think you can run through the streets of your neighborhood with your eyes closed, why don’t you challenge yourself by drawing it on paper? Remember, you must do so from memory. Include some major streets and landmarks. After that, compare your map with the actual map. How was yours? Did you miss a lot of things, or you did just fine? If drawing the map of your neighborhood is easy, try a challenging one, maybe of the whole city or town. It can be easy to navigate your way to the doctor’s office of a shopping mall behind the wheel, but involving your brain in such a task can be beneficial.
Try Using Your Non-Dominant Hand
Most neurobiologists suggest this as one of the most effective ways of keeping your brain alive. Your non-dominant hand can also strengthen your mind since it can be challenging to use your opposite hand. For example, if you are usually using the right hand, try using the left one while eating your dinner or writing something, it will be difficult, but your brain will benefit from it. Remember, the most beneficial brain activities are those that seem to be complicated.
Try Jigsaw Puzzle
Whether you are putting 1,000 pieces to make Sofia the First or building a tower, the jigsaw puzzle is an amazing activity to strengthen your brain. Jigsaw puzzles are good for enhancing cognitive abilities and prevents visuospatial cognitive aging. When putting a jigsaw puzzle together, you have to figure out what piece goes where hence keeping your brain active in a healthy way.
Brain Training Games
It’s more probable that you have tried or heard of brain training games without even knowing. We can all access these games from our smartphones or computers. It is believed that some of these games can increase one’s mental flexibility, enhance brain sharpness as you age, and increase your intellectual capacity. However, if you’ve spent a lot of time on your gadget, try something else to exercise your brain like the ones listed above.
Brain Excercise – Final Thought
Your body requires a healthy lifestyle to work efficiently, so does your brain. Keeping in mind that your brain works 24/7, there’s a need for it to be in healthy shape and energetic. There are many ways for ensuring that your brain is strong that include the ones named above. You can also find something interesting as long as it’s involving your brain. Swimming, jogging, reading are among the things you can try to ensure that your brain is “alive” and healthy.
