Improve Your Brain Health!
We exercise the muscles in our abdomens, arms, and legs by going to the gym and lifting weights, or running, or biking, or countless other ways. But how often do we think about exercising the muscles in our brain?
Our body is made up of muscles, and every part of our body needs to be exercised regularly to keep those muscles functioning properly and prevent them from deteriorating. We exercise our brain muscles by using them to think of course! Planning things, remembering things, solving little puzzles we run into, strategizing certain activities, thinking things through, etc. are daily activities that require our brain function. Some of the actions we take involve muscle memory, which uses very few of our brain muscles, and some of the harder things we do like attempt to solve complex math equations require the most of our brain muscles. Just like our biceps, using as many brain muscles as possible regularly and challenging ourselves with hard things to think through can cause our brain muscles to expand and be capable of even harder things.
In children, brains are very malleable and more susceptible to the effects of brain exercises and training. Their brain muscles develop rapidly while very young and continue developing until approximately the age of 25. Children’s brains are designed to absorb more information, learn easier, and remember more, provided they are given the stimulation they are needed. Our adult brains are a bit more regulated, but researchers have developed many ways to keep our brains sharp and increase our brain functions quickly and easily.
The first recommendation is to download a cell phone app called Lumosity. It is free on app stores and is a very convenient way to train your brain that you can do anytime and anywhere. Lumosity gives you a daily task to complete, which takes roughly five minutes and involves completing three different mini games daily. Topics involved include quick math, puzzles, vocabulary, memory, problem solving, speed, and flexibility. These mini games provide fun and very effective ways of improving your brain function, as the app was created by neuroscientists who worked with game developers to transform psychological tests and activities into playable cell phone games. It will let you know how well you perform compared to others if you would like, and also keeps track of how well you score so you can see your progress over time. If you’re a person who enjoys messing around on your phone when you have a few extra moments, try substituting this fun app instead and getting in some exercise!
The second recommendation involves brain foods. There is a list of foods for almost every sort of ailment or issue we go through that can naturally solve our problems, such as to get better skin or better sleep, and our brain health is no different. Omega 3-s are found in fish, and they are used to build brain cells, which support learning and memory. Coffee has caffeine and antioxidants, which help with alertness, mood, and concentration, reducing the risk for neurological diseases. Blueberries give our brain anthocyanin, which help with stress, brain aging, and inflammation. Dark chocolate, broccoli, tumeric, oranges, eggs, and nuts are other examples of food proven to help our brains in one way or another. If you are feeling mentally drained or sluggish, consider adding more brain foods to your diet.
When our brains are functioning properly, we are able to ward off negative brain responses and diseases such as stress, depression, and dementia much easier. Depending on how we live our lives, some of us may not be giving our brains the amount of stimulation they require on a daily basis, causing a deterioration in brain health and a regression in processing ability. Think about your biceps- if your biceps are used every day in strenuous weight-lifting exercises, your muscles feel needed and will grow in order to accommodate the work you are putting them through, making your exercises easier over time and allowing you to be able to do more and more as they strengthen. Your brain works the same way! If you increase the amount you need it and challenge it with new things, it will improve itself in order to meet your needs, which can allow you better day-to-day functioning in all things and better long term health. Suddenly you may find yourself being able to remember more or take less time to figure things out!
Kyndal Sims
Birch Psychology
Resources
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-brain-foods
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/brain-exercises