For general health, experts recommend exercise on most days of the week & strength training at least 3 times per week. Follow these guidelines when it comes to strengthening your brain as well. Just 20 minutes 3 times per week can help reduce your risk of developing Alzheimers by up to 70%
It's very important that these exercises follow 3 basic principles:
1) the activity must fully engage your attention
2) the activity must involve more than one sense
3) the activity should also break a routine
EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN
'Good for the body is the work of the body, good for the soul is the work of the soul, & good for either is the work of the other' - Henry David Thoreau
- Take classes to learn something you've always wanted to understand
- Do games & puzzles such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku & Scrabble
- Read often with a lot of different types of books
- Remember & repeat groups of words. Memorize your grocery list
- Meditate often. Take calm, deep breaths
- Eat foods containing omega fatty acids such as flax, hemp seeds & fish
- Peform math functions regulary
- Learn new words from a 'word a day' calendar or dictionary.
- Use your left hand if you are right handed & reverse to exercise the opposite side of the brain
- Mess around with a twisty puzzle
- Learn to read & play music (classical music is know to have the best effect)
- Draw or Paint
- Consider the different possiblities of how something could've gone & explore these consequences. This improves creativity
- When trying to learn something or review for a quiz, listen to your favorite song on repeat. This is an association technique where your brain connects what you learned to what you heard
- Try commuting with varied routes, to prevent the brain from becoming monotonous
- Avoid watching TV for hours, solve puzzles while watching TV to increase multitasking
- Learn to play new games to increase mind body co-ordination
- Never avoid breakfast, it's essential for your brain to function efficiently
- Remember to exercise your body - a healthier mind results from a healthy body. Get plenty of physical exercise.
