TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR BRAIN HEALTHY

What’s the Good News? Our brains develop about 200 new neurons every week! We must continually challenge these new additions or they will fail to “connect” to existing neurons and can decline. How do you accomplish this?

  • Keep your brain challenged daily, even in small ways!
  • Shake things up by engaging in “Neurobic Exercises.” Activate your brain receptors with games to stimulate the brain.

What are “Neurobic Exercises”?

  • Neurobic activities involve one or more of your senses in a novel context. These types of activities use additional senses to do an ordinary task by blunting the sense normally used, or by combining two or more senses in unexpected ways. Neurobic activities will alter a routine activity in an unexpected or unusual way.
  • A neurobic activity engages your attention.

A Sampling of Neurobic Exercises

  • Shower or dress with your eyes closed.
  • Brush your teeth or comb your hair with your non-dominant hand.
  • Change the setting on your radio alarm or tune in to a morning TV program you never watch.
  • Try a warm bath with a variety of sensory stimuli, aromatic bath oils, loofahs, body scrubs, candles, music, etc.
  • Read aloud with your partner. Alternate roles of reader and listener.
  • Try a different route to a familiar destination.
  • Open the windows as you drive; smell and listen.
  • Learn a new language; learn sign language.
  • Take brain breaks while doing routine tasks; walk around the block for 10-15 minutes; make a fruit smoothie.
  • Turn your clock or pictures upside-down and view them in a completely different way..
  • Visit a farmer’s market.  Try new ethnic cuisines. Shop at an ethnic market.
  • Do mathematical tasks on paper rather than on a calculator.
  • Play the” 10 Things” game – give each other an object and make up 10 things that it might be used for.
  • Sit in a different seat at the dinner table, in church, etc.
  • Stay physically active and try new methods of activity. For example, Tai Chi helps balance and meditation relaxes the mind and body.
  • Sing, dance, listen to different types of music!
  • Don’t allow opportunities to interact with people to be replaced by machines. Chat with a friend rather then watch TV.