Exercising your brain helps improve memory, focus, and daily functioning. Because the brain is involved in everything we do, it is important for people of all ages to engage in activities that have been proven to promote intellectual wellness. The best brain activities are those that break your routines and challenge you to use and develop new brain pathways.
To achieve the December wellness challenge, and give yourself the gift of a more healthy brain, complete at least 6 of the brain boosting activities on the list below.
To achieve the December wellness challenge, and give yourself the gift of a more healthy brain, complete at least 6 of the brain boosting activities on the list below.
- For a minimum of 5 out of 7 days each week, avoid all screens (tv, phone, computer, etc.) for at least an hour before going to bed (screens trigger wakefulness and suppress hormones that make you sleepy).
- Play cards or a board game with family or friends once a week for the month.
- Complete a jigsaw puzzle with at least 100 pieces.
- Build your vocabulary. Add a new word to your vocabulary each week and use the word in conversation at least 5 times during the week.
- Think of a skill that you’ve always wanted to learn (playing an instrument, juggling, playing chess, making pottery, learning a new language, playing tennis, etc.) and take steps to begin learning that skill. Be sure to stick with it since this one will most likely require a commitment of more than one month.
- Use your non-dominant hand to complete an everyday activity like brushing your teeth, eating, writing, or using your computer mouse or touch pad at least 10 times this month.
- Socializing engages multiple areas of the brain. This month, take advantage of a volunteer opportunity, join a club, reach out to a friend or family member that you haven’t spoken with in a while, or spend some interrupted time with a close friend or family member.
- Take new routes. Come to work or go home by at least 5 different routes this month OR take a different route to at least 5 familiar places.
- Read a classic novel that you’ve never read or haven’t read in a while.
- Make your brain work differently by wearing your watch upside down for an entire day.
- Complete a chore (fold laundry, do dishes, make the bed, etc.) with your eyes closed once a week. BE SURE THAT YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS TO YOURSELF OR OTHERS!
- Engage all of your senses in a new way by trying out an unfamiliar ethnic cuisine. Visit a new restaurant or, even better, make some new dishes at home.
- Enjoy some silence. Set aside 5 minutes each day to find a quiet place, close your eyes, slow your breathing, forget about the “have dones” and “to dos”, and just RELAX.
- The list of mental benefits from physical exercise is lengthy and proven.
- Get your Omega-3s. Incorporate at least 5 of these foods into your diet this month; salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines, herring, seaweed, walnuts, flaxseed / flaxseed oil, winter squash, kidney or pinto beans, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, or soybeans.