Brain Exercises to Keep Your Mind Sharp as You Age
Brian exercises can help keep your mind sharp. It’s not possible to wrap your mind around how important your brain is. It is arguably the most critical organ in the entire human body. Your brain controls and coordinates your actions and reactions, and gives us the ability to think and feel.
As we age, our brain naturally weakens. It loses neurons and even physically shrinks. While this process is natural and happens to everyone, the severity of the impact can be greatly reduced with the proper care and brain exercises.
1. Benefits of Brain Exercises
While there are no guarantees for how your mind and body will react, some of the benefits you may experience with proper and consistent brain exercises are:
- Reduced Cognitive Decline as You Age
- Better Memory
- Reduced Stress Levels and Increased Positivity
- Improved Focus and Concentration
- Increase in Motivation and Productivity
- Quicker Reaction Times
- More Self-Confidence
2. Brain Exercises & Lifestyle Changes
Reading Books Aloud
Reading alone is extremely beneficial to your brain. But, to increase the effectiveness of it, try reading aloud. This will engage the three regions of your brain that are responsible for reading, speaking, and listening.
Take New Routes
How often do you finish driving to or from a familiar destination, and you can’t remember the drive at all? That’s because your mind is essentially on auto-pilot and just goes through the motions.
Whether you’re driving, biking, or walking, take different routes as often as you can. This will help stimulate your mind as you take in new experiences and it causes you to navigate and focus on directions.
Learn a New Hobby or Skill
Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. Learn and play a new instrument or a sport, learn a new language, take cooking classes, work on your craftsmanship, or anything else you can improve in.
Meditating
It’s estimated that people have anywhere from 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day. That’s a lot of wear-and-tear on your mind. Meditation allows you to clear your mind of this clutter, reduce the stress load, and improve your focus and overall ability to think clearly. Make time to meditate, your mind will thank you later.
Physical Exercise
Surprisingly enough, there may not be a more effective way to improve the health of your brain than physical exercise. Exercise increases blood circulation which helps send oxygen to your brain. It also increases brain chemicals that promote brain cell formation and neural connection. It also produces “feel-good” chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Whether you enjoy lifting weights, running, walking, swimming or cycling, be sure to exercise often to keep your mind and body in the best shape possible!
Eating Healthy
Think about your brain as a very nice, expensive car. Would you just put anything into it? Of course not! Eating healthy food helps fuel your brain with all the proper vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ensure it’s running smoothly.
In addition to keeping your mind sharp, there are some healthy foods that have been shown to reduce the effects of aging.
Apps That Exercise Your Brain
Smartphone apps aren’t just for playing games like Candy Crush or Pokémon GO. There are a ton of apps designed to help stimulate your mind and improve cognitive ability.
Some of the top brain training apps are:
Sleep More
Sleep being an exercise? Sign you up, right!? Sleep is extremely important for you brain and overall well-being. A lack of sleep negatively impacts your ability to think, memory, and worsens your mood. Over time, this adds ups and causes damage to your brain and has other negative health effects such as weight gain, depression, and a heightened probability of heat attacks.
Make sure to get enough sleep to keep your mind fresh and your body healthy!
