Mental fitness includes your brain health and also your emotional health, and keeping it in tip-top shape helps you do things like: According to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, certain memory training exercises can increase “fluid intelligence,” the ability to reason and solve new problems. Learning something new is scientifically proven to have more stimulation and improvement of memory function than just participating in social activities. Findings by the National Institute of Health suggest that sustained engagement in cognitively demanding, novel activities enhances memory function in older adulthood. Exercising your brain helps activate neurons and parts of your brain that you may not be using regularly. Think about if you just sat and watched TV all day without really doing anything to have to think. You’re not activating different parts of your brain, which means those parts of your brain tend to be slower to respond. This leads to slower responses in conversation, reactions to outside stimuli, memory impairment, and even brain fog. How Do I Exercise My Brain? Exercising your brain seems like a strange concept, considering it feels like thinking all day would be enough exercise. But the problem is, when all you’re doing is thinking about what you’re watching on TV or about your daily worries, you’re actually only using one side of your brain. To get a good hard brain sweat in, make a point to do one or more of these things regularly: You can do one of these activities if you decide you love it, or you can do a little of all of them, or maybe you have another brain-stimulating activity that you are passionate about and want to start back up. It doesn’t matter what you do to stimulate your brain, just make sure you do it (and make sure you have fun with it too!). A local caregiver can help with any activity while providing companionship, encouragement and accountability.
Last Posts
Neurodiversity Movement Expands Acceptance of More Than Just Autism
Autism, an intellectual and/or developmental disorder that impacts millions of people—both adults and children, has had a meteoric rise in…
Poor Physical and Cognitive Health Linked to Malnutrition in Older Adults
EDITOR’S NOTE: This content has been provided to Assisting Hands Home Care by Chefs for Seniors and was originally published on…
#1 Killer in United States is Heart Disease
February isn’t just a month for love, but also American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on…
Food Insecurity Hurts the Golden Years for Many Local Seniors
By Jazmyn Ball, Community Engagement Specialist at Fulfill Can you imagine worrying about where your next meal or snack is…