As we get older, our muscles soften, our skin slackens, and our bones also begin to creak. However, these days, there is a vast amount of information available to help us keep our bodies stronger, for longer. We know that we should exercise, eat right, sleep well, and take the right measures to stay healthy. What is not commonly known is that the brain requires the same kind of attention. It is like a muscle, and needs regular exercise in order to function at its best. Here are five of the best tips to exercise the mind and increase brain power.
Many experts have recognized the importance of puzzles and games in maintaining mental efficacy. Sudoku, crosswords and computer games can all work to keep motor skills well-oiled. “Brain Age” is a great game for Nintendo DS that encourages speedy thinking. There are also a few online sites, like Cognifit, that have a variety of activities designed to prevent cognitive decline. Others have recommended point-and-click computer games to help improve problem-solving.
Try writing with your other hand. If you are right-handed, for instance, try doing everything with your left. These kinds of ambidextrous activities have been proven to help develop the side of the brain that is underused. For instance, right-handed people are most likely to use the left side of the cortex. This means that the right side is not performing optimally. By trying to write, knit, or play a musical instrument with your other hand, you are finding ways to balance both parts of the brain.
Some people recommend learning new skills. These challenging skills will encourage your mind to adapt to new, unfamiliar tasks. This will stop the mind from sliding into boring, repetitive patterns of working. For example, the learning of a foreign language will challenge the linguistic capacities of the mind in the acquisition of new vocabulary words and grammar structures. Spending time listening to Mozart can promote advanced spatial thinking. If you do not have time for these kinds of strategies, you can settle for simply changing your everyday routine. Exposure to new foods, new music, new movies, will help keep you thinking sharp.
Thinking creatively can help keep the mind alive. Specialists recommend exercises like mind-mapping and brainstorming to help organize the thoughts and generate new ideas. These exercises can also clarify problems and allow you to see the “bigger picture”.
The leaves of Ginkgo Biloba can supplement the body in effectively transporting oxygen to the brain. More oxygen means better, faster thinking. This remedy is manufactured to take the form of a pill. This can be found in many health stores and pharmacies. Another useful supplementary material is St. John’s Wort. This herbal medicine has developed a strong reputation for being a good remedy for short-term depression. An elevated mood has been proven to compliment mental activity.
Meditation need not be time-consuming. Just five to ten minutes of relaxation can work well to reduce stress, and prepare the mind for all kinds of undertakings. A good way to introduce the body to meditation is by breathing deeply with the eyes shut. By concentrating on the breath, it is possible to block out or divert any negative of distracting thoughts. People who practice yoga regularly report that is works very well in aiding concentration.
If these six ways to increase brain power are utilized every day, remarkable improvements should develop in your levels of concentration, problem-solving and creative thinking.Write up your own plan of action and use it habitually. There are many book and online resources that outline hundreds of ways in which the mind can be developed.
Learn more about how to increase brain power. Stop by Brian Corban’s site where you can find out all about your brain power and what it can do for you.