We exercise our legs, arms, bellies, and backs. We go to great lengths to care for so many of our body parts, and yet, so often, we neglect our cognitive command center—the brain. With the proliferation of brain-training games, apps, and websites, that might be starting to change, however. There have never been more options for staying mentally fit.
Stay Mentally Fit with Brain Workouts
It’s true that the science remains to be seen as to the magnitude of benefits to be derived from “brain workouts,” but there are no proven downsides to staying mentally fit, active, and agile. So whether you want to gain an edge at work, excel in school, or stay sharp in your later years, let’s have a look at some resources that just might help boost your brainpower.
BrainHQ
This brain-training system touts its ability to help your “memory, attention, brain speed, people skills, navigation, and overall intelligence.” A pretty impressive list of attributes, if true. If you’d like to find out it’ll cost you, however. Unlike many brain-training systems, this one costs money to sign up.
Lumosity
This hugely popular app that provides workouts that “challenge five core cognitive abilities” claims to have 70 million users worldwide. You have to pay to play (the full version at least) here as well, to the tune of about $15 per month.
Clevermind
Designed to help people with Alzheimer’s, the Clevermind app offers games to stay sharp in addition to practical help with nutrition, exercise, and voice recognition technology. You can get it on iTunes for just $1.99.
Congnifit Brain Fitness
Cognifit offers a large variety of science-based games to stay mentally fit by focusing on concentration, memory, and navigation skills. It’s free to sign up to get a preview, but a subscription is required to unlock the full version.
Brain Metrix
This free website offers brain fitness activities that spur creativity and test concentration levels. You can even test your IQ!
Eidetic
Eidetic touts the usage of “spaced repetition” to help improve your memory. If you’re keen to memorize important numbers or perhaps become a trivia master, this app (which can be found on iTunes) may be for you.
Happify
The people at Happify feel strongly that it is possible to break negative habits by adopting new thought patterns. They claim to know “how to be happy,” so if that interests you, you might want to have a look!
Other Ways to Keep Mentally Fit
Apps, websites, books, sodoku, crosswords, and jumbles are all fine for your mental wellbeing, but you might want to consider learning a new skill as well. Better yet, go break a sweat. Apparently physical activity can literally make your brain bigger.
If you struggle with anxiety and stress, there are plenty of apps out there to help you de-stress and meditate, and you can always seek out foods that promote brain health. And have you tried yoga?
There’s no silver bullet to staying mentally fit, but there is plenty we can do to promote mental health, acuity, and wellness.
