Our cognitive health is essential for living a fulfilling life as we age. Here are a few ways to exercise your brain and stay mentally sharp:
- Brain Games: Crossword, memory games, Wordle, and other puzzles exercise memory and reasoning skills.
- Practice Ambidexterity: Try performing a few daily tasks with your non-dominant hand. This can help your brain develop new learning pathways.
- Practice Meditation: Proven to improve memory, attention and focus meditation also reduces anxiety and depression.
- Physical Activity: Aerobic exercise and strength training increases blood flow to the brain, reduces stress and improves mood and cognitive function.
- Learn a New Skill: A new language (say for a trip to Europe), a musical instrument or a new craft (knitting, gardening, sewing) all can boost memory and brain health at any age.
- Card Games: A great exercise for self-control and switching between tasks it’s also a great way to engage family members and have some fun.
- Practice Mindfulness: Keeping your attention on the present moment and actively observing your experiences without judgement helps to strengthen the prefrontal cortex and helps with attention and decision making.
- Dancing: Combining exercise, memory, coordination, rhythm and social engagement dancing activates multiple brain systems – and it’s fun!
By adding a few of these activities into your daily routine you will exercise your cognitive fitness supporting lifelong brain health.
Executive Functions
To help you to live independently for as long as possible, maintaining executive functions are critical. Change is inevitable as we age. From losing loved ones to shifts in physical abilities being able to achieve new goals effectively will help you live longer and healthier. These executive functions include tasks like making plans, solving problems and adapting to new situations.
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