Workouts for the Brain ?

What did the brain say after it got an electrical shock?

“That was a stimulating experience” ??

We all want to stimulate our brain to keep our cognitive health sharp but not through an electrical shock! Keeping that in mind today’s article is focussing on some techniques that will help improve our memory, attention and focus.

The old Saying “Use it or lose it” holds true for our Brain. We exercise in order to keep our body fit and healthy. In the same way we need to also exercise/stimulate our brain in order to keep our cognitive health from declining and reducing our risk of developing memory loss or memory distortions.

Memory lapses can happen to anyone, at any age. For example, we may go to a room and not remember what we have come there for, or we could not recall the name of a restaurant we had a wonderful dinner a few days back. What is important is that these forgetful moments do not become extreme and persistent. In order to achieve that we need to do brain workouts. Brain workouts help strengthen our mind, enhancing our memory, attention and thinking skills. Let’s dive into tips that could help improve our mental function as we age or elsewise irrespective of our age and benefit our brain.

Exercise

Exercise is not only good for our physical body but also for healthy cognitive functioning and well-being. Regular exercise leads to development of new nerve cells and increased connection between brain cells. A 2006 study found that regular exercise makes you smart and protects your brain from shrinkage as you age. 

Learn a New Language

Learning a new language does wonders to our brain. It improves people’s thinking skills, memory abilities and concentration. One of the largest studies to date has also shown the correlation between bilingualism and progression of dementia and other cognitive diseases like Alzeihmer’s. A significant difference in age at onset was found across Alzheimer Disease as well as Frontotemporal Dementia and Vascular Dementia, and was also observed in illiterate patients. Learning a new language requires one to remember the words, their phonetic sounds, knowing the grammar, its writing system. It’s a complex procedure and it involves exchange between both the left and right hemisphere of the brain resulting in increase of gray and white matter. So learning a new language is very cognitively engaging and an outstanding activity to better our cognitive function. I am linking some free apps that can be used to help learn a new language.

Dance

Here giving you more reasons to dance?. Dancing stimulates our brain, improves our blood circulation and keeps the memory agile as we try to move and remember the steps. CDC notes that learning to dance improves our memory, attention and focus. In one of the studies older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed improvement in thinking and memory after attending a dance program. So put on those shoes and find your groove. 

Listen to Music or Play Music

 Listening to music makes us feel good, relaxed and happy. But beside that music Provides the total workout for the brain. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain. It can also improve sleep quality, mental alertness, mood and memory.In fact musical memories are often preserved in Alzeihmer’s because key brain areas associated with musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease. Studies have shown music may reduce anxiety and improve behavioral issues that are common occurrence in the middle-stages of the disease. Even in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, a person may be able to tap a beat or sing a song from childhood. Music provides a way to connect, even after verbal communication has become difficult.

Write 

Writing is slowly becoming a skill that seems to be disappearing in the age of gadgets. But writing by hand boosts our memory, helps us in retaining information, be more productive and also keep us from the distraction of devices. Writing by pen and paper is a satisfying sensory activity for our brain. It involves motor coordination, touch sensation and visual perception thus activating different parts of our brain. So, practice your writing skills by writing short stories, creative writing, poetry or simply writing about your day and feelings in your diary and boost your memory.

I will be coming back with more healthy brain workouts in order to boost your memory. Till then make an effort to bring out the changes that you can and enjoy a healthy brain as your reward. It’s the small changes that you make will bring big differences in the quality of your life. ?