Enjoy Your Way to a Healthier Brain with These 10 Fun and Easy Activities

By Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Very often when we study ways to establish good health, the first thing we do is change our diet. Yes, good choices of the right foods to eat are essential for every aspect of good health. 

But according to health experts around the country, there are dozens of other easy and enjoyable ways to promote a healthy body and a healthy brain. Here are 10 activities that – in addition to proper nutrition – may promote good brain health and ways to keep the brain fit when it comes to memory, cognitive function and even creativity:

1.      Enjoying music: According to AARP, the “Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) convened a diverse panel of experts to examine the latest evidence on how music influences brain health.” After CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, moderated a lively panel, it was agreed by the experts that “engaging in music has the powerful potential to support brain health.” Jacobo Mintzer, M.D., executive director of the Roper Saint Francis Research and Innovation Center and Governance Committee, stated, “We know that music is a powerful stimulator of the brain. It has the potential to be a critical tool to preserve and enhance brain health.”

2.      Playing strategic games such as checkers or chess: A 2015 studyTrusted Source found that regularly playing checkers, chess, or other cognitively stimulating games can increase brain volume.

3.      Practicing crossword puzzles: An older study from 2011Trusted Source says crossword puzzles may delay the onset of memory decline “in people with preclinical dementia,” according to Medical News Today.

4.      Increasing exercise levels: Reving up daily exercise routines by 30 to 40 percent can reduce risk of dementia by 30 to 40 percent, says Art Kramer, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois. This is because exercise appears to reverse the shrinking of the hippocampus, he says.

5.      This exercising includes weightlifting: University of British Columbia researchers at Vancouver say, “weight training and resistance training exercises appear to increase the growth of the IGF1 gene, which nourishes and protects nerve cells in the brain.”

6.      Engaging in meditation: Harvard researchers report that meditation, prayer, rest, relaxation; even vacation could reduce the stress hormone called cortisol and also could reverse damage to your brain health.

7.      Socializing more: Don’t be so quick to turn down that invitation. A 2019 study says that visiting with friends and family brings mentally engaging activity that may help preserve cognitive function.

8.      Pursuing personal and/or professional goals: A study by Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center revealed that people with clear focuses on personal or professional goals were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s for at least seven years.

9.      Taking your vitamins: Be sure to take your vitamins as recommended by your doctor. Rush Medical found that older adults with vitamin B12 deficiencies had smaller brains and scored lowest on tests measuring thinking, reasoning and memory because deficiencies can affect brain vitality.

10.  Taking up hobbies: Taking up a new hobby can be mentally stimulating and exercise the brain in new ways. Hobbies that require coordination or dexterity will activate a person’s motor skills. Such hobbies may include knitting, embroidery, drawing, painting, dancing, and learning a musical instrument.

There are a host of different activities and new habits in which one can engage in order to stimulate improved brain health, according to medical experts, including the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization committed to medical education, and research.

“At 3 pounds, the brain isn’t very large, but it is a powerhouse. Those 3 pounds hold your personality and all your memories. The brain coordinates your thoughts, emotions and movements. Billions of nerve cells in your brain make it all possible,” states the Mayo Clinic. “Called neurons, these brain cells send information to the rest of your body. If they aren’t working properly, your muscles may not move smoothly. You might lose feeling in parts of your body. Your thinking could slow. The brain doesn’t replace neurons that are damaged or destroyed. So it’s important to take care of them. Developing brain health habits is a key way to keep your brain healthy.”

This article is part of a series powered by AARP for the purpose of brain health education. Here’s more information.