The Most Crucial Tip To Boost Your Brain Fitness
By Andre Auerbach
Sep 15, 2009
Your brain fitness, more so than other parts of your body, is crucial for your quality of life. Why? Because in the brain is where your consciousness resides. The thing that makes you... you... is there. There's nothing more scary to suffer from a debilitating cognitive decline that makes you lose yourself.
In this article, I'll attempt to show you 4 tips to help you avoid that decline. Or if you're currently already experiencing decline and nothing has worked so far, feel free to try this out.
1. Brain improvements are possible due to a process called "neurogenesis". Neurogenesis is a term scientists gave to the process of growing new brain cells.
The number
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One of the things you can do to stimulate your brain is to exercise your brain. Unfortunately, simple games such as sudoku do not challenge the brain sufficiently to boost neurogenesis.
Some studies have shown trying to solve Rubik's cube can allow for the development of brain cells. But if you're looking for more specific improvements, then specialized brain exercises are the way to go.
Some brain exercises are designed to boost auditory processing that boosts your conversation skills, that includes pronunciation, listening and memory through auditory cues. Others are designed to process your visual processing capability - improving reaction time, memory through visual cues and range of sight.
What these brain exercises is it simulates real life cases so as to stimulate the brain. Even when you're asleep, your brain never stop working - but the problem is of course, some parts of the brain are working more than others. The brain exercises stimulate the parts of the brain not normally worked out.
When stimulated, neurons fire and create synapses. By repeatedly doing these exercises you can create new neurons and synapses as your brain tries to master the new
A team of people from Florida State university said “to not always trust brain training exercises since we don’t have Science to support it.” Researchers tested these kind of games to see if they legitimately do improve your memory, reasoning, and processing speed and they found some interesting information. They discovered it is possible to train the brain on certain tasks, but the skills tend to be very specific to the task and not beneficial for other tasks. The researchers also pointed out that if elderly people get excellent at doing crossword puzzles it won’t help them if they can’t remember where their keys are. If you want to improve cognitive function they suggest doing aerobic exercise instead
I first experienced a program similar to Brain Gym during a college education course several years ago. We learned about the benefits of “brain breaks”, practiced movements and breathing techniques. I remember feeling more relaxed and refocused. Brain Gym is a movement based program focusing on brain development and response.
Many people spend a fair amount of time on their computers, tablets, and smartphones playing games. So why not use it as an opportunity to exercise your brain? Brain training games are easy to do and offer a wide variety of simple puzzles that can be played for just a few minutes or a couple of hours at a time. They’re specifically designed to help sharpen the mind and ultimately may help players deter the development of cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Godman, H. (2016). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise
Yes, the researchers took the correct measures throughout their investigation of cognitive brain training. A number of methods were used to test the hypothesis that cognitive brain training does make immense improvement to brain function. Through the use of brain training systems such as simple brain training games, researchers were able to test the memory and focus of the elderly population and used surveys and questionnaires to gain feedback and make an accurate evaluation of the improvements made on the cognitive function of the elderly.
“If it’s safe for you, engage in cardiovascular exercise to elevate your heart rate. This will increase the blood flow to your brain and body, providing additional nourishment while reducing potential dementia risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol” (Alzheimer's Association 1). There have been many claims about exercise being correlated to better work and brain productivity. To prove these claims, one must perform an experiment through the scientific method. In this particular instance, the scientific method starts with one asking the question, “Do people who exercise have better brain performance than those who don’t?” Afterwards, a hypothesis is made. One theory states that there is a strong correlation between
Curlik, D. M., & Shors, T. J. (2013). Training your brain: Do mental and physical (MAP) training enhance cognition through the process of neurogenesis in the hippocampus? Neuropharmacology, 64, 506 – 514, doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.07.027
In the article that I read, by Juli M. Berwald, it spoke deeply concerning the literal deterioration of the tissue in the brain. In the article, it discussed how, when exercising, it releases serotonin and dopamine, which gives off emotions of euphoria and peacefulness. These emotions allow people to think more clearly
To determine whether or not brain training can successfully assist in successful aging, one must define what successful aging is. Successful aging can be defined as “low probability of disease and disease-related disability, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement with life” (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). These elements are all interrelated and provide an individual with choice and independence in their later stages of life. A crucial element for successful aging is high cognitive capacity, however it is a known fact that cognitive decline is a normal part of aging (Ball, 2004). From early adulthood, individuals start showing signs of decline in important cognitive domains such as reasoning, processing speed and short term memory. These cognitive domains underpin a high cognitive capacity and heavily impact the daily activities of an aging population. Regular tasks such as driving, doing the groceries,banking, handling medication and cooking require a substantial level of cognitive functioning and without it, an aging population becomes dependent on the society around it to support them.
Exercise directs blood to the brain, which should influence one to think more clearly. It builds the extent of the hippocampus; the part of the brain, which is responsible for memory. It likewise increases the connection between the nerve cells in the brain. This enhances one's memory and secures against brain damages and illnesses.
In his article Reynolds (2016) looked at how various exercise affects brain in different ways. A stupendous new study in rats by researchers at Jyvaskyla University in Finland and other institutions suggested that some types of exercises work better at widening the brain than others. A comparison was done by the scientists to examine the neurological influence of each exercise: weight training, interval training (high intensity) and running. It was found that heavy exercises may not be beneficial for brain health in the long-term. Reynolds (2016) also talks about studies in animals and people, illustrates that carrying out such activities enlarges the proportion of the brain and reduces the number and size of age-related holes in white and
Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to
One of the largest arguments against brain training is that the benefits of training are not applied to real life. Essentially, opponents to brain training are arguing that brain training is like teaching to the test. Participants do well on the “exams” because that was what they were trained for. Conversely, once participants are sent out into the real world, they are unable to apply what they learned to tasks that differ from those on the test. While intimal brain training studies failed to demonstrate real world application, more recent studies have proven
But before that one must ask whether these games increase brain function to a beneficial point by examining the effects on one’s brain, one must also examine the changes in their performance periodically and lastly the practicality of the “brain games” (how easy and simple are they?)