Nobody
wants to see their loved ones forget who they are. It’s a very hard
road to take on both the patient and their loved ones. While we can’t
stop all cases of Alzheimer’s or Dementia, there are certain steps we
can take to avoid going down that road.
One
of the biggest steps you can take is to take care of your whole body
now. We talk more about diet, supplements, and exercises that help the
body avoid degeneration in this article.
We’re going to be talking about keeping your brain in high gear in this article so you know what to do to keep sharp.
Scientists have long thought that keeping your brain healthy with brain training exercises is one of the best ways to know your state of mind. It keeps your mind working well, forming new neuro-connections, and preserving older connections.
It
also gives you a chance to notice if something is going on. If your
daily puzzle becomes challenging, you will know to get checked out. From
there, you can work with your doctor to do the medications and supplements that can slow and even stop the damage.
They are also lots of fun. Manufacturers have become more inventive with ways to train your brain
in the past couple of years. As you play with your brain, it becomes
much more fun! We recommend seeking out various programs and change them
as you become bored. Many of the programs are designed to be adaptive
and help you keep interested for a long time.
Now,
if you can’t get some of these apps or programs, there is still one
very old school way of keeping your brain fitness: read, read, and read
some more. Your local library has hundreds and thousands of books and
they are all free. Just stop in and pick up a few books and read a bit
every day. This helps keep your brain active. Plus, you will learn so many new things!
How to Exercise Your Brain
It’s
not so much that you exercise your brain, but that you do the right
types of brain enhancements. There isn’t a brain gym to go to, so you
need to be proactive in your fight against dementia.
First,
you need to know where your gaps are. If numbers are a problem (like
me), you want to focus on number exercises to overcome that problem. It
uses more of your brain and keeps you sharper.
Then, you need to work on memory and building strong connections. Memory brain exercises are one of the best tools and there are hundreds of apps and programs out there. We’re just going to cover some of them.
Your
level of mental fitness is more determined on how well you do them.
These aren’t just some mind exercises you can do once and be done. They
need to be done every day in order to keep you sharp and healthy.
Top 15 Exercises that are Fun for the Brain
There
is no one single exercise that will keep your brain sharp. You need to
have a comprehensive program that exercises your body and your mind.
What good is being able to remember names and faces if you can’t
remember why you know these people. Or what good is a list if there is
no one you remember.
Many
of these suggestions are based around incorporating fun and enjoyable
activities into your life that stimulate you and keep you going. None of
them stand on their own.
Pick which ones you like and start having fun! It helps your brain and your emotional health.
Crossword Puzzles
Really, any kind of word or number puzzles
work here. The point is to continuously stimulate the brain and keep
your recall abilities high. By rotating through the different
activities, you’ll stimulate different areas of the brain. This, in
turn, helps keep the nerves functioning and healthy.
to discover and remember lots of
information. In larger puzzles, the information can span days, forcing
the player to create long-term memories.
The
puzzles also stimulate reasoning and problem solving functions. These
are often the first parts of the brain to be damaged in dementia.
Encouraging these parts of the brain encourage healthy nerves.
