Mental Health
10 Exercises For A Healthy Brain
Just like exercising helps to improve our physical health, certain activities can exercise our brain health. Let’s look at the top ten brain exercises to boost the memory performance of your brain. Activities like reading, dancing, socializing, and even playing memory games like chess can help exercise your brain. These ten activities can help boost your brain performance.
Just like you exercise to improve your body’s physical health, it is equally essential to perform certain exercises that enhance the functioning of your brain. Most of us fall into a certain routine that barely challenges exercising our thinking power. Therefore, it is essential to take note of the importance of a healthy brain and exercise it regularly.
One of the most complex and vital organs of the human body is the brain. It is the source that helps the body perform actions, interprets the senses in a visual form, and plays a vital role in processing emotions. Since the brain is always active, even when you are asleep, certain activities can do to keep it performing at an optimum level and get less affected by age-related degeneration. The activities are targeted to improve memory, cognition, creativity, etc.
Here are ten brain exercises, if practiced daily, can help boost the memory performance of your brain:
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Meditation:
We are always having thoughts that sometimes heat the brain’s engine, and hence we need times when we limit these thoughts, and that’s what meditation does. The control over our brain’s focus is restored by practicing meditation, even if done for just 10 minutes a day. It helps calm the mind from the constant chatter that wears it out.
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Having More Visual Elements:
Visualizations are essential to be incorporated into our everyday life. It means to create a mental image of tasks or activities before performing them. For example, before going to the mall, one can visualize how crowded it will be, how the shops will look like, etc. It is said that if we visualize more, then it results in being more organized and also making more informed decisions.
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Playing Memory Games, Jigsaws, Chess, Crosswords, Etc.:
Memory games are believed to impact a person’s short-term memory and are beneficial in sharpening the area of the brain which recognizes various patterns. Other games like a jigsaw, chess, and crosswords help in strategic thinking and application. You should play games every day, especially, card games not mobile games that involve more screen time that usually tires the brain out.
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Learning New Skills:
When we learn new skills, we keep our minds engaged, and the excitement of learning something also releases dopamine which improves the health of the brain. Also, learning creative skills like drawing, musical instruments, photography, etc., helps enhance cognition. So now you know what to do when you feel like exercising your brain, draw, doodle, or play that old guitar lying in the corner of your home.
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Dancing:
Dance is a form of exercise that helps the brain get involved in a particular rhythm and maintain balance. If practiced daily, it reduces the lethargy that we face at times by not doing any exercise and is beneficial for people who need a good reason to exercise. So put on the music and groove. Remember, it will not only soothe your mind but also make it more energetic.
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Practicing Tai Chi:
As a form of physical exercise, Tai Chi involves gentle movements and rhythmic breathing, which calms the mind and provides enhanced connectivity between different regions of the brain. This helps in the decrease of memory loss and aging.
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Adequate Sleep:
Sleep is the most important factor when it comes to giving rest to our brain and body. Most adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep. However, most of us sleep lesser than required. Did you know sleep is said to boost memory, reduce mental fatigue, and also improve metabolism? Yes, the benefits of good sleep are myriad. So, keep the phone down, watch that series some other day, and just hit the snooze button.
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Sports Activities:
When a person engages in a sport, it is not only physically demanding but also mentally challenging. Sports help in providing sustained attention, strategic thinking, multitasking, among other benefits. It is also said that athletes tend to have faster information processing speeds. So, if you have not taken up a sport yet, it’s never too late. Wear your track pants and jog or go swimming or play basketball. A person who enjoys sport always stays young by heart and mind.
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Socializing:
When we are next to our friends and having a good time, it is said to preserve our cognitive functioning. It is said that socializing and frequent social contact help reduce the chances of dementia or aging memory loss. Given that the pandemic has reduced our socializing next to nothing, it is time to use your phone in the right way and connect to your loved ones.
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Reading:
When reading a book, one can take down notes of unfamiliar words and use a dictionary to look up their meaning. Increasing vocabulary skills is a good way to exercise the brain and broaden knowledge. Besides, reading gives you one more reason to exercise your visualizing skills. It is said that ‘Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’ So, make it a point to read something every day. Not just the feeds on your smartphone, but books or newspapers or any material that interests you.
Conclusion:
Just like exercising helps to improve our physical health, certain activities can exercise our brain health. Let’s look at the top ten brain exercises to boost the memory performance of your brain. Activities like reading, dancing, socializing, and even playing memory games like chess can help exercise your brain. These ten activities can help boost your brain performance.
