Brain health and fitness is something you work on the same as any other component of your overall health. Just like with your cardiovascular or muscular health, keeping your brain in shape and working optimally requires proper nutrition, but it also means regular use and stimulation. Below are 3 ways to keep your brain healthy while having fun.
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Word and Vocabulary Games
Your language center is one of the most important areas of the brain and it is also one of the most entertaining to train. Reading and writing are popular ways to keep the language center sharp, but so too are language and vocabulary games like Scrabble.
Playing Scrabble with friends, family or even strangers online is a great way to keep your language abilities sharp and your brain in good shape. If you find yourself struggling to put those winning combinations together, there are tools like Unscramblex out there to help you uncover all of those hard-to-find letter permutations.
Logic and Memory Games
Logic and memory games are also great options when it comes to brain-stimulating activities that also happen to be highly entertaining. Some of the more popular games include ones like Sudoku and pair matching games, but there are also fantastic trivia games that exercise those mental muscles and help keep your working and long-term memory sharp.
Some research has even shown that, when it comes to trivia games, knowing obscure facts is even good for your mental health. This is because playing trivia games, much like gambling, produce a dopamine rush when you get an answer correct, similar to the rush that gamblers feel. The best part about these games is that they are usually played socially, so friends and family can get a brain workout at the same time.
Physical Exercise
Physical exercise is still one of the most tried and true ways to keep your brain in good working condition. Physical exercise helps stimulate the growth of new brain cells, a process which allows you to better stave off age-related cognitive decline and it floods your brain with feel-good neurochemicals that make you want to keep doing it.
The rush of endorphins that you feel during and after exercise are also the same ones that are responsible for helping you stay focused and sharp. And you don’t have to head to the gym or out for a run to get the brain-boosting benefits of exercise. Anything that involves rigorous physical exertion and effort, from boxing to kayaking to hiking all come with benefits for your brain.
Conclusion
In many respects, by taking care of your body, you also help take care of your brain, but there are myriad brain-boosting activities that you can incorporate into your daily routine which are fun, free and will not only help you in the short term with mental acuity-related tasks, but help fortify your brain in the long-term. Don’t forget about the above three ways to keep your brain in good form and enjoy great mental and physiological health now and well into the future.
