In honor of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month we wanted to give you some fun tips and tricks to keep your mind sharp. Remember keeping an active mind is just as important as keeping your body active. By challenging our minds, scientists have found that this may build new brain cells and strengthen the connections between them. Mental or brain exercises can also protect against accumulation of damaging proteins in the brains of folks with Alzheimer’s disease.
20 Activities to Keep Your Mind Sharp
- Puzzles – crosswords, chess, sudoko, etc.
- Take a different route to work/school/home
- Exercise – get your blood pumping every single day, even if it’s just a walk around the block
- Read – read the newspaper, read a book, etc.
- Write – write anything! Write down a to do list, start writing a novel, etc.
- Learn something new – take a class, teach yourself to knit, etc.
- Listen to music
- Get artsy – draw, paint, doodle, sculpt, etc.
- Good posture – aim to sit up straighter and maintain good posture everyday
- Get enough sleep – 7-8 hours is the golden number
- Eat well – think whole natural unprocessed foods
- Drink enough water – at least 8 glasses a day
- Manage and reduce stress – make meditation part of your everyday routine
- Remember a route – skip the GPS and try to remember how to get from point A to point B
- Cut down on screen time
- Mix up your morning routine – try doing things in a different order
- Eat new/unfamiliar foods – go to that new Indian restaurant and try something new!
- Memorize something new
- Do math in your head – try to solve 26×9 for example quickly in your head
- Limit alcohol
Active Body Active Mind
We hear the importance of daily physical activity, but keeping your mind active is just as important. Do something small today to help keep your mind sharp. Quick, what’s 125×75?!