Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Build a Better Brain

Nov 08, 2004

Build a Better Brain

5 Fun and Challenging Exercises
That Keep You Sharp as a Tack.

Do you ever misplace your glasses or house keys? Or walk into a room and forget why you went there?

As we age, memory lapses can make us fear we're losing our mental edge. But the good news is that you can not only stave off mental decline, but even build a stronger brain.

Doctors used to think that brain development occurred only during youth. But new research shows that humans can add new neurons throughout life.

Each neuron has branches called dendrites, and whenever the brain is stimulated by a new experience, new dendrites form. This is true no matter what your age.

Here are 5 ways to help stimulate dendrite growth and energize your brain:

1. Switch hands. Most of us rely on a dominant hand for daily activities. Research shows that practicing doing things with your nondominant hand can dramatically increase the number of circuits in the cerebral cortex.

Try using your nondominant hand to brush your teeth, cut your food, or style your hair. Even better, try writing with your nondominant hand. Doing this helps you develop speech abilities in the nondominant side of your brain. This facilitates quicker recovery in the event of a stroke.

2. "Lose" a sense. New neural pathways form when you exercise your senses in ways you normally don't. It's well-known, for example, that blind people end up developing other senses to a much higher level than those who have their sight.

Most people rely on sight above all. So try using your other senses. For example, you can get dressed with your eyes closed. Or learn to distinguish different house keys by touch.

Then you can "lose" your other senses. Turn off the sound on the TV, and try to follow the plot. Taste foods while holding your nose. This forces you to use different neural pathways to experience the food.

3. Make small changes. Even minor changes in your routine activate the cortex and hippocampus (a part of the brain crucial for memory formation) to create new neural pathways.

If you always watch TV from the same chair -- switch. Try rearranging the furniture, or reorganizing your desk. Take a different route to work.

Or, simply do the same things -- but in a different order. Eat breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast. Travel around the grocery store in the opposite direction.

4. Take up a challenging hobby. Devote yourself to a new pastime that calls for complex skills. Artistic pursuits, for example, activate nonverbal and emotional centers in the cortex. You can try learning a musical instrument, or studying a foreign language, or taking up photography.

5. Become more social. Interacting with other people is the best single brain exercise. It brings all the senses into play, forces you to think quickly, and hones your speaking skills.

Social contact is also important for psychological health. People with good social networks have fewer physical and psychological problems as they age.

Seek out social interactions of every sort. For example, telephone a friend. Or make small talk with the supermarket clerk. Or go to the bank teller instead of the ATM.

Also, strive for more ambitious interactions. Arrange social gatherings that involve a variety of brain-boosting strategies. Join a book club, host a wine-tasting party, or arrange a weekly game of poker, bridge, or Monopoly ?® -- anything that involves complex thought and social contact.

It sounds simple, but the results can be dramatic.




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Easy Ways to Do Hard Things

Best Way to Find Contact Lens Lost in Carpet: Simply place a nylon stocking over the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner and carefully vacuum the area. The lens will be pulled onto the stocking.
Avoid Hammering Your Fingers: To get small nails started, hold the nail between the teeth of a hair comb. For large nails, grasp the nail with needle-nose pliers.
Remove Scratches From Furniture: Rub on some toothpaste! Its mild abrasive action is effective for minor scratches. When you're done repairing the scratch, wax with furniture polish and buff with a clean cloth.
Get Rid of Tomato Sauce Stains in Plastic Containers: Rub with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda. It costs pennies and works like magic!