Cerebral Contouring: Sculpting the Mind to Bolster Your Brainpower

Everybody wants to be the best they can be, and in addition to keeping your body nourished and fit there are plenty of things that you can do to keep your mind at it’s very best as well! It’s never the wrong time to boost your brain and help keep old age at bay, because as they say you use it, or you lose it folks! Keeping your brain active can help improve your recall and even help prevent dementia and alzheimer’s. Here are five things you can do to keep your brain efficient and intelligent.

1. Learn A Language

There are so many good reasons to learn a new language, not only will it help stave off dementia but it improves your memory, multitasking and problem solving abilities. You will be better at communicating in all your languages and it’s a great excuse to go on holiday (to practice your skills of course)! An extra language is a great thing to put on a resume, many employers prefer bilingual staff. There are plenty of ways to go about picking up a language, but it’s easiest when you aren’t doing it alone. I found language tutor online at eCoaches or you can find a friend to take a class with to make it as fun as possible!

2. Use Your Words

Crosswords, riddles and other word puzzles are another great way to stimulate your brain and form new pathways. Just a few minutes a day or a little time set aside each week and you can improve your vocabulary and fluency. Reading reduces stress, which is a killer for productivity, and can help stimulate your imagination which is another great way to trigger new and creative thoughts. Plus, if you read about things that you aren’t familiar or comfortable with, you will learn and have greater empathy and smarts!

3. No More Electronic Shortcuts

One of the best things you can do for your brain is to cut out the use of little apps and shortcuts that allow you to not ‘do the math’. Things like the use of calculators and gps will lead to poorer memory and recall. You should never unnecessarily deprive your brain a chance to use things it has learnt and strengthen pathways that may be deteriorating. Additionally, when you use a gps consistently you will not have a strong mental map of your surroundings and if you find yourself in a pinch and don’t have access to your device you will have a hard time finding your way.

4. Play Video Games

And I’m not just talking about the obvious ones like tetris!

Gaming does more for you than just improve your hand eye coordination. People who regularly play video games are better at controlling their mood and behaviour, allowing for easier learning. There are some types of games that are better than others; strategy and problem solving games will have the same kinds of benefits that doing sudokus and other brain teasers have.

5. Exercise

Exercise is just good for everything, for your brain it will improve your memory and stimulate the production of hormones that make you feel good. Exercise helps calm you and will reduce stress levels over time, allowing your brain to concentrate on the important things in life. Finally, the increased oxygen and blood flow that your body requires during exercise also visits your brain, and can help stimulate cell healing and cell growth.

Basically if it’s a challenge it’s good for your brain, as little as a couple of hours a week can make a huge difference to your brain’s health and efficiency and that’s just good for life in general! So work out your brain and see what is can do for you!