Much is said about the benefits to our health of keeping fit physically, but less information is found about keeping our brains active and healthy. It is really just as important to give our brains some exercise as it is to keep on exercising our body. Exercising the brain prevents it from deteriorating as we age, although some people get dementia or Alzheimer’s well before they can be considered old.
Experts tell us that any activity around thinking and learning are good for the brain and help to protect against dementia. And the more complex that activity is and the more it challenges us, the better it is. Frequency is also important. Doing one exercise a month is useless, but doing them every day or two will stimulate the brain well. So how do you exercise your brain?
Choose a variety of activities, but if you have never done any before and they seem hard, choose easy ones and work your way up. You could –
- Start a new hobby.
- Take a course to learn a new skill such as a language or how to play an instrument.
- Get someone to show you something such as how to work a computer or cook a new recipe.
- Read different types of literature.
- Do different kinds of puzzles such as crosswords, Sudoku and even jigsaw puzzles.
- Play cards or board games.
- Go to the theatre or a museum regularly.