We all want a healthy and active brain. After all, that’s what keeps our cognitive functions, such as the following, sharp:
- Thinking
- Speaking
- Learning
- Remembering
So how do you go about stimulating your brain? If you’ve never thought about it before, here are five excellent ways to stimulate your brain and keep it active and healthy.
1. Reading
If you’re a lifelong book lover, good for you! If you’re not, there’s no better time than now to begin engaging in this thoroughly enjoyable pastime. Books open the world for you, allowing you to temporarily live in whatever time or place you choose. In addition, you can choose from an almost endless variety of genres, including the following:
- Classics
- Action and adventure
- Historical fiction
- Science fiction
- Romance
- Biographies, autobiographies and memoirs
- Suspense, mystery, thrillers and crime
- Poetry
Not only is reading a marvelous solitary activity for your brain, but it can also be an enjoyable social experience as well. How? Join a book club where you and others discuss books you have read. This stimulates your brain to remember what you’ve read, while letting you engage in meaningful conversations, another activity that keeps your brain active.
If you worry that you won’t be able to read the small print many books contain, never fear. All of our Elder Care Alliance communities have fully-stocked libraries that contain many large-print books.
2. Card Games
It’s amazing the number of games you can play with a deck of cards. From solitaire to poker to Go Fish to gin rummy to Crazy Eights to Bridge to Spades, card games are an excellent way to stimulate your brain. In addition, many of these games are just as much fun for your kids and grandkids as they are for you, and can make for a delightful afternoon or evening of family fun.
3. Board Games
If strategy games are more to your liking, consider challenging your family or friends to one of the following brain-enhancing board games:
- Checkers
- Chess
- Scrabble
- Monopoly
- Clue
- Battleship
- Backgammon
- Chinese checkers
Again, most of these games can be played by children as well as by adults.
4. Musical Activities
William Congreve, a 17th Century English playwright, coined the famous adage, “Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak.”
While you likely don’t have a savage beast raging inside you, nevertheless, musical activities are good for your soul as well as your brain. Whether you sing, play an instrument or just enjoy listening to various types of music, engaging in musical activities are some of the most pleasant ways in which to spend your time.
If you enjoy dancing, this can be an extremely agreeable musical activity to exercise your body as well as your brain.
5. Arts and Crafts
Engaging in arts and crafts activities not only keeps your brain active, but also keeps your fingers nimble. Again, your choices are almost limitless and include such things as the following:
- Knitting
- Crocheting
- Quilting
- Woodworking
- Drawing
- Painting
Whatever your skill level, the purpose here is to enjoy yourself while creating something that may well become a wonderful gift item for your family or friends.
Bottom line, never forget that wellness means far more than simply eating right. All of our Elder Care Alliance communities offer active lifestyles that stimulate your body and brain while giving you numerous opportunities to socialize.
