Exercise Your Brain

Just like the rest of your body, feeding your brain a proper diet is an important factor in helping it stay in tip-top shape. That’s only part of the equation though. A good workout regimen consists of both diet and exercise. So even though you’re feeding your brain what it needs to succeed, how do you keep it from getting flabby? Here are a few ways:

Exercise regularly. ‘Healthy body, healthy mind’ is an old saying that been proven true. Exercise not only gets your heart rate up, but your brain activity as well.  

Think good thoughts. Stress and anxiety are not only miserable to deal with, but they impair brain function as well. Chronic stress produces a hormone called cortisol, which over time can reduce your ability to store and recall information.

Get enough sleep. Sleep is your brain’s way of cleaning out the events of the previous day. Lack of sleep not only makes you feel groggy and irritable, it stops the brain from properly processing the past day’s information, leaving you unable to recall what you need to know for the coming one.

In addition to general good habits, there are also some specific exercises you can try to get your noggin humming along faster:

• Try using your off hand for daily tasks like brushing your teeth.
• Do chores with your eyes closed.
• Calculate math problems in your head.
• Test your recall with simple games like trying to remember everything you saw today that was pink or how many famous people’s names you can think of that start with a ‘D’.

Our brains are wonderful, complex instruments. Make sure to keep yours in shape with these tips.