3 Exercises for Your Brain}Brain Exercise

Do you look back fondly on your college days and marvel at how fit your grey matter was back then? Your body may have put on a freshman 15, but your brain was in prime fighting trim. You learned new things all the time and your short term memory was able to hold enormous amounts of information when you crammed for an exam. Through the years, since you got into the routines of going to work during the day and relaxing in front of the TV at night, you may feel your brain is becoming flabby. Fortunately, there are many simple exercises you can do to help get your mind back in shape. Here are 3 to try this week:
Form a New Body/Mind Connection
Try doing everyday tasks with your non-dominant hand. For example, eat a meal using your left hand. Or, use it to manage your computer mouse. These activities stimulate the parts of your brain that handle fine motor control. Don’t worry, you can switch back if you start getting frustrated. This is a good warm-up exercise for your brain to help you wake up in the morning.
Get Into a Flame War
OK, not really. However, engaging in a civil online debate can boost your ability to think critically. Remember to stick with facts and well-reasoned arguments and leave the logical fallacies and name calling to others. Think of this as your resistance training (or long distance running if the debate goes on for a long time). Don’t overdo it, just push yourself to think and express yourself more clearly each day.
Focus Your Attention
Sometimes, you need to turn off the constant chatter in your brain to tap into the creative powers of your mind. An online labyrinth (not a maze) helps some people access their right brain more easily. Think of this as a yoga exercise for your brain to make it more flexible and healthy. It’s a great workout for right before you go to bed since it can help calm you down.