Brain Exercises to Strengthen Your Mind

It is a well-known fact that regular exercise and a well-balanced diet keeps your body fit and healthy. Similarly, there are certain brain exercises that can be practiced on a regular basis to increase our cognitive functioning. This becomes especially important because as time passes, the cognitive reserve of the brain can end up decreasing without the required stimulation. It is important to shake up your routines and choose activities that require more mental energy and stimulate your brain. You can follow a healthy-brain lifestyle by performing these few targeted exercises for the brain.

1. Use Chopsticks

Replacing your regular cutlery with chopsticks is an interesting way to exercise your brain. You will be able to learn a new skill in the process, and it will also allow you to practice mindfulness. It has been found that eating with chopsticks is good for digestion too.

2. Use Non-Dominant Hand

Switching hands is a great way to strengthen your mind. When you try to use your non-dominant hand to perform regular tasks, it increases your brain activity significantly. Although it can prove to be hard at first, with regular practice you will be able to strengthen the neural connections in your brain.

3. Reading Books Aloud

Read something aloud has been known to improve our cognitive functioning. It has been found that different parts of the brain light up when the same words are read and spoken. Reading out loud also allows you to engage your imagination in an alternative way.

4. Take time off from technology

An over-reliance on technology has slowed down our brain processes over the years. The best to improve your cognitive functions is by limiting the use of technology in your life. A great way to do this is by using a physical map instead of a GPS. Alternatively, you can try to memorize the phone numbers or use your brain to make calculations.

5. Learning a foreign language

It has been found that developing a rich vocabulary increases our cognitive functioning. Learning a foreign language can help in the development of new language centers in your brain. It also increases the brain’s natural ability to focus.

You can follow any of these brain exercises or develop your own methods to improve your cognitive functioning. There are many benefits of practicing brain exercises like increased concentration, positive mood, better memory, and a boost in productivity and motivation, among other things. Many experts recommend that the activities should offer some form of challenge and novelty to an individual. So, remember to keep these pointers in mind when you are looking to challenge your mind.