10 Ways to Exercise the Brain

Monday, October 04, 2010 0 Comments A+ a-

Exercising your brain is as important as exercising your body. With brain exercise, it will form new nerve that can protect against senelity or dementia symptoms. Here are some ways you can do to exercise the brain.


Here are 10 ways to train or exercise the brain:

1. Become Active with Your Non-dominant Hand


Try to perform your task with non-dominant hand, if you normally dominant at right hand then use left hand or vice versa. For example, When using a computer mouse, brushing teeth and tying shoes with the opposite direction. According to the Franklin Institute, this type of exercise is to strengthen the existing neural connections and even form new nerve.


2. Reading

Reading can flex the muscles of the brain, it is applicable either it is a soft reading (such as comics or magazines) or reading for information. And according to Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas's study in 2001, reading can help to build "cognitive reserve" to delay the onset of dementia.


3. Play Puzzle or Crossword Puzzle

According to cognitive training center LearningRx - Crossword, Puzzles, Sudoku puzzles and others can train the brain especially the left brain. Add new strategies to exercise the brain effectively, such as solving crossword puzzles with an unusual theme.


4. Play Strategy Game

Strategy games like chess, monopoly will use much of our right brain that automatically can help us to think more creatively. If you thinks chess or monopoly isn't cool, you can try computer's strategy games such as total war series are a good example of it.


5. Change Your Routine

According to Lawrence Katz, professor of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center - changing routine and new way of living can activate the brain connection that were previously inactive. Exercises that can be done for example, bathing with eyes closed or reset your office layout or desk placement.


6. Learn New Language

By learning a new foreign language will activate some part of the brain that has not been used since you started talking. A study in 2007 at York University in Toronto, found that using multiple languages can lead to an increase of blood supply to the brain that means for maintaining the health of nerve connections.


7. Enjoying Music

Besides listening to music, learn also to play musical instrument. The experts also recommended to enable two senses at once such as listening to music and smell the flowers.


8. Physical Exercise

Physical exercise also can improve our brain health because it can increase blood flow to the brain. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, physical training can improve attention, reasoning and memory.


9. Social Life

The brain can be trained through your social life, for example by visiting your friend. A 2006 study by Dr. David Bennett of Rush University Medical Center found that having a social network can provide protection against clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.


10. Find A New Hobby

Challenge your brain to learn new skills or things you've never done before. If you are not an artist, just try to learn to paint or sculpt. If you can play piano, then learn to play guitar. Find something new and interesting to be able to keep the brain remains active.

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