Tips and tricks to train your brain
October 13th was "National Train Your Brain Day."This is shared by an expert, in some ways
to train your brain with our seniors. Keeping your brain in good shape
is important for everyone, so I am sharing some ways you can keep your
brain healthy. Have you ever heard someone say, "use it or lose it"?
When someone says that, they usually are talking about your muscles, but
the saying could also refer to your brain.
Most of us don't think of our brain as an organ that needs care and attention, like we do our heart, lungs and skin. We may think our brain is beyond our control or influence. In fact, we probably don't think about it at all until something goes wrong, like an injury or disease such as dementia. But in reality, your brain needs just as much, if not more, exercise and attention than the rest of your body to keep it sharp, healthy, and functioning at its very best. Brain exercises can even delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's. When you keep your mind active, your thinking skills are less likely to decline. Your brain is definitely the most vital organ in your body, controlling every bodily function.
Many people don't understand why your brain needs exercise. And even fewer understand how to do it. If you are over the age of 18, some of your cognitive skills have already headed south, according to a study. The following are some of the cognitive abilities that change as you age:
Processing Speed. This is how fast you take in new information and respond to it. It's basically thinking on your feet. This ability peaks in your late teens according to experts.
Working Memory. This is your ability to hold multiple pieces of information in your brain. This is also called short-term memory. This peaks in your late 20's and 30's.
Social Cognition. This is your ability to perceive and interpret social information, like body language or facial expressions and respond accordingly. This peaks in your 40's.
Vocabulary. Learning the meaning of new words peaks in the 60's. Broader vocabulary helps you communicate more effectively and better understand the world around you.
Now that you know what happens to your brain as you age, we will learn what to do about it. There are numerous brain exercises that will help. The following will give you some suggestions of what you can do to stimulate your brain:
Work your memory. The simplest way to remember things is by repetition. When you meet someone new, repeat their name back to them. When you hear a song you like, try to memorize the lyrics. Memorize hymns, your grocery list, or a poem.
Learn something new. Learn to play an instrument, game, language or sport.
Work your body. Physical exercise is great for your brain.
Eat the right foods. Foods like fish, fruits, and vegetables help your brain perform optimally. Even dark chocolate gives your brain a boost.
Do maths in your head. Figure out simple math problems in your head.
Take a cooking class or cook at home. Cooking uses a number of senses: smell, touch, sight and taste. These all can improve certain areas in your brain.
Draw a map from memory. When you visit a certain place, when you go home, try to draw a map of where you were at. Repeat this every time you visit a new location.
Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal. Try to pick out certain herbs and spices. Eat new foods.
Take up a hobby that involves hand/eye coordination. Do an activity that involves fine motor skills such as knitting, drawing, painting, working puzzles, and playing Bingo.
Get enough sleep. Sleep is critical to rejuvenate your brain.
Take a different route on your way to work or home. This forces your brain to pay attention to details rather than what it has been programmed to do.
Take a good look at things. One of the most dominate jobs of your brain is your visual sense. Being able to visually analyze your environment gives you cognitive clues about how to behave in it.
Developing this part of your brain can be done by picking out three items and their location. When you leave the setting, close your eyes and see if you can accurately remember each item and its location. If you do this when you park somewhere you will remember where you park. Just this weekend at Walmart, when I came out of the store I could not remember where I parked or even which door I went in. Doing this exercise will help with that. You can also notice things in your surroundings and then write it all down from recall.
Do simple tasks with your non-dominant hand. Try eating, brushing your teeth and writing with the other hand.
Start the morning off with your newspaper. You will find word puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku. Some have comics where you have to find the mistakes.
If you always sit in a certain chair at your table, switch seats. Even change the place where you usually reach for the salt and pepper.
Have more social interaction. Pay a real person for your gas. Buy a drink from a person other than a machine.
Read. Almost anything you read helps your brain. For an even better effect, change up the way your read. Read out loud for a change. Read to someone else.
Pick out an object and think of 10 different ways to use it. For instance, a fly swatter could be used as a tennis racket, golf club, fan, baton, drumstick, violin, shovel, microphone baseball bat, or a canoe paddle.
Holding off the aging process of your brain is kind of like buying a gym membership and never using it. To have a sharp functioning brain means incorporating these activities into your everyday routine. Doing brain exercises will give you a good head start to good brain health.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-
Most of us don't think of our brain as an organ that needs care and attention, like we do our heart, lungs and skin. We may think our brain is beyond our control or influence. In fact, we probably don't think about it at all until something goes wrong, like an injury or disease such as dementia. But in reality, your brain needs just as much, if not more, exercise and attention than the rest of your body to keep it sharp, healthy, and functioning at its very best. Brain exercises can even delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's. When you keep your mind active, your thinking skills are less likely to decline. Your brain is definitely the most vital organ in your body, controlling every bodily function.
Many people don't understand why your brain needs exercise. And even fewer understand how to do it. If you are over the age of 18, some of your cognitive skills have already headed south, according to a study. The following are some of the cognitive abilities that change as you age:
Processing Speed. This is how fast you take in new information and respond to it. It's basically thinking on your feet. This ability peaks in your late teens according to experts.
Working Memory. This is your ability to hold multiple pieces of information in your brain. This is also called short-term memory. This peaks in your late 20's and 30's.
Social Cognition. This is your ability to perceive and interpret social information, like body language or facial expressions and respond accordingly. This peaks in your 40's.
Vocabulary. Learning the meaning of new words peaks in the 60's. Broader vocabulary helps you communicate more effectively and better understand the world around you.
Now that you know what happens to your brain as you age, we will learn what to do about it. There are numerous brain exercises that will help. The following will give you some suggestions of what you can do to stimulate your brain:
Work your memory. The simplest way to remember things is by repetition. When you meet someone new, repeat their name back to them. When you hear a song you like, try to memorize the lyrics. Memorize hymns, your grocery list, or a poem.
Learn something new. Learn to play an instrument, game, language or sport.
Work your body. Physical exercise is great for your brain.
Eat the right foods. Foods like fish, fruits, and vegetables help your brain perform optimally. Even dark chocolate gives your brain a boost.
Do maths in your head. Figure out simple math problems in your head.
Take a cooking class or cook at home. Cooking uses a number of senses: smell, touch, sight and taste. These all can improve certain areas in your brain.
Draw a map from memory. When you visit a certain place, when you go home, try to draw a map of where you were at. Repeat this every time you visit a new location.
Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal. Try to pick out certain herbs and spices. Eat new foods.
Take up a hobby that involves hand/eye coordination. Do an activity that involves fine motor skills such as knitting, drawing, painting, working puzzles, and playing Bingo.
Get enough sleep. Sleep is critical to rejuvenate your brain.
Take a different route on your way to work or home. This forces your brain to pay attention to details rather than what it has been programmed to do.
Take a good look at things. One of the most dominate jobs of your brain is your visual sense. Being able to visually analyze your environment gives you cognitive clues about how to behave in it.
Developing this part of your brain can be done by picking out three items and their location. When you leave the setting, close your eyes and see if you can accurately remember each item and its location. If you do this when you park somewhere you will remember where you park. Just this weekend at Walmart, when I came out of the store I could not remember where I parked or even which door I went in. Doing this exercise will help with that. You can also notice things in your surroundings and then write it all down from recall.
Do simple tasks with your non-dominant hand. Try eating, brushing your teeth and writing with the other hand.
Start the morning off with your newspaper. You will find word puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku. Some have comics where you have to find the mistakes.
If you always sit in a certain chair at your table, switch seats. Even change the place where you usually reach for the salt and pepper.
Have more social interaction. Pay a real person for your gas. Buy a drink from a person other than a machine.
Read. Almost anything you read helps your brain. For an even better effect, change up the way your read. Read out loud for a change. Read to someone else.
Pick out an object and think of 10 different ways to use it. For instance, a fly swatter could be used as a tennis racket, golf club, fan, baton, drumstick, violin, shovel, microphone baseball bat, or a canoe paddle.
Holding off the aging process of your brain is kind of like buying a gym membership and never using it. To have a sharp functioning brain means incorporating these activities into your everyday routine. Doing brain exercises will give you a good head start to good brain health.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-
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Labels: art classes, Brain, cooking, good sleep, hobby, maths, processing speed, puzzles, reading, social cognition, training, use non-dominant hands, vocabulary, working memory
posted by G S Iyer at 10:46 AM
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