No need for sweat in the brain gym

by Glen Barnett for Fraser Coast Chronicle:Research sourced from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that during later years, people who read books, played games, participated in computer activities and even did craft activities had a 30-50% decrease in their risk of developing memory loss compared to those who did not do those activities.Here are some ideas for your own Brain Gym.Explore new horizonsWhether that be new environments, new books, new languages, new social groups or even new hobbies. Get excited about the possibilities of increasing your wisdom and becoming a know-all.Learn a new physical skillStaying active will keep your heart pumping and let that oxygen-rich blood surge around your body and fill your brain with much-needed H20. Try a dance class, aerobics classes, Tai Chi, body boarding, trampolining or even juggling.Practice doing two or three tasks at onceThis one is probably a new concept for the men reading this article as women apparently do this their entire lives.Multi-tasking is like mental juggling and keeps those neurons firing. If you're having trouble with this one be warned you will be looking for trouble if you ask a woman to explain it to you.Keep your memories aliveWrite your life story. Open those memory pathways and draw those memories to the forefront of your mind.Enjoy and relish your past. Your family will love to read your history and maybe surprised and unaware of just what you got up to.Sharpen your pencilSharpen your mind by regularly doing puzzles like Jumbled Words. These are regularly seen in magazines and newspapers.The harder the puzzle the stronger your brain becomes when you solve it or try to solve it.Switch handsMake friends with your less dominant hand by doing simple tasks using it.This will stimulate neural pathways with tasks that may be second nature with your dominant hand but a whole new ball game to your less dominant hand.Try brushing your teeth, switching your knife and fork or writing.LaughLaughing stimulates five different parts of your brain, so laugh often to help keep your brain from aging.So if you've been reading this article and already forgotten what it's about then you might need to oxygenate your brain with some exercise and start creating your own Brain Gym today.Source: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/10/08/no-need-for-sweat-in-the-brain-gym-lifestyle