Staving off ‘senior moments’
Have you ever gone upstairs for something only to completely forget what it is you went up for? Don’t worry it doesn’t automatically mean that you are losing your marbles, just put it down to a lapse of concentration or more succinctly a ‘senior moment’.
After the age of 30 we start to lose brain cells thereby losing our mental agility and in many cases our bodies start to show signs of wear and tear, so by the time we’re considered ‘old’ if we were a car we’d have clocked up many miles and would be in desperate need of a service. But don´t worry, as long as we keep ourselves in good running order there are ways to help stave off memory lapses and deteriorating cognitive abilities. Here are five ways to give your brain cells a work out, keeping them on their toes and senior moments at bay.
Brain teasers
Crosswords, Sudoku, Scrabble or any games that utilise your brain and make you think are excellent at keeping your mind in good shape. If want to go a bit more high-tech then what about trying out the electronic puzzles and brain teasers such as Train Your Brain from Nintendo? It´s suggested that just a few minutes play per day can stimulate new cell growth.
Learning a new language
Learning new skills and particularly learning a new language gives your brain a thorough work out in all areas, aural, oral and storage. A recent study at a London University found that learning another language bulked up the areas of the brain used for processing information. If you’re prepared to put in the time and effort, you could really reap the rewards.
Reading aloud
Most of us have been taught that following text with your finger, mouthing word and heaven forbid reading aloud, is not really appropriate. But forget all that, when you read words out load, it makes your brain cells work harder; first they have to read it, plus they have to listen. Although this may not be for everyone, Karaoke is also a great way to engage the creative side of the brain, but don´t worry if you prefer to stick with singing in the shower.
Left to right
Gone are the days when left-handed kids were slapped with ruler until they could write with their right hand. But it may not be a bad idea, not the ruler but changing hands. According to some experts by simply using the ‘wrong’ hand for brushing your hair or teeth, using the remote control, ironing or any other activity you can handle not using your dominant hand, will give your brain a boost.
Now for something completely different
We all know that it’s easy to get stuck into a routine which becomes so familiar that it requires virtually no effort on our part. Change your routine, surroundings, decorate, change where you shop, what you buy, where you eat or what you eat, to give your brain much needed stimulation plus you may actually enjoy it!
