Fun Ways to Exercise Your Brain

Your brain needs exercise. There are so many fun things you can do to help improve your memory, cognition, and creativity.

I receive multiple-choice trivia quizzes in my email several times a day. They're a fun break from the daily grind and only take about 10 minutes to answer. They even have a brief history lesson about the correct answer.

According to the Medical News Today website, exercising your brain also helps with age-related degeneration. As a matter of fact, here's a list of the potential benefits when you exercise your brain.

perception
mental rotation
working memory
reasoning
attention
reaction times
cognitive flexibility
balance

But finding the perfect brain exercise that doesn't feel like work or is actually enjoyable is often the issue. Committing can also be a thing.

Brain exercises can range from engaging the brain in everyday tasks to performing targeted workouts for the brain. It may be a good idea to try a range of brain-training activities at first and to stick with those that provide the most enjoyment or reward.

Maybe you're like me and aren't a fan of crossword puzzles. Are jigsaw puzzles your thing, but you want something new? That happened to me with Sudoku.

With your workload, home life, social media scrolling, and television time, your brain is probably craving some intellectual exercise that's fun, too.

Besides puzzles or reading, here are some fun things your brain will thank you for.

CLASSIC ELECTRONIC GAMES

Remember Simon or Merlin? OMG, I loved those growing up and played them all the time. Find those if you can or something similar, and play a few minutes every day.

GAME APPS

Do you have solitaire on your phone? Whether it's that or any game, find one you enjoy and play away. You may think they're time sucks, but even some video games are healthy for your brain.

ENGAGING HOBBIES

Buy a paint-by-numbers kit or sign up for a class. There are many ways to engage your brain through classes or simply staying at home.

knitting/crocheting
drawing
painting
dance class
learn an instrument
learn a language

PRACTICE TAI CHI

This is a slow-moving physical exercise that involves gentle body movements, rhythmic breathing, and meditation.

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