As we get older, it’s easy to notice the signs of aging in the body. We might not move as easily as we did, and there may be a few new aches and pains when we get up on some mornings. However, spending a little more time exercising those parts of the body can help them stay healthy for a lot longer. But did you know that the same is true for your mind? It might not be a muscle, but it sure works like one, in that the more you use it, the more active and sharp it will be as you age. Here are a few ways you should be doing that.
Start By Fueling It Right
Just as the body needs fuel for its exercises, so too does your brain. Nutrition is just as important for the mind as the rest of you, so make sure that you’re feeding it with a steady supply of nutrients that keep it healthy. Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and whole foods (in general) all help to better support your memory, focus, and long-term cognitive health. Some of the best foods for your brain include things like leafy greens, fish, berries, nuts, and even a little dark chocolate for those of you who have trouble staying away from the dessert tray.
Learn New Skills
Novelty is one of the most powerful things for keeping your brain active. Learning brand new skills causes your brain to form fresh neural pathways, which also generally improves your memory and your ability to adapt to new information and circumstances. It can be anything, from learning an instrument to picking up new cuisines or exploring new digital tools. Typically, you want to expand into skills and areas that you haven’t done before. Don’t worry about being a total beginner, that’s what’s best for the brain, as they challenge it in ways that familiar routines simply cannot. Even if you’re struggling, it’s a sign that your brain is working as intended. The aim isn’t to be a master, but to thoroughly engage with the learning process, so be patient with yourself.
Acquiring A New Language
Perhaps the most valuable skill you can pick up, in terms of your cognitive health, is learning a new language. Simply put, it’s one of the most complete exercises you can give your brain, as our language skills pull from several parts of the brain, including memory, attention, listening, and problem-solving. There are plenty of apps and websites to help you learn languages that are designed to be as accessible as possible, so even if you’re not overly fond of new apps and software, the pathway to learning can be easy enough. Language learning is also deeply enriching, as it can help build our cultural curiosity and help us engage with new communities and arts that we’ve never been able to before.
Test Your Strategy With Some Gaming
Classic board and card games are great tools for keeping the mind active as they use both long-term planning and decision-making in the moment. Games like chess are the best when it comes to pattern recognition, memorizing strategies, and reading into players, while backgammon offers a different mix, requiring the same adaptability, but pairing it with risk management and probability. Playing with friends can make it a social experience, which has its own benefits as we will explore later, but even when you’re not able to, online versions make it a lot easier to engage with the games as a lunch break activity. Playing regularly can help you keep your reasoning skills a lot sharper.
Daily Puzzles
The benefits of simple daily puzzles might seem similar to strategy-based games, but they typically have the benefit of having a fixed solution that encourages you to use familiar methodology as well as out-of-the-box thinking to logic out the answer. Crosswords and puzzles such as Sudoku can help you greatly reinforce your memory, processing speed, and your ability to focus for certain periods of time. While you can certainly enjoy challenging yourself with more difficult puzzles as time goes on, consistency should be the aim, more than the struggle. Think of daily puzzles as a kind of morning stretch for the brain, keeping it active without overwhelming it. They can also serve as a nice distraction from a world that seems to constantly demand your attention.
Read Regularly
Even if you have to wear a pair of glasses to engage in it, reading is a powerful way to strengthen the brain, improving your concentration, vocabulary, and ability to better read and understand complex logical and emotional situations. Reading relies heavily on the practices of visualization and empathy, which are easier to lose than you might think through the ups and downs of daily life, as well as more passive art forms like watching TV. While short-form content, such as magazine articles, can be a decent strength of the mental muscles, books that demand sustained attention are much more beneficial, as they require you to track characters, timelines, and developing plotlines, which can greatly improve your memory as a result. As with most things mentioned here, consistency is the key. Reading a little bit every day is much better for you than longer, occasional reading sessions.
Enjoy A Good Conversation
Meaningful conversation is one of the best things for your cognitive health, period. They help you build and retain your skills with listening, memory, emotional inteligence and quick thinking. They also help you maintain your connection to the world around you, staving off the risk of isolation, which, by contrast, is one of the worst things for your cognitive health and a serious risk factor for long-term decline. Your emotional health matters just as much as your mental fitness, so be sure to take care of it by making time for the people in your life.
Aging affects all of us, including our minds, to some degree. However, with the tips above, you can make sure that you’re staying sharp for years to come.
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