Quick Quiz to check how healthy are you
Brain Health
Cognitive
Motor/ sensory
Social
Brain Exercise 1
Close Your Eyes
Before starting, check all safety and required caution. Below are some examples of where you can try this exercise. Begin with the one you feel comfortable doing then take the challenging one. Repeat that for 20 days. Try to be creative in other everyday tasks if you wish. Remember to change the assignment when you feel like there is not much challenge.
Without looking, choose clothing, shoes, and so on, with matching or contrasting textures. Use not only your fingers but also your cheeks, lips, and even your feet—they’re all packed with receptors for fine touch.
Then try it one with eye close!!
Brain Exercise 2
Neurobics
Exercises to Sharpen the Brain
to sharpen the health
intro: We’re living and working longer than ever before and as we age we keep adding more and info into our brains. Many of you have learned to exercise your bodies to stay physically fit. But if you don’t do the same for your brains to keep mentally fit you’re losing out. NEUROBICS help you to keep your mind in tip-top shape, fit and flexible younger. Neurobics can help to maintain your mental reserves and ensure that in your elderly years you can keep your mental edge sharp.
Based on the latest scientific research from leading neurobiology labs around the world the Neurobic exercises improve to fight off the effects of mental aging. The deceptively simple exercise program is the first and only program scientifically based on the brain's ability to produce natural growth factors called neurotrophins. The idea is to use your five physical senses and your emotional sense in unexpected ways and encourage you to shake up your everyday routines the help brain manufacture its own nutrients that strengthen, preserve and grow brain cells.
Unhealthy Daily Routines
The thinking is that anything good for the heart is good for the brain, and we don't do enough good things. The big things are stress, exercise, diet, and sleep, but the good news is we can make our brains better.
When you think of stresses in your life, you should know that the stress hormone cortisol depresses the growth of nerve cells and the connections between them. Then there's sleep. Time and time again, researchers emphasize the importance of a good night's rest. It's true. Sleep is important, because it's when we lock down our memories and process them. So, if we're not getting enough sleep, it's bad for our ability to remember things.
Five Simple Brain Exercises
The premise of these brain aerobics or neurobics is to do familiar things, but do them slightly differently.
Switch Hands
So, a really easy thing to do is to try one of your daily activities -- brushing your teeth or dialing a phone number -- with your non-dominant hand.
I used my left hand to brush my teeth this morning and it's a lot harder than you realize. I really had to concentrate. And basically, what that does, apparently, is strengthen those pathways and connections in the opposite side of your brain.
Close Your Eyes
Try a safe activity, like eating or showering, with your eyes closed. That forces you to use and strengthen your other senses. Most of what your brain does is process what your senses are bringing in. So, closing your eyes forces the brain to process that information in new ways. But one thing you obviously shouldn't do with your eyes closed is drive.
Play Games
Games help you strategize, but the brain is particularly stimulated by multi-tasking. So, play games with other people that require you to strategize and interact socially at the same time. Examples include board, word and card games.
Don't Get Repetitive, Do Something Different
Introducing novelty is crucial. Your brain doesn't need anything complicated; it just needs something new. So, take a new way to work, or sit in a different seat. It forces you to look at the world from a new perspective.
Watch What You Consume
You want to make sure to consume brain-boosting foods or supplements. Try antioxidants in food, such as berries, tea, and leafy greens. And you also want to consume fish oils, which also come in supplements.
How frequently must you do your neurotics?
We used to say it takes 21 tries to learn a new habit. But brain exercise is something you should be doing constantly throughout the day. Try to integrate it into all of your daily activities. We have to constantly reroute activities throughout the day. But a lifelong habit of challenging the brain gives you a greater reserve of mind-muscle to use. Think of it as your retirement account. Add to your 401k of the brain so you have more to draw from when you need it.
It doesn't matter how much mental exercise you do if you're on certain medications because they could cause memory issues. What about those?
The sad truth is that you can do everything right and still get Alzheimer's disease. But there are some medications that might be helping your body, but hurting your brain. It's worth finding out from your doctor if you can do without some of them, or simply take them on a short-term basis. It's best to check with your health care provider if you're on muscle relaxers, antispasmodics (which many older people take for spastic colon or bladder issues) or, if you take any of the older antidepressants. There are also a lot of over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines and anti-diarrheals, that can impair mental function and shouldn't be taken long-term.
On an old radio show, contestants would try to identify sounds the host would play for them. You can make up your own after-dinner version of this game. During the week, record sounds from around the house or park or work. Play them back for the family and have each person try to “name that sound.” Or buy a sound-effects CD or cassette (there are lots available) and play the game.