10 Steps to Improve Your Brain
Headstrong - Thu, 19 Apr 2007
The top 10 ways you can improve cognitive function.
Your mind is a machine. A machine will work if it is not tuned or oiled, but it will not be at its best. The brain is the same. By incorporating the following activities into your life you can help your brain to run at its most efficient.
There are two broad strategies of retaining your mental fitness as you age. You need to engage in a large range of physically and mentally stimulating activities, and to have an active curiosity of life and the world around you, both the natural and human-made environments.
Try to understand complex processes such as the weather, volcanism, economics politics and human behaviour. Do some research and reading, and think about what you’ve read, and not only will your brain be healthier, you’re life will be enriched.
When a challenge such as solving a puzzle becomes easy, it’s time to try a different challenging activity that will continue to stimulate your brain. Like the body, the brain needs frequent exercise, and, like unused muscles, can actually shrink in size with lack of activity.
There are 10 broad groups of activities that can stimulate your brain:
- Playing Games: Games are a great way of challenging and speeding up your cognitive function, and improving your memory. Crosswords are popular puzzles that allow you to start with simple ones and move up to more cryptic puzzles as your skill level increases. Sudoku is a game that has taken the world by storm, and requires you to look ahead for several moves. This means you need the skill of planning, which is a highly mentally stimulating activity. Chess is another such strategic game. Playing physical sports also assists in mental health, as hand and eye coordination requires a lot of brain power.
| “When a challenge such as solving a puzzle becomes easy, it’s time to try a different challenging activity that will continue to stimulate your brain” |
HeadStrong has developed a range of exercises and games to help stimulate discrete parts of the brain.
- Meditation: Meditating daily is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind. It provides relaxation, but also works out your brain. You need to find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably for around 20 minutes. Setting a timer is advised, so you don’t have to worry about the time. You need to take deep, even breaths, being aware of each inhalation and exhalation and the pause in between.
- Brain Food: Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is just as important for your brain as it is for the rest of your body. As well as fresh fruit and vegetables, and moderate protein, you need to eat healthy fats, such as fish oils, nuts, seeds and olive oil. Eat less saturated fats, and completely eliminate trans fats from your diet.
- Telling Interesting Stories: We all engage in small talk about the weather, what we did today, and who annoyed us. However planning a good story stimulates the brain, and is a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Tell a story that you are excited about, but it should be a positive one, not about violence or war. Less is more, so keep your story short, and provide plenty of sensory detail, not just visual – remember, you have five senses. Show, don’t tell, and let your audience feel your emotional reaction to the story.