Activities You Can Try to Improve Brain Health

Introduction

As we all know, it’s important to have regular physical exercise. Exercising strengthens our bodies and improves our immune system. But did you know that you also need to boost your brain health?

Training the brain has become quite popular these days. Mind training includes activities that improve your mind, sharpen your intelligence, and enhance your memory. While some scientists oppose the beliefs of brain training, many studies suggest that brain training is beneficial.

Physical Training for Brain Health

First of all, brain training begins by taking care of your body. According to research, physical activities help make a person smarter and protect the brain from shrinking brought by old age. Brain improvement happens because exercise promotes new brain cells.

Also, health-conscious people tend to gear away from an unhealthy lifestyle, including smoking and drinking alcohol. Instead, they prefer to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly, which benefits the brain.

Draw from Your Memory

One of the best ways to sharpen your memory is by drawing according to what you remember. You draw the structure of your house, a map of your town, or your route going to work. This activity will challenge your brain to remember even the smallest details. If possible, include the road signage and landmarks, too.

After drawing, compare what you draw to the actual structure. You’ll be surprised to know how much you remembered while drawing. At the same time, note the spots you missed and try to add them again the next time you draw a map.

Write a Book

Writing a book is a great way to hone your imagination and refine your creative side. Book writing is a suggested method to release all the emotions and negative feelings you have inside you. If you are the kind of person who likes to daydream and imagine wild fantasies, then writing a book may be right for you.

Moreover, if you’re feeling confident about what you wrote, why not take a risk a publish it. You can learn the easy steps to self-publishing a book online so you can start sharing your ideas.

Learn Something New

Learning something new is quite challenging for most people as it requires commitment. Yet, a new skill will keep your brain active and functioning, challenging itself to do better. If you’re not sure what new skills to learn, here are some ideas for you:

• • Foreign language
  • Musical instrument
  • Cooking
  • Baking
  • Sewing

New skills will not only stretch your mind but will also encourage you to keep learning. Once you find learning interesting, you will keep searching for new ways to improve your skills and learn other things.

Use Your Non-dominant Hand

Using your non-dominant hand keeps your brain alive. How does that happen? Using your non-dominant hand challenges the brain as it tries to match how your dominant hand performs. Plus, it’s a great way to increase brain activity.

Once in a while, use your non-dominant hand in writing or eating. Using your non-dominant hand could be quite hard, but that exactly is the point of the exercise. Don’t lose hope just yet. In the end, you’ll realize how beneficial this activity could be.

Interact with People

Socializing frequently reduces the risk of dementia. Dementia is the inability to think, remember, and make decisions. Doctors suggest mingling as it has positive short-term and long-term effects on the brain.

Socializing isn’t limited to hanging out with friends and partying. It also includes volunteering, joining a club, or signing up for a marathon. Talking to family and loved ones regularly is also helpful for the brain.

Meditate

Meditation has been around for thousands of years. It recently gained popularity when celebrities started sharing its benefits and effectiveness. Meditating is an extremely effective brain exercise that has many benefits. Listed below are the advantages of meditation:

• • Improves imagination and creativity
  • Increases tolerance and patience
  • Promote self-awareness
  • Helps in managing stress
  • Fights negative emotions

Research also suggests that meditation reduces the risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. However, meditation isn’t an alternative to traditional healing. If you have any medical conditions, consulting a doctor is still recommended.

Play Brain Training Games

You can fight boredom and increase your brain activity by playing mind games. Like most individuals, you’ve most likely played games like crosswords, Sudoku, chess, and monopoly growing up. You can also try brain training games on your phone by downloading apps and checking out game websites. These tools challenge your mental flexibility and keep your mind sharper as you grow old.

The Takeaway

There are so many benefits that you can get by training your brain. Exercising your mind sharpens your memory, improves your creativity, and enhances your decision-making skills. So start exercising your brain at least once a day to stay mentally fit and healthy as you age.