10 Activities You Can Do To Improve Your Brain Fitness

When it comes to your brain, you either use it or you lose it. That’s not to say you’ll go insane, but your brain needs to be exercised to stay in shape. If you don’t get enough stimulating activity, your cognitive functions can start to slow done. In other words, if your brain is not regularly challenged, your ability. memory, thinking processes and ability to understand information will start to slip. But this doesn’t have to happen. Memory loss is not necessarily a normal part of aging. You can keep your brain fit and healthy by doing fun and engaging activities you enjoy.

Brainpower 101

Your brain is made up of cells that are connected by nerve pathways. Each time you learn a new skill or gain new knowledge, a new pathway is created. As you learn more and keep your brain active, these pathways become stronger. People who have very active and sharp minds have millions of nerve pathways percolating along at great speed. Their nerve pathways are clear and functioning at top performance. On the other hand, people who aren’t exercising their mind have fewer pathways for information to travel on and their brains aren’t performing at their peak. Each section of the brain is responsible for a different function in your body. Part of your brain takes care of the automatic systems like breathing and circulation, while other parts control the voluntary actions you perform like walking, talking and thinking. It is when these parts are all working together that you have the greatest amount of brain power.

Brain Exercise Activities

In order to keep your brain fit, you need to exercise it just like your muscles. This may sound strange at first, but if you think about it your muscles grow and become stronger as you use them. The same is true about your brain. As you use the nerve pathways they become stronger and more active resulting in greater brain function. Here are some fun activities to improve your brain fitness.

1. Crossword puzzles – these are great brain exercises. They keep you engaged and make you think of words and how to spell them.
2. Word searches – these hone your search skills and help you to look for patterns.
3. Jig-saw puzzles – if you’ve ever spent hours over a jig-saw puzzle you know how engaging these can be. They’re also very addictive and fun. This is an activity you can get your entire family involved in for a fun family evening.
4. Suduko puzzles – these puzzles help you to spot patterns and really challenge your cognitive skills.
5. Play cards – card games require memory, problem solving and strategy. Three important brain exercises. This is another activity you can get your friends and family involved in.
6. Computer games – find computer games you enjoy that require problem solving. Mazes, memory games, matching games, role playing games, and any game that requires you to do more then just click your mouse are all good brain exercises.
7. Be social – interaction with others is perhaps one of the most important activities you can do to keep your brain fit. If you’re out and about with friends and family you’ll be stimulated and exposed to new and different experiences which help to build neural networks in your brain.
8. Read – reading is also an enjoyable way to keep your brain active. When you read you are narrating the story or text keeping your brain active and engaged.
9. Watch game shows – shows like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, One vs One Hundred and others game shows are actually very good activities to help keep your brain ticking along. Play along with the people on the television and keep track of your score.
10. Listen to music – music engages your brain like no other activity. It opens nerve pathways and soothes your soul. There is something universal about music that transcends culture and the regular rhythm and changing melodies keep your brain engaged.

Keeping your brain fit doesn’t have to be boring. Any activity that you enjoy and makes you think is a good exercise for your brain. You don’t have to lose brain function as you age if you keep your brain active and you enjoy life. Living life to the fullest is one of the most productive brain exercises you can do. So get out there and have fun. Your brain will thank you for it.