When I was young a pencil was the only thing I needed to sharpen. In my older years, I understand my mind also needs sharpening. Like the rest of our bodies, our brains diminish. We can be proactive about slowing down the process and sometimes even reversing it. The old saying, use it or lose it applies. I am speaking of age-related decline and not environmental, genetic, or injury-related factors. Here are tips I picked up from various sources that stimulate positive brain function.
Eating Healthy Foods: Avoid processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Limit red meat consumption. Choose baked, broiled or grilled chicken, turkey, and fish instead. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid bread and pasta made from refined flour, go with whole grain instead. Raw nuts are an excellent snack choice.
Exercising: Exercising helps the entire body and is an excellent stress buster. Most gyms offer a variety of equipment and tools to help you keep toned but are not the only option. Any form of movement is exercise. Spend time every day walking, jogging, cleaning, gardening, moving furniture around, dancing, etc. Avoid sitting or lying down for long periods of time (unless you have a medical condition, in which case you should consult with your physician).
Reading: Reading taps brain activity. A good book or article stretches our imagination and stimulates critical thinking. Reading is also a good way to keep our vocabulary from shrinking and for staying current on new advances.
Joining a Discussion Group: Discussion groups are great places to challenge and expand our thinking. The group can focus on one topic or just be a general think tank. Either way, they are good places to get and give feedback. A discussion group can be a local one that meets in person or an online group. A great online group for book readers is onlinebookclub.org.
Learning Something New: Tackling a new project can help keep the gears in motion. Learn to paint, take a mechanics class, learn to code, learn a foreign language. Anything that requires concentration and focus is best.
Playing Games: Puzzles are a great activity in this category. Experts have long recommended puzzles to combat mental decline. Certain types of story video games incorporate puzzles into their gameplay. Games like Scrabble and Scattergories are also good brain teasers. In addition, experts suggest spending time with family and friends also promotes brain health.
The Alzheimer’s Association website is an excellent place to learn more about brain health.
Eating Healthy Foods: Avoid processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Limit red meat consumption. Choose baked, broiled or grilled chicken, turkey, and fish instead. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid bread and pasta made from refined flour, go with whole grain instead. Raw nuts are an excellent snack choice.
Exercising: Exercising helps the entire body and is an excellent stress buster. Most gyms offer a variety of equipment and tools to help you keep toned but are not the only option. Any form of movement is exercise. Spend time every day walking, jogging, cleaning, gardening, moving furniture around, dancing, etc. Avoid sitting or lying down for long periods of time (unless you have a medical condition, in which case you should consult with your physician).
Reading: Reading taps brain activity. A good book or article stretches our imagination and stimulates critical thinking. Reading is also a good way to keep our vocabulary from shrinking and for staying current on new advances.
Joining a Discussion Group: Discussion groups are great places to challenge and expand our thinking. The group can focus on one topic or just be a general think tank. Either way, they are good places to get and give feedback. A discussion group can be a local one that meets in person or an online group. A great online group for book readers is onlinebookclub.org.
Learning Something New: Tackling a new project can help keep the gears in motion. Learn to paint, take a mechanics class, learn to code, learn a foreign language. Anything that requires concentration and focus is best.
Playing Games: Puzzles are a great activity in this category. Experts have long recommended puzzles to combat mental decline. Certain types of story video games incorporate puzzles into their gameplay. Games like Scrabble and Scattergories are also good brain teasers. In addition, experts suggest spending time with family and friends also promotes brain health.
The Alzheimer’s Association website is an excellent place to learn more about brain health.