Whether you want to recover some mental skills, or just want to keep your brain strong and active just as it is now, know that not only is it easy to train, but brain exercise is now considered an important aspect of aging much more. decent and with fewer memory problems. Develop your gray matter and get to work with wikiHow!
Steps
Part 1 of 6: Improve Thinking and Speaking Skills
Step 1. Read as much as possible
Reading is a great brain exercise. You can read newspapers, magazines or books, but keep in mind that the more challenging the text, the more you train your brain. As with any type of exercise, be sure to start small and build up gradually.
Step 2. Enrich your vocabulary
Learn a new word every day by taking inspiration from an encyclopedia or dictionary. This way you exercise the part of the brain that develops language.
Step 3. Write something
Writing requires a lot of thinking! You can write fictional stories, episodes that happened to you or you can write wikiHow articles on the topics and topics you know and are passionate about!
Step 4. Learn a new language
Learning a language is like a process that "opens the mind" by reorganizing the brain pathways. This exercises the part of the brain that stores language information and allows you to express yourself better even in your own language.
Step 5. Hypothesize possible solutions to problems
Evaluate how certain things might have gone during the day and explore different consequences. This improves creativity and allows you to learn how to solve problems better.
Step 6. Turn off the TV
Television programs invite you to think in a certain way and about certain things, activating a sort of "autopilot" in your brain, taking away the ability to think with your head. That's why it's so relaxing! If you want to prevent your brain from thinking independently and freely, the first thing you need to do is turn off the TV. If you still want to see it, be sure to use your brain while looking at it. Prefer educational programs and if you look at popular ones, at least opt for those with complex storylines or character interactions. Think about these, as you watch the program, and try to analyze them or guess what will happen next.
Part 2 of 6: Making Games to Improve the Brain
Step 1. Do crosswords and puzzles every day
Simple exercises like crosswords keep the brain in constant training. These are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. You can also find some free ones online.
Step 2. Improve by making puzzles more and more challenging
The most complex puzzles help the mind to strengthen and train more. Sometimes it can take several days to find the solution or finish them, but it's worth it. This doesn't mean just doing traditional puzzles or crosswords. You can also find Japanese pocket mind games that are real brain teasers that you can do to pass the time.
Step 3. Consider playing chess
It is a tactical game that requires incredible strategy. Few puzzles surpass the game of chess to keep the mind trained and exercised. It is a simple game to learn and easy to play.
Step 4. Play video games
Did you know that video games actually make you smarter? Game series like Mario, Zelda, Scribblenauts and Myst are like good cardio training for the brain, help improve problem solving, even creatively, and teach you to think faster.
Part 3 of 6: Challenge Yourself
Step 1. Change the dominant hand
Use your left hand if you are right-handed and vice versa to stimulate the parts of the brain that control muscles.
Step 2. Play a musical instrument or play with the Rubik's cube
For over 100,000 years, the human brain has evolved through the creation and use of tools. If you make gestures similar to using tools, you help tune the brain and keep it pleasantly active. For example, playing the violin or making the Rubik's cube have similar aspects to making instruments. All require the use of motor skills, both basic and precision, and it is necessary to respect sequences that allow the operation of the "tool" and the identification of objects. Therefore, by doing these activities every day or twice a day, you should be able to keep your brain in great shape.
Part 4 of 6: Socialize More
Step 1. Connect with people
Talk to people about topics you know or others know. Talking about politics, religion, and other challenging topics (with real discussions, not just small talk) can be a great brain exercise.
Step 2. Join a thematic group
Join a group or club of people with the same interests as you. This can be a hobby association, a political group, a Bible discussion group or something similar. Talking to like-minded people helps you develop your brain and different skills more.
Part 5 of 6: Keep Learning Constant
Step 1. Go back to school
Getting back to study is a great way to stimulate the brain to work again, as well as the fact that more education brings obvious benefits. It is not necessary for you to complete the entire course of study. The employer may sometimes be willing to help and fund those courses that further improve your work skills, or you can simply attend classes on a topic that interests you.
Step 2. Get free lessons
If you don't have the money or the time to take school courses, you can find a number of free courses that are available online. Some are even provided by the best universities. Do a simple internet search and you will find several on different topics.
Step 3. Try to use the skills you have already acquired often
The brain, just like muscles, atrophies if you don't use it. The more time you spend without using information and skills, the more your brain "gets rusty". Use all your core skills, such as math, as often as possible to keep them fresh and active at all times.
Step 4. Start a new hobby
Learning new skills is a great exercise for the brain. The creative ones, especially, such as music, dance and the visual arts, involve different parts of the brain and are incredibly beneficial.
Step 5. Build objects
Whether it's a robot or a bench for the entrance corridor, the activity of creating objects forces the brain to commit to understanding how to complete the process, especially if you start from scratch without any instruction. Learn some basic building skills and then keep your brain active with hands-on creative activities.
Part 6 of 6: Keeping You Healthy
Step 1. Eat a healthy diet and exercise
Diet and training play an important role in maintaining a healthy brain. If you want this organ to always be at its best, you must follow a diet rich in proteins and omega 3 fatty acids which are its nourishment. Exercise also helps you stay healthy, reducing the risk of stroke and increasing oxygen saturation levels.
Step 2. Play sports
Learning exercises or how to play a new sport increases hand-eye coordination, as well as that of the whole body. Tai chi and pinball are great examples.
Step 3. Get adequate sleep
Scientists recently discovered that sleep plays a vital role in brain health. While you sleep, the body cleanses itself of toxins that have accumulated in the brain (as well as repairing the damage). If you want to protect your brain abilities, try to always sleep through the night.
Step 4. Change your habits
Do not always take the same route to go to work, to avoid that the brain feels "neglected" due to a monotonous day. Also introduce changes in the way you work. Use a Swiss ball instead of the chair or add some novelty.
Advice
- When you train, try walking backwards to involve more brain areas.
- Remember to keep your body in training as well. As the ancient Romans said "mens sana in corpore sano".
- Try to do a few things regularly, such as memorizing information or using the Rubik's cube for 15 minutes every day.
- There are many programs that can help you keep your brain active. The "Brain Age" or "Big Brain Academy" games for the Nintendo DS console are useful and fun. They are specific to improve memory skills.
- Like any other part of the body, the brain also needs rest. In truth it never "goes off", but by focusing on one point or through meditation you can help him relax and slow down his activity. The result will be a more efficient brain in the future. Listening to instrumental music with your eyes closed for 10-15 minutes a day is also of great help.
