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Blog - Cognitive Support
Learn How to Keep Your Brain sharp
Posted on 3rd Feb 2016
Learn How to Keep Your Brain Sharp as we Get Older
How many times have you heard the expression, “I must be having a senior moment”? Loss of brain function as we age is normal but that doesn’t mean we have to go out without a fight.
Just like your body needs physical exercise to keep your joints, muscles and heart in good shape, your brain can also benefit from daily workouts. Here are a few exercises to work into your daily routine.
Learn something new every day. And not something that comes easy to you. You want to really give your brain a workout. If you’ve never quite grasp electrical work then you might want to learn about the wiring in your house, or how a motor runs. If languages are hard for you sign up for an online class in Spanish or French. Maybe memorization has never been your forte – now is the time to memorize a song or famous document. “Four score and seven years ago…”
Change how you do daily tasks. If you have stairs in your house walk up them backwards instead of forwards. If you brush your teeth with your right hand, change to your left hand – be careful you don’t poke yourself with the toothbrush! Or if you always unload the dishwasher from the left side change to the right side. When you ask your brain to do something different from what is deeply embedded to memory you are mixing up the thought process and having to work your brain in a good way to make the changes.
Break out the memory games like a Rubik’s Cube or flashcards to work on your long term and short term memory. Try to remember what you did a year ago and then what you had for breakfast the day before. This is a great way to keep your mind sharp.
Integrate two or more senses into your activities. When you are doing housework turn up the radio. While you are cooking your favorite dish listen to an audio book. Put a drop of essential oil on your vacuum bags so that when you are cleaning you get a whiff of lavender or orange blossom. The brain loves when you use two senses together.
Hug or hold hands with your spouse or good friends as often as you can. When we connect with others our brain releases oxytocin. Oxytocin connects brain areas involved in processing social information such as sight, faces, sounds and smells.It is a great feel-good hormone. So, join a new club, volunteer or take on a new work assignment that will give you the opportunity to meet and interact with new faces.
