To prevent cognitive decline, one of the things you can do is to keep your body healthy by exercising. However, did you know that just like your body, your brain needs training and exercises to remain sharp and prevent cognitive decline too?
Think of it like your muscles. The more you exercise, the stronger your muscles become. The more you exercise your brain and engage in mind-stimulating activities, the better your cognitive function can be.
Cognitive training can improve your mental activities, such as in paying attention and not losing focus, in critical thinking and problem-solving, and of course in caring for your memory.
Therefore, cognitive exercises can slow down cognitive decline which is commonly linked to aging. As you get older, the thought of losing your once sharp mind is extremely upsetting and quite disturbing! So if you can exercise your brain, why wouldn’t you?
Cognitive training and brain exercises can come in different forms, including playing games, doing physical activities, engaging socially, and participating in creative tasks. Here are a few of them that you can add to your to-do list.
Play Puzzles and Games
Puzzles and games make you think hard because you have to make decisions and figure things out, which are great exercises for your brain. There are many games you can play and many more you can do on your own, so there is no excuse not to. For example, you can play Scrabble or chess with your friends, or do crosswords, or play Suduko by yourself.
As for puzzles, challenge yourself by completing a 500 or 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. I must warn you that they are a lot of fun as you see the beautiful pictures evolve, so they can become addictive!
Buy a board that you can do them on and that way you will always have one on the go, but it won’t be in the way if you have to move it.
Try Your Hand at Art
You may already be an artist, but if not, you don’t have to be a great painter or a person who can draw. There are plenty of adult coloring books where you can just go and grab a paintbrush, crayons, or colored pencils.
Art can help improve your brain’s plasticity, which is its ability to adapt to environmental changes. It can also help enhance your memory, lower stress levels, and refine your motor skills. Many people start coloring in coloring books, for example, to help relieve stress and anxiety. That’s because art helps to calm your mind too.
Learn Something New – Like a New Language
If you try to learn anything you are exercising your brain, and one great thing to learn even if you think you are too old to start, is to learn another language. When you learn something new, new connections are formed in the brain. It’s like giving it a battery charge! It also strengthens and reorganizes your existing connections, so it’s great for preventing cognitive decline.
There are more than 7,000 spoken and written languages in the world! Go pick one (or two)! If you have always admired a certain language for its sound, why not try that one first?
Put Away the Calculator and Do the Calculations In Your Head
Today, we have calculators on our phones and we can ask Siri or Google what the answer to a maths question is and get the answer in seconds. However, these tools may be helping you come up with an answer in seconds, but they’re not helping your brain.
Solving math problems can positively affect your cognitive health. Even doing simple arithmetic can make a difference. So, instead of grabbing a calculator, either solve it in your head if you can, or use a pen and paper and get to work. You can make it fun if you want to. Ask each other questions and keep testing your partner or friend.
Practice Active Reading
Perhaps you love reading, but go a step further and start ‘active reading.’ This means that when you are reading, you get active and take notes or highlight the key points. Active reading helps sharpen your focus, boost your memory retention, and improve your comprehension.
You’re more likely to understand the content better and also remember what you have read. Just like what your teachers made you do at school, start practicing active reading again.
So…
As you can see, incorporating cognitive training and brain exercises into your daily routine can significantly benefit your overall cognitive health. By engaging in a variety of stimulating activities, such as games and puzzles, and active reading, you can help maintain a sharp mind and potentially delay cognitive decline. Don’t forget you can learn a new language too!
As another reminder, as I said above physical exercise is vital for your body, and so too, mental exercise is vital for your brain health.
Therefore, make it a priority to keep your mind active and engaged for a healthier and more fulfilling life, and to ensure that you make them a habit, don’t forget to have fun!
