What are the Best Brain Exercises?

There are many brain exercises that you can do to improve your memory. As our population ages, more and more people are concerned with maintaining long-term mental skills. Various research studies have shown that brain exercises can help you hold on to mental acuity as you age.

Puzzles and brain teasers are great brain exercises. They are readily available and don’t require a huge investment of time. The key to implementing these brain exercises into your routine is that you must choose puzzles and teasers that are challenging. If you can routinely complete the crossword puzzle in the weekly entertainment magazine, you should probably move to a puzzle from a national newspaper.

There are a variety of mental games that you can play with yourself to keep your brain sharp. For example, silently name all the people that you know. If you want an added challenge, start with “A” and move through the alphabet, or name only people that you knew in grade school. Mixing this challenge up is a great brain challenge.

Physical exercise is another effective brain exercise. Regular physical activity helps to reduce plaque buildup in the arteries, including arteries in the brain. Strong and healthy blood flow is an important component of memory.

Brain exercises that reduce your reliance on convenience items are incredibly effective. For example, balance your checkbook without using a calculator. If you really want to challenge yourself, do the math in your head, not on a sheet of paper. Look through your kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, then walk into another room and write out your store list. This strengthens your recall skills, a vital part of memory.

Challenge yourself to do things differently on a daily basis. Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Stand on one foot while blow drying your hair. These types of activities keep your brain constantly on alert. Falling into passive routines is one of the easiest ways to develop memory problems. Like a muscle, working the brain strengthens it and helps it to become more efficient.

While all of these brain exercises are effective, to get the best results, you should mix your program up. Spend time completing puzzles and brain teasers, but not at the exclusion of exercise or challenging yourself with daily chores. Conducting brain exercises in this way will allow you to achieve the most benefits in your mental as well as your physical health.