Perhaps, you have been exercising your body two times a week. But did you know that exercising your mind is also important? Researchers claim that your brain health can deteriorate if you do not do regular brain exercises.
The number of people relying on brain training to sharpen their minds or boost their intelligence is on the rise. While some experts believe that most of the claims surrounding brain-training exercises are exaggerated and misleading, some studies suggest that the exercises can boost your memory.
What is Brain Training
Also known as cognitive training, brain training combines several regular activities to improve your cognitive abilities. It is based on the analogy that we can improve our cognitive abilities in a similar way we enhance our physical fitness by exercising.
Health experts claim that a mental training program has to be adaptive, generalized, and varied to offer results. If designed and used properly, mental training will improve your memory. It is also important for people dealing with:
- Memory decline
- Language disorders
- Learning challenges
- Traumatic brain injury
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Some of the Brain Exercises You Can Use to Build Your Cognitive Abilities
Athletes engage in many strength activities to build up their muscles. Similarly, you should engage in cardiovascular activities to boost your memory processes. Here are the best activities to try.
- Take Care of Your Whole Body
The first step to boosting your memory is caring for your whole body. In other words, you have to see cognitive training as an activity for your whole body. Engage in healthy behaviors like exercising, quitting smoking, eating vegetables, and maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI). So, do regular exercises, such as walking, running, and weight lifting, and add vegetables and fruits to your diet. That way, you will improve the cognitive function of your memory.
- Start Drawing Your City’s Map from Your Memory
It is hard to tell the number of times you have driven through your city. Perhaps, you have also used Google maps to navigate through it several times. The activities might make you believe that you know every part of your city.
So, take a pen and a paper and start drawing the map from memory. Add the key landmarks, including the popular hotels, museums, monuments, and grocery stores. Compare your drawing to the real map. For a bigger challenge, try drawing the map of your country or continent.
- Learn a New Skill
Learning new skills is fun. But did you know that it can boost connections in your brain and boost your memory? Each time you start learning something new, your brain is challenged to keep its cells active. So, you can try learning new skills such as swimming, playing a musical instrument, or singing. If the skills are hard to master, try severally to master them. That way, you will improve the ability of your brain.
- Socialize
A study conducted in 2019 suggests that socially active individuals are at low risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Socializing will engage many areas of your brain. Further, most social activities include physical elements like playing sports that can benefit your mind. Join a club, sign up for the local walking groups, join a volunteer group in your community, or stay in touch with your family and friends.
One great thing about your brain is that you can improve it regardless of your current condition or age. You only need to choose effective brain training activities. The above list will provide you with a good starting point when searching for the best brain training activities. Still, you can work with your mental health expert to craft cognitive training programs.
