The History of Brain Exercises
As we get older and as we are not in a consistent state of learning like we used to be in school, it is important to keep our brains exercised as much as our bodies. Brain training and exercises are traced back into the 19th century and The Conversation adds: “Previous systems of “memory-training” were quite popular in 19th-century Britain. These mnemonic systems, such as Mark Twain’s Memory Builder, involved a set of strategies or tricks to better recall facts, say, names or dates.” Nowadays, brain exercises have made an imprint in how we spend our money. In the same article, The Conversation mentions that it is estimated to have at least 6 million dollars worth of revenue at the end of 2020. With apps such as Peak, Luminosity and Elevate, consumers are willing to pay the price to strengthen their mind.
Brain Exercises Ideas
In order to exercise your brain, you do not have to use an app. Jigsaw puzzles, word search, and crossword puzzles are extremely beneficial. In fact, a study in Germany showed that jigsaw puzzles greatly improved cognitive development. “We revealed that self-reported lifetime JP experience was associated with visuospatial cognition in healthy adults above 50 years of age, even after accounting for known predictive factors for cognitive aging.” Learning a new language is also beneficial for memory building and learning in general. Whether you learn it through Rosetta Stone, a tutor, or Duolingo—your brain will basically be lifting weights!
A favorite of mine since I am a writer is to expand my vocabulary. Since I was in grade school, I struggled to memorize words and their definitions…to be honest, I still do sometimes! However, I work with two apps since I study two languages. I use the Spanish Dictionary app once a day to give me the word of the day and I try to do fifteen minutes a day using Ultimate Vocabulary Builder which is an amazing app. The app uses auditory and visual learning to help you read and understand each word. Another feature I enjoy is that you “earn” a thousand dollars for each word you learn—so the more you learn, the richer in knowledge you get!
There are a ton of books that you can buy that build your brain if you are not interested in hiking up your screen time. Also, keep in mind that reading in general benefits your brain! Real Simple reported: “With age comes a decline in memory and brain function, but regular reading may help slow the process, keeping minds sharper longer, according to research published in Neurology. Frequent brain exercise was able to lower mental decline by 32 percent, reports The Huffington Post.” It does not have to be over complicated to exercise your brain but make it fun!
Enjoying this article? Learn more in this one about increasing gamma brain waves and how it can benefit you.
What Will You Do?
Neuronation says: “Dr. Sylvie Belleville, Professor at the University Institute of Gériatrie de Montréal, has studied brain exercises as a preventative measure for the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease [4]. Belleville and her colleagues discovered that training with brain games can improve the memory of people with mild cognitive impairments, including those showing the first signs of dementia. These studies and others clearly suggest that your brain is trainable, if the training is tailored to your individual needs.” It is important that we are persistent to learn and grow our brain and to discover new ways to exercise them. Of course apps will personalize and tailor ways to train our brains; however, let us not forget more traditional and less costly ways.
Another thing to add is that physical exercise also plays a significant role in brain development. Harvard Health reports: “Many studies have suggested that the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory (the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex) have greater volume in people who exercise versus people who don’t.” Here are some ways to exercise outdoors here. So after you’re finished reading, download an, buy a book, and take a walk! Let’s improve our mind one day at a time! What are ways you sharpen your brain?
