We’ve all heard about the importance of exercise as it pertains to keeping your body in shape and optimal health. Well, exercising your mind is just as important, especially as we age.

Physical activity helps keep your body and certain organs in good condition; likewise, mental activity helps keep your brain/mind working optimally. We are going to share with you the benefits of mental exercise and ways you can help keep your mind active.

Three Benefits of Keeping Your Mind Active

• Keeps your memory sharp
• Reduces your chances of getting dementia and if you already have dementia it helps slow down its progression
• Aids with depression

Activities You Can Do to Keep Your Brain Active

Committing to lifelong learning not only makes you smarter, but it also gives your brain a daily workout. Community colleges, adult education centers, and community groups are three sources you can utilize for your learning activity.

Lifelong learning doesn’t have to be limited to formal education or academics. It can also include learning vacations or tours, visiting museums or historical sites, and clubs such as bridge or chess.

Reading and writing are two activities that engage and challenge the mind. You can keep it simple by reading books or magazines that you enjoy on your own and/or writing in a journal daily. If you would like to up the ante you can participate in a book club or join a writing group or community where you discuss books that you read as a group or write and share your works with others.

Puzzles can provide needed brain stimulation. Some of our favorites are crosswords, word search and scrambled words. Jigsaw puzzles can be just as effective if you prefer them over paper based puzzles.

Game playing can challenge your mind while allowing you to have fun socializing with others at the same time. There are a lot of games to choose from in various formats: board games, card games, and video games. If none of these options appeal to you, the same results can be achieved by watching and playing along with television game shows. Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy are a few you can try out.

Get your hands dirty by gardening, whether planting flowers or vegetables. This stimulates your mind as well as your body. A bonus is that you have some beautiful blooms and/or home grown vegetables to show for it.

Doctors and trainers recommend thirty minutes of aerobic exercise a day for physical health. Studies have shown that aerobic activity also improves memory and brain function. Power walking and using a treadmill or stationary bike are three common sources of aerobic exercise you can start with.

You can find a variety of activities and activity aids at Thewrightstuff.com

Pick an activity or three and keep that mind active. Remember, “use it or lose it.”

© Copyright 2017 The Wright Stuff, Inc. Articles may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission from The Wright Stuff, Inc. must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this article.