You’ve followed an exercise regimen for years to keep your body strong, lean, and healthy. The more you keep your muscles and joints moving, the more flexibility you’ll have for your lifetime. The same principle also applies to exercising your brain to boost your cognition, memory, and problem-solving skills.
Daily Workouts for Your Mind
Remember the old saying that if you don’t use something regularly, you’ll lose it? Your brain craves stimulation for optimal cognitive and memory functions. Here are three activities you can do daily to keep your mind active and healthy.
1. Tease Your Brain with Puzzles
Few things can be more fun and challenging than a good puzzle. You can choose from crossword puzzles, find-a-word, sudoku, or exciting brain teasers. Even jigsaw puzzles stimulate your mental skills of visual-spatial reasoning, color coordination, and short-term memory.
2. Step Outside for a While
Isn’t it refreshing to leave the house for a while to bask in the outdoors? Humans are just as part of nature as animals and weren’t meant to be kept inside all the time. So consider taking a break at least once a day to sit outside or take a walk in the glorious sunshine.
The beauty of the outdoors touches each of your senses and can boost your mood. Your mind revels in the infinite colors, textures, and sounds around you. If you are temporarily homebound, you can sit on the porch for a while or even open a window to listen to the birds sing.
3. Put Some Music into Your Life
Music is a universal language that speaks to your body, mind, and spirit. Whether it’s instrumental or voice, listening to music can soothe your soul and put a tap in your feet. When’s the last time you listened to some of your favorite tunes and sang along with them?
Listening to music can brighten your mood and can give your memory an effective workout by remembering lyrics. So put each day to music and spend time listening to or even playing some lively tunes on an instrument.
Why Are Mental Exercises So Important?
At SBCD in Irvine, we encourage our patients to get the most out of every day. Part of our care includes sharing ways that can improve their mental health. These are just a few suggestions we offer to our patients to keep their minds active, healthy, and happy.