Keeping Your Brain Active
Exercising and activating your brain doesn’t have to be boring or time consuming. Keep it simple, fun and short and soon it will be a habit of yours.
Why it’s good to activate your brain?
It keeps you young, not just your brain. When your brain is young, you feel like you understand new things in the world better. It’s easier to adapt to new technological inventions, understand the new trends or create things — be part of the world.
It gives you things to talk about. More you do, more active your life is and more topics you have to share. Have you ever experienced a situation that you are together with a friend, acquaintance or a stranger and you have to have a conversation but you have nothing to talk about. Not because the other person is boring but because you just have nothing to say because you feel like nothing has happened to you or you are not sure what has happened around you in the world?
It might prevent deceases older you get. For example, Alzheimer’s disease is still a big mystery but to fight against that or many other similar illnesses it might come handy if you keep your brain active.
These and many other reasons, it’s good to keep one of your most important “muscle” active. There are many traditional and well known ways such as eating healthy fats and lots of greens and staying physically active. Also sleep is very important and it allows brain to rest and process. But are some other ways to do it and keep it simple and fun?
- Practice writing with your non-dominant hand
Every day, write a sentence or paragraph with a hand that is not dominant for you. For this, you use a different part of your brain.
2. Learn something by heart
Learning even a short sentence trains your brain. Learning lyrics of your favourite song or your friends’ phone numbers can help your brain to remember things easier and you will find out that you don’t need to make so many notes anymore.
3. Listen to the music
Try different kind of music; new genres, old and new ones, music with and without lyrics. Music activates your brain and you might learn to like some new tunes.
4. Learn new words and try to explain them (or language)
You don’t necessarily have to spend the next two years to learn a new language, you can simply improve your vocabulary in your native language. But the trick is, that to memorise a new word is not enough. Learn to explain it as well. And try to use it so it sticks to your memory. You can try some tome book or this website. Don’t try to learn too many words at once, you might feel overwhelmed. Start slowly and share the funniest ones with your friends and have a laugh!
5. Play games
You can play some physical games or games on your phone. There are hundreds and thousands of brain activation apps or games that help you to use your brain. You just need to find one that you like. Alone or with friends you can try several different board games, card games or puzzles. Many toy stores or websites sell different toys for kids and adults.
You can also try crosswords, Sudoku or apps such as Peak.
6. Try new routes to the grocery store
Your brain is lazy by its nature. The reason is to save resources and energy. So, you need to challenge it all the time. By changing your everyday route to work, school or grocery store can already be enough. You don’t need to drive or walk extra miles, just take a few new streets or different bus every now and then. It’s also nice variation for you and you might find new interesting places close to your home.
7. Practice your balance
Your balance is connected to a little part in your ear and that little part is connected to your brain. Try to close your eyes and stand on one foot. If you are good, try to place your hands above your head or straighten your leg. These little exercises make your brain sweat. Also a good challenge among friends! The one who can’t hold the position is the old granny!
8. Learn a new party trick
Doesn’t have to be a trick who drinks bottle of vodka fastest. The idea is learn something new and practice it. Google interesting or funny party tricks and find a trick that talks to you. It can be some cool experiment with basic physics or card trick or maybe way to move your body physically. In any way, your brain loves to learn anything new. And easier it gets more you learn!
9. Read a book or comics
There’s been studies and discussions that an actual book or magazine can be better for your brain than a screen. Even if for you the screen is better option, it is good to change once in a while and challenge your brain to read an actual written medium such as a comic book, magazine or paper. Already 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference!
10. Do something with your hands
People have very special hands in the animal world. Out thumb is one reason (or result) for our big brains. Use your hands! This can be anything; learn to knit, whittle some wood, chop onions, fix your bicycle or draw. Drawing like any other skill is a skill that can be learned. Practice regularly and in a year you can be a master. Or learn to play the guitar. Don’t try to do everything but think what cool skill have you always wanted to learn? If you don’t know, take one of your idols and find out what are their cool skills.