Several Ways to Quickly and Effectively Pump Your Brain
The human brain is an impressive organ that controls all the processes that regulate our body. Without a brain, you wouldn’t be able to breathe, regulate your body temperature, remember things, see things, feel things, etc.
Like any part of the body, you need to take care of your brain to make sure it continues to function at its best. Just as exercise can be implemented to maintain or improve your physical health, brain training or cognitive training can help keep your mind sharp.
Brain training can help you maintain or improve memory, response time, logic, problem solving, and more. Best of all is the fact there are many ways you can actually have fun while training your brain.
If you want to give your brain a workout to potentially improve your cognitive abilities, try these top ways to train your brain at any age.
Exercises for the Brain
Regardless of your age, you can easily find numerous ways to exercise your brain. Practicing brain exercises involve doing any activity that engages your cognitive skills, and these exercises can be both mental and physical, or a combination of the both in the case of some activities.
Stimulate your brain by regularly challenging yourself to get involved with at least one or a number of the following great brain exercises.
Puzzles
The great thing about puzzles is that they come on many different forms. From jigsaw puzzles to crossword puzzles, you’re sure to find something that amuses you while also helping to give your brain a workout.
Some puzzles require you to work on short-term memory, while others force you to recall facts you may have learned years ago. In the case of jigsaw puzzles, you will test your brain to plan and test ideas, while also solving problems.
No matter what puzzle you’re after whether it’s a crossword or Sudoku, you will also be able to match puzzles to your skill level and interests, while also having the potential to take on more challenging puzzles as your brain skills improve.
Table Gambling Games
Like puzzles, table games are another fun activity that manages to train your brain at the same time. There are also endless varieties of table games including board games like chess or card games like poker.
Thanks to the internet and apps, you no longer even have to set up board games and search for missing pieces thanks to almost every game now offering a digital version. You don’t even need to seek out another person as you can simply play against the computer.
Whether you enjoy playing Minesweeper or 777 slots free online, nearly any game has the potential to challenge your brain. Simply search out one of the many new brain exercise apps that regularly provide free brain games daily.
Even many video games these days offer good cognitive training, teaching you to problem solve and plan, while also strengthening your reaction time.
Improve Your Vocabulary
A person who has a rich vocabulary not only looks and sounds smart, they are also shown to be more successful in many areas of their life. Think of words as tools, with each new word you learn being a tool you can use to better express your thoughts and ideas to others.
At the same time, improving your vocabulary will also allow you to better understand what others are trying to convey. Improving your vocabulary will allow you to speak, read, write, and listen at a much higher level. In turn, this will help you succeed in your education and later career.
The more words you understand, the better communication that results. This allows for an overall better understanding of the world around you. The best part is you can easily learn new words daily whether it’s through reading, watching TV and movies, or simply listening to others.
Don’t be afraid to ask someone the definition of a word they speak you are unaware of and make use of the internet to look up words you hear or read which you don’t yet understand. Learning just one or two words every day can add up to a substantial amount of new vocabulary during a year’s time.
Dance
Whether you enjoy ballroom, hip-hop, or salsa dancing, this activity may surprise you with just how much it can help your brain. In fact, evidence shows that dancing is linked with a reduced risk of dementia and can be utilized when treating neurological diseases like Parkinson’s.
Dancing boosts the connectivity between cerebral hemispheres, improves neuroplasticity and spatial recognition, and can help you to develop new neural connections. It also reduces stress and depression for many, increasing serotonin levels to help make you feel good. As an added bonus, dancing can offer companionship.
Learn New Things
Constantly learning something new not only opens your world to new hobbies and activities, it’s also great for your brain. Each new activity you learn usually brings with it new skills that help to strengthen the brain.
You can enhance memory function through learning new and cognitively challenging skills. So whether you’re interested in photography or welding, get out there and find some new hobbies to make life more interesting while also helping to keep your brain in tip-top shape.
Alternatively, you can also help train your brain through teaching something new to another person. This is especially effective for skills you may have learned long ago but haven’t kept up with. You may not only be able to recall things you once enjoyed doing yourself, but also find ways to improve upon your skills.
Listen to Music
This is one of the easiest ways to increase your brain’s creative power or at least be able to access it more easily. The right music can help increase creative thinking and mental activity. You may have heard about research that has shown listening to classical music resulted in higher scores on IQ tests.
Listening to music benefits the brain by helping to reduce anxiety and blood pressure, while at the same time allowing you to stay better focused and alert. People who regularly attend music performances tend to rate their brain health higher when compared to those who never go to live music.
You can even take things further by learning how to play a new instrument. This will allow you to improve your auditory, motor, and reading skills.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Both meditation and mindfulness can do wonders for both your physical and mental health. Practicing both will allow you to better manage anxiety, improve memory, and reduce various types of inflammation.
Practicing mindfulness means paying close attention to the things going on around you. It means actively engaging all your senses and really taking the time to be aware of life in the present. This allows you to better understand your feelings, thoughts, and senses.
You’ll gain insight and awareness, while also benefiting from improved breathing, sleep, and being in a state of calm. Simply find a way to practice mindfulness or mediation whether it’s in sitting, standing, or movement form.
Meditation has also been proven to slow brain aging and may allow you to process information with greater ease.
Learn a New Language
Learning new languages improves memory and enhances creativity. People who are fluent in multiple languages often find it easier to multi-task or move between various tasks, while also retaining a sharp mind despite age-related changes.
Being bilingual strengthens the connectivity between numerous regions of the brain which may in turn reduce the chances of or delay diseases like Alzheimer’s. Through learning a new language, you may notice improved creativity, decision-making, attention, and multi-tasking.
Learning a new language can also give us a better understanding of the world and other cultures. Depending on your career, understanding another language could also result in more lucrative opportunities.
