How to Give Your Brain a Workout and Improve Your Cognitive Skills

The brain is a complex organ, but it’s often recommended that we train it like a muscle. While your brain won’t get strengthened in the same way that your muscles will, it doesn’t have muscle fibers that break down and get rebuilt; it will develop more as you use it. As you use the neurons in your brain, they become more connected.

What does this mean for us? Well, it’s a good idea to think about how to keep our minds active. Some studies have shown that brain exercises improve memory and processing speed, and you become better at working through problems. It’s also found that exercising your brain can slow down age-related changes in your brain, potentially acting as a protection from dementia.

While it’s hard to quantify exactly how much exercising your brain will improve your cognitive abilities, there’s definitely no harm in it. Here are a few different ways that you can train your brain and keep it active.

Video Games

This might seem like a contradiction to start with. After all, video games used to be blamed for the thing that was rotting people’s brains, and now it’s apparently good for the brain? Well, kind of. 

Video games can be surprisingly good for your brain in moderation. The biggest problem with video games is time. They can be really addictive, and you can spend hours playing a game without even realizing it. 

But the right video games, and in the right amount of time, can be a healthy way to entertain yourself and relax. Even more interestingly, some games can actually be beneficial for your brain. Games are designed to challenge you and force you to come up with new solutions to certain problems.

Puzzle games are especially good for your brain, and simple card games like Freecell can be played in sessions of just a few minutes. It’s fun, engaging, and keeps your brain active.

Memory Challenges and Techniques

Memory challenges are a far more well-known approach to improving your cognitive skills and concentration, especially when it comes to your ability to remember things. There are so many different ways to exercise your memory, and a lot of them don’t require anything other than your imagination.

When you meet someone for the first time, try to remember as much as you can about them. Think about what they were wearing, what they said, and what else was going on when you met them. You might be surprised at how much information you gathered. Don’t tell them about this, because it can seem a bit strange without the context of using them as a memory challenge, but try it with different experiences and locations. 

You can also use cards and card games as a memory challenge. Counting cards requires the ability to keep track of fifty-two different objects, and it can be a fun skill to learn. Just don’t use it when you’re playing card games with other people, as it can rob you of the fun and challenge of the game.

Learn a New Language

Learning new things is the best way to exercise your brain, and you might as well learn something that will be useful.

A new language requires a massive amount of brain activity to learn, and as you get older, you might find that it’s harder to learn a new language. But it’s also worthwhile to learn, even if it’s difficult. 

Learning a new language has been linked to improved cognitive skills and flexibility in older adults. As you learn one new language, you might find it gets easier to pick up new languages. Even better, you’re able to communicate with more people around the world.

Picking Up a Creative Hobby

Hobbies are basically just skills you happen to enjoy. And, if you’re learning anything, you’re doing your brain some good. 

But creative hobbies can be especially good for brain development and cognitive skills. Music, for example, is widely considered one of the best things you can do for your brain. Even just listening to music can help your brain function better, so learning how to play an instrument or even singing more often can be a fun way to keep your brain active.

Other creative hobbies can also be great for your brain, even if you’re not an immediate expert. Painting, writing prose or poetry, and crafty activities like knitting are great for your brain and, in some cases, can specifically help you boost your visual-spatial awareness.

Use New Routes

But what if you want to integrate brain training into your daily routine? Anything that makes things slightly more challenging keeps your brain working. This also includes changing your regular routes.

Google Maps and other digital mapping tools are a great way to prevent you from getting lost, but they do mean that you switch your brain off. If you’re not tied by time, try taking a different route on your regular walk or drive. If you get lost, you can just turn your sat-nav on and get there the normal way, but it’s worth mixing things up a bit.

As well as challenging yourself, you might also discover things you wouldn’t have noticed before, like a beautiful view or a restaurant on your way to work that serves tasty food.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise trains your muscles, but it does more than that. Some sports and physical activities that require you to place your body more precisely and actually think about the movements you’re making are fantastic for your brain as well as your body.

Rock climbing, for example, is kind of like a physical puzzle, especially if you do bouldering, which often involves more puzzling routes at lower heights. As well as needing to move your body in a certain way and to have the strength to hold your body weight up, you also need to think about the route you’re taking and the mechanics of your own body and movements.

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.