Give Your Brain a Workout

"A strong mind always hopes, and has always cause to hope."

- Thomas Carlyle



Do you have senior moments? Or you just forget things? Try some of these 83 Neurobic Exercises, suggested by Dr. Lawrence Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and Manning Rubin, author of 60 Ways to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds.

In their book Keep Your Brain Alive, they suggest mental and physical exercises which involve all five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. The idea is to use your senses in a new and unexpected way. It stimulates the brain with natural growth factors called neurotrophins and build new neuropathways. Neurobics not only save brain cells, they also help grow new ones as well.
E.g.:. If you brush your teeth with the right hand, try brushing with your left hand. Or if you drive to work a certain way, find a different route. Or try to eat from another country with spices you never had. Or smell the flowers in the supermarket. Or listen to classic music if you listen to country most of the time.

The idea for these neurobic exercises is that they:
* Involve one or more of your senses in a novel way.
* Engage your attention.
* Break a routine activity in an unexpected, nontrivial way.
* Create new habits for yourself in a playful and childlike way.
* Get out of your comfort zone.

The book is grouped into six subject:

Starting and Ending the Day

1. Commuting
2. At Work
3. At the Market
4. At Mealtimes
5. At Leisure

If you like playing games online, there is a website which is very stimulating and challenging to the brain: http://www.lumosity.com/k/brain-game. Or you can also try crossword puzzles or Sudoko.