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Brain Training and Memory
As we become older, we may also lose brain tissue in addition to losing muscle mass. For instance, as we age, our brains lose their cognitive reserve or the ability to withstand neurological damage from aging and other situations without showing obvious slowness or memory loss. This might make it more challenging to concentrate
Jan 18, 2023 By Madison Evans

We might experience brain atrophy in addition to muscular wasting as we age. In particular, as you age, your brain loses its cognitive reserve or capacity to endure neurological damage from aging and other circumstances without overtly slowing down or losing memory.

That might make it harder to focus the mind. Researchers have shown that a healthy lifestyle, including frequent, focused brain exercises, can enhance one's cognitive reserve, just like weight training can build lean muscle mass and help one maintain more muscle mass as one age.

How To Maximize Brain Function At Any Age

The strength of one's memory is proportional to the brain's vitality and state of health. You can do many things to improve your memory and mental performance or a senior wanting to preserve and develop your grey matter as you age.

Scientists have shown that the brain is malleable even in old age, disproving the old saying that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Even as we age, the human brain demonstrates remarkable plasticity and adaptability. Neuroplasticity is the name given to this skill. With the correct input, your brain may create new connections, change old ones, and respond in many different ways.

Enjoy A Jigsaw Puzzle

Whether you're putting together a Mickey Mouse puzzle or a thousand-piece depiction of the Eiffel Tower, strengthen your brain with a jigsaw puzzle. Involvement in jigsaw puzzles has been linked to a delay in the onset of visuospatial cognitive decline.

Put another way, putting together a jigsaw puzzle requires you to examine the individual pieces and determine their proper placement within the greater whole. This may be a fun and stimulating mental workout.

Play Cards

Have you played cards recently? According to researchers who conducted a study on intellectually challenging activities for adults in 2015, a brief card game can lead to larger brain volume in numerous regions. Playing a game of cards can boost cognitive abilities, according to the same study. If you want to play a card game, give one of these classics a shot:

  • solitaire
  • bridge
  • Gin Rummy
  • poker
  • hearts
  • eights insane

Increase Your Vocabulary

An extensive vocabulary is a specific method to impress your peers with your intelligence. Did you realize, however, that even a little vocabulary exercise may be turned into a fun and challenging mental challenge?

Recent studies have shown that a broader range of brain regions are activated during vocabulary exercises, including those crucial to visual and auditory processing. Try this memory-boosting exercise to see whether it supports this hypothesis.

  • Always have a notepad on hand when reading.
  • Jot down a word you don't know and search it up.
  • Use the term five times the next day.

Dance With All Your Heart

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expanding one's dance repertoire can help boost one's cognitive abilities. To rephrase: getting your groove on will do your mind some good. Do you wish to try it out? Try out one of these dancing routines:

  • Take salsa, tap, hip-hop, or contemporary dance.
  • Sign up for a Zumba or jazz fitness class.
  • Learn entertaining dancing movements online.
  • Find a dance partner and learn ballroom dancing.
  • Get a group of friends together and try out line dancing.

Enjoy Music

Want a simple method to boost your imagination? The solution might be as simple as putting on some tunes. A 2017 study from a reputable source found that creative problem-solving increased when listeners were exposed to upbeat music compared to periods of stillness.

So, turning up some upbeat tunes is a great way to increase your intelligence and creativity. Furthermore, your brain has the potential to learn new abilities at any point in your life, making right now a fantastic moment to begin learning how to play music.

Acquire A Second Language

A meta-analysis conducted in 2012 confirmed the significant cognitive advantages of bilingualism. Numerous studies have shown that being multilingual helps cognitively boost abilities, including memory, spatial awareness, and creativity.

Speaking more than one language might help you multitask more efficiently and prevent the start of cognitive decline that comes with old age. The good news is that you can always benefit from learning a new language, regardless of how old you are. Studying a second language at any point in life has been shown to increase cognitive abilities, including memory.