The brain is the center of the nervous system and it controls almost every process in the body and mind. It is a muscle. It requires regular exercise. By so doing, it strongly affects your mental health and productivity, so it is necessary and important that you pay special attention to it on a daily basis.
There are a whole lot of activities you can do to improve intellectual performance, but sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between more and less relevant techniques. The goal is to help you with that, by reading, learning, and putting to practice these top 10 brain training exercises to boost your intellectual power.
1. REGULARLY EXERCISE. #
Do you know that when you exercise your body, you’re developing new brain cells, as well as focusing your mind and body on one particularly grueling act (ideally)?
When you do that consistently, it assists in increasing your brain function and enhance your body’s neurogenesis (the growth and development of nervous tissue). That means each time you get off of the sofa and move around! The brain is going to thank you for it!
2. CHANGE DAILY ROUTINES. #
This is an excellent tip for individuals who don’t want to use too much effort in brain training exercises. You can change your daily routine and it will be enough to take your brain out of the navigator mode.
Jake Gardner, a life coach at NSBroker, says the brain reacts positively to the changes in the environment: “For instance, you can drive different routes day after day and prevent your brain from getting used to the same pattern. This simple trick and “exercise” is more than enough to stay alert.”
3. TURN OFF TECHNOLOGY. #
In our contemporary time, it’s hard to find a person without smartphones, tablets, or laptops. Even the most younger ones now have smartphones to themselves. A normal human being wakes up and picks up his phone before thinking of any other thing.
Having all these and being able to access the net, gives us incredible communication and learning opportunities, but it also makes our brains overloaded because we are constantly receiving information every now and then.
The brain can hardly digest so many novelties day after day, so it begins to slow down gradually. What you can do is turn off technology and give the brain some time to process information. Take conscious effort not to pick up your phone first thing first and also to stay off the net for some time. Make it a daily habit and routine, and try to detach yourself from it whenever you have a chance to do.
4. SWITCH HANDS. #
This exercise is similar to the routine changing concept. How does it work?
You can start doing things with the non-dominant hand (i.e if you’re used to using your right hand for everything you do, change it to your left from time to time and get used to it). This forces your brain to change perspectives and think alternatively, which is always a good way to exercise and make it work overtime. The point is to turn things around and give your mind new problems to solve.
5. MEDITATE. #
This exercise helps the mind and also anyone who always finds it difficult to sleep sometimes. It involves merely shutting your eyes and paying close attention to your breathing. Yes! Your breathing makes the nerves calm. As the mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath. Just five to ten minutes of this meditation can help you relax, clear your mind, and leave you more prepared for any mental activity. This can be really crucial during a particularly hard day of work, or if you’re having trouble relaxing during your days off.
7. WRITE AND BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY. #
You don’t have to be a grand prizer before you are able to write, and by writing I mean just penning down things that come to mind. It could either be put to practice a word you’ve learned, or your schedule for the day.
Writing is a method of telling the memory what’s important, clarifying your thoughts, and helping you remember things more easily in the future. It is also a method of exercising your analytical ability and creativity. This act can help expand and better the brain, even if it’s something nobody else ever reads.
Also, a rich vocabulary has a way of making you sound smart. But did you know you can also turn a quick vocab lesson into a stimulating brain game? Research shows that many more regions of the brain are involved in vocabulary tasks, particularly in areas that are important for visual and auditory processing.
8. SING AND LISTEN TO MUSIC. #
In a study at the University of California, scientists discovered that kids who sang daily in chorus and studied piano were a lot better at solving puzzles, and scored 80 percent better in spatial intelligence than a non-musical group. Singing or listening to music, helps build ones mental health. How does this work?
When you sing or listen to music, it helps you think straight and focused, calms the nerves, helps in meditation, and lots more. Just like Ben Carson, whenever he wants to perform a surgery he plays music and that helps him to be focused on what he’s doing.
9. LAUGH. #
History has it that those who laugh often have high tendencies of living longer than those who don’t laugh. It is said that the release of endorphins caused by laughter will reduce stress levels–that’s great for long-range brain health. Also, laughter usually leaves you more open to brand new thoughts and ideas.
10. A HEALTHY DIET WITH PLENTY OF SLEEP. #
Your diet has a massive impact on your brain function, because the brain consumes more than 20 percent of all oxygen and nutrients which you consume, therefore remember to feed the brain with good things! (that is, fresh vegetables, fruits, and an abundance of water). And as a good diet is important, so also good sleep.
Sleep is similar to a mini-detoxification for your brain. It’s when the body regenerates cells, as well as removes all of the toxins which have built up during the day. Go to bed between the hours of 9:00 pm and 12:00 am in order to benefit from the most efficient hours of sleep.
Conclusion #
The brain controls everything, including your moods, behavior, and mental performance. But if you want to achieve the best results in a cognitive way, you need to take care of your brain and help it flourish. The brain is involved in everything we do and just like any other part of the body, it needs to be cared for too.
Exercising the brain to improve memory, focus, or daily functionality should be a top priority for you, especially as you get older. Do you know that focusing on your brain health is one of the best things you can do to improve your concentration, focus, memory, and mental agility? No matter what age you are, when incorporating brain exercises into your everyday life, you’ll get to challenge your mind, sharpen your intellectual skills, and possibly learn something new and enriching along the way, too.
