Fitness by Jennifer Cox A BRIGHT IDEA Exercises to keep your mind sharp It’s one thing to keep our bodies physically fit – that’s always important. It’s also just as imperative to keep our minds sharp and fine-tuned. Believe it or not, our brain starts to age in our late 20s and, by our 60s, it literally starts to shrink in size. This can affect things such as memory. However, don’t be scared: This is a natural process that comes with age. But, by exercising your mind on a regular basis, you can help to ward off extreme or excess aging of the brain. Try some of these tips to keep your mind well-exercised and sharp. Exercise The easiest way to exercise your brain is to work out your body. Specifically, aerobic exercise such as walking, running and swimming is optimal for brain health because it increases the heart rate and thereby pumps more blood to the brain. Now you can stay both physically fit and brain-fit. Language classes According to bebrainfit.com, understanding language is one of the hardest things that your brain does, making it the ultimate brain exercise. Therefore, learning a foreign language is one of the most effective and practical ways to increase intelligence, keep your mind sharp and buffer your brain against aging. Plus, it will come in handy when we all start travelling again. Puzzles There are puzzles out there for all interests and all skill levels. If you enjoy anything with numbers, Sudoku will give your thinker a workout, as will crosswords, word search puzzles or brain teasers. And the National Institutes of Health said that activities such as jigsaw puzzles require multiple cognitive abilities and are a protective factor against visuospatial cognitive aging. Online games Online games can be fun and challenging – there are endless options, including some classic favourites − and they can be a great way to socialize and interact with other players, too. You can play everything from cards and bingo to board games. You can even play games on video calls with friends and family – charades (which will also get you up and moving) is a great idea, or use a wipe-off board for a few rounds of Pictionary. Or, what about trying some video games online? Your grandkids will think it’s pretty cool! Arts and crafts Mind Food puts forth that crafting can be a great way to keep your mind strong. The increase of dopamine caused by creating art and craft enhances the creation of new neurons, which promotes focus, concentration and readies the brain for learning. Also, by creating art, you strengthen the connectivity between the brain’s left and right hemispheres and, in so doing, you boost your psychological resilience and productivity. Reading and writing People who never learned how to read or write could be three times as likely to develop dementia, according to recent research published in the journal Neurology. Journaling can be a wonderful practice to help with gratitude and mindfulness. Joining a book club is a great way to get into reading and to socialize with friends, too (this could be done outdoors or virtually). Or, why not catch up on correspondence and write out some letters or cards? You’ll be giving your mind a workout, while bringing a smile to the recipient’s face. 46 | www.snowbirds.org
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