How to Keep Your Brain Sharp as You Age
Back-to-school time is upon us! As September started, your grandchildren are probably headed back to the classrooms to continue learning and keeping their brain sharp.
Just because you’re no longer spending your days in the classroom doesn’t mean you should stop exercising your mind as a senior.
As you age, it’s important to keep your brain buff. If you’ve noticed some changes in your thinking—forgetting where you put your keys, not being able to remember the year you graduated high school—don’t fret, it’s very common among seniors. Fortunately, there are ways to continue to exercise your mind and get you back on track to your regular, quick thinking!
Below we’ll walk through ways you can keep your brain sharp as you age:
Games:
Playing brain games is a great way to exercise your brain. Playing games will help your brain stay active and sharp as it tries to solve the problem in front of it. Try out playing these six easy brain games to stay sharp from Dr. Oz.
Exercise:
Who knew taking a walk could help your memory? Exercising regularly has been thought to help blood flow to your brain and keep it in shape. There are plenty of ways to exercise as a senior without impacting your body negatively.
READ MORE: Low Impact for Seniors
Repetition:
Repetition is a great way to help improve your memory at any age. As seniors, it becomes even more important. Repetition helps reinforce the memory or connection you just learned. For example, when someone tells you their name, try repeating it in your head five times to help remember it next time you see them.
Learn a new skill/Find a new hobby:
Challenge your brain to learn something new. If you’ve never known how to bake, ask your family or a friend to help you learn. Next spring or summer, get outside and test out gardening for the first time and see what you think! Learning something new can stimulate your brain’s activity and help improve your memory.
For seniors, it’s important to continue to exercise your brain in as many ways as you can. Memory lapses can be frustrating but there are ways to help that and keep your mind active! Try any of these four tips to keep your brain sharp.