Bain is the processing unit of our body. If the brain does not send neurons to our body, no other part of our body will work. So, it is under continuous work to keep us alive. The brain has a high responsibility of taking care of each and everything. But, it may also get tiring doing everything. So, as our body needs exercises to work actively, our mind also needs some exercise to stay active. So, there are multiple brain exercises to keep your mind sharp.
BRAIN EXERCISES TO KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP
Our brain needs to be continuously active to boost our memory, focus, cognitive abilities and decision-making processes. It requires you to bring changes to your lifestyle to allow your mind to remain young forever. Like adding exercises to your daily routine to keep your body fit, integrate regular brain exercise to keep your mind sharp. So here are some that you can try in your life.
JIGSAW PUZZLES
Solving Jigsaw puzzles is a fun activity for kids. But, adults can have greater benefits from solving the puzzles. They can opt for some puzzles and try solving them to keep the brain focused. While solving a puzzle, your mind looks at a number of pieces and decides whether it will fit in a place or not. It improves the visuospatial cognitive ageing of your brain.
It helps in challenging your brain into thinking and activating the cognitive ability. You can start by solving a basic puzzle and then move forward to a greater number of jigsaws to test your brain.
CARD GAMES
Card games are a fun activity to do with your friends. But, imagine those card games could be more than fun. They can stimulate your mind to think more critically. Playing card games could improve your memory and thinking skills.
The proven card games that actually benefit your brain are:
- Solitaire
- Hearts
- Bridge
- Gin Rummy
- Poker
- Crazy Eights
LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE
If you want to keep your mind sharp, you don’t need to keep it relaxed. However, you must keep your mind busy to keep it working. So, try to learn a new language if you aim to keep your mind sharp. By learning a language, you get the following advantages:
- Improved memory
- Better listening skills
- Better critical thinking skills
- Improved focus and concentration
- Your mind becomes more flexible to response
So you can be a language learner at any stage of your life and keep you remind sharp.
MEDIDATE
Meditation can calm down your body and enhance mindfulness. A few moments from your day to calm down the swirling thoughts in your mind could do great benefits to an overall improvement of your brain. Meditation is a kind of exercise that improves your working memory by getting rid of useless thoughts and letting you control your mind.
Try practising five minutes a day and you will feel the effective difference in how sharp your mind gets after that. It can also assist in the improvement of self-observational skills that can help in improving yourself.
SLEEPING
Who would have thought? While sleeping isn’t actually an activity, however for your brain to function properly, you need a good night’s sleep.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Trusted Source, most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, although many people get less sleep than they need.
Sleep has been proven to:
- boost memory recall
- reduce mental fatigue
- regulate metabolism
As such, making sure to get enough sleep each night is an important step toward maintaining a healthy brain.
TRY TO USE YOUR NON-DOMINANT HAND
If you are a right-handed person, try to use your left hand. And if you are a lefty, try to use your right hand to work. Does it sound absurd and difficult?
This difficulty is what we need to keep our mind alert and sharp. As challenging as it is to do your regular task with your less dominant hand, your mind stays active which enhances the focus. This brain exercise is not time taking. While doing your routine work, try switching to your other hand. This is a healthy practice and does not require engaging a specific time into it if you are a busy person.
TAKING UP AN ENGAGING HOBBY
Taking up a new hobby can be mentally stimulating and exercise the brain in new ways.
Hobbies that require coordination or dexterity will activate a person’s motor skills. Such hobbies may include:
- knitting
- embroidery
- drawing
- painting
- dancing
- learning a musical instrument
