1. Find out about your brain and you can make the most of your brain powers. Knowing that your brain is a constantly-developing miracle with billions of neurons and synapses will encourage you to take important steps to keep it flourishing.
2. Take care of your nutrition. Although your brain weighs only 2% of your body mass, it needs over 20% of the oxygen and nutrients you take in? Eat plenty of wholegrains, berries, broccoli and other greens, eggs, oily fish, nuts and protein.
3. Remember that your brain is part of the body and it needs exercise. Exercising your body helps to sharpen your brain: physical exercise enhances the regeneration of new brain connections and blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
4. Make a determined effort to focus on positive aspects of your day. Looking forward to every new day in a constructive way reduces stress and anxiety. Both of these are the enemy of memory and brain growth. Practice mindfulness and relaxation as a way to cope with stress.
5. Seek out Mental Challenges. Adapting to challenging new environments, learning new computer programs or a challenging range of puzzles stimulates the growth of new neurons. Whether they stay with you, though, depends on how you use them. “Use It or Lose It” does not mean do a crossword puzzle now and then. It means, “challenge your brain often with fundamentally new activities”.
6. Aim high. Keep setting yourself goals and seek out learning. Once you become too comfortable in one job, find a new one. The brain keeps developing, reflecting what you do with it.
7. Explore, travel, accept invitations. Pay more attention to the environment around you and notice details to share with others.
8. Decide to have opinions of your own. Read about issues, listen to debates and think about where you stand on issues. Don’t let media personalities, politicians or even your neighbour decide for you. Make your own decisions and sometimes, mistakes. You will learn from them and all the while, you are training your brain.
9. Develop and maintain friendships. The more we socialize, the more we interact, converse and make connections. and your brain develops too.
10. Laugh. Often. Out loud. Look for comedies, plays on words, humour that requires you to think about the meaning. And share your enjoyment with others.
[Thank you to Sharpbrains for the basis of this article}
Good advice. Thanks
Thank you
Thank you. My own curiosity and new things, keep me on the go, as in my eighties find the many travel documentaries stimulating,as overseas travel not an option. We have just booked another stimulating tour of East Cape, landing of Captain Cook etc. and I am a Volunteer Guide at Maritime Museum, the 250 Anniversary coming soon. The Protein tips I know and have stimulating meals. Keep going with tips. Greta Fisher
Helpful recommendations.
Keep up that wonderful variety of activities, Greta – they are stimulating indeed and exactly what the brain needs at any age. Well done!
Thank you for this information and all the little brain challenges you send us. I do a few different ones each day. Sometimes I still play the game included in the Christmas message from 18 months ago.
Well done you! Those challenges really help to keep your brain active. Those Jacquie Lawson Christmas games are fun!
Anyway, there I was sitting comfortably in the healing warmth of the sun. Breathing in and out, in and out; calmness and solitude befriending me. Suddenly I heard our daughter’s cat Toby. He was playing with a little ball. The ball rolled onto the carpet. He chased it, paused, looked at it, and put it in his mouth and returned it to the wooden floor and continued playing with it. I kid you not. Now you all may call that what you like, but I was most impressed with Toby cat. I mention this little interlude today as I do think the cat’s action of cause and effect is a worthy analogy for comment. And clearly the cat was more lucid than me today. I know this for a fact as I have been calling my eight year old grandson, Lachie, by his sister’s name ,Ella.
After this insightful distraction I felt inspired to read the “Brain Fit” programme. Confronted with puzzles that answers allude, obstruct, and baffle. For example, have you digested and solved the dog and girraffe puzzle? Grrrr. Further down, “Need a more difficult challenge download here. I mean … really!! Mega bytes earned from my relaxation exercise were quickly being used up by intense concentration. Definitely there is a need here for a fibre optic fusion.
Aha, here’s a thought. Problem solved. I will ask Lucid. Where’s the cat? No, maybe not; for just like the cat I shall contine to put one paw in front of the other. After all tomorrow is another day and there is no need to feel overwhelmed is there.
Thanks for the opportunity to connect and “comment” with everyone
This account has given me my entertainment for today! As for that dog and giraffe puzzle, a hint could be to think of each animal as representing a number? And of course, those numbers will be the same because the dog and giraffe images are repeated. Does that help??
Mmmm. I sat down with my husband and listened to his calculations. He got it. I get it now. Isn’t it interesting. When I was young we were told boys were better at “arithmetic” and I certainly went along with that excellent excuse. Time to buckle down
Well done! And this brain challenge isn’t so much ‘arithmetic’ as encouragement to think in a new way. To look at a situation or task and challenge yourself to use an approach different from the usual neural pathways that activate for you. I’m so glad you persevered with trying to get an answer – that’s how dendrites grow! Now maybe try the more difficult challenge – knowing how you solved the first one?