Top 8 ways to boost your brain

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.

A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain. Whether you’re a student studying for final exams, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there are lots of things you can do to improve your memory and mental performance.

The exciting thing is that you don’t have to be a millionaire to increase your brain capacity. All you need to do is invest a little time to regularly train your brain.

Here are 7 simple ways you can increase your brain power and improve your intelligence!

Get A Move On: Forget the rocking chair. A sedentary lifestyle doesn't do anything to keep your mind agile. When you experience something ‘new’ you actually ‘stimulate’ your brain! Don’t get stuck in a rut doing the same old things – the only way to change the structure of your brain is to do something new. This creates new neural pathways, increasing your intelligence. You could take a new route to work, try a new recipe for dinner, or even a new form of exercise – mix it up!

Early to Bed, Early to Rise: Sleep is critical to learning and memory in an even more fundamental way. Research shows that sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, with the key memory-enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep.

Don’t skimp on exercise: It’s been proven that regular exercise helps to increase brain function and enhances neurogenesis. This means that every time you exercise you are creating new brain cells! Get off the couch and get moving! Your brain will thank you for it :)

Eat Healthier brain-boosting foods: Our diets have a HUGE impact on brain function. Our brains consume over 20% of all nutrients & oxygen that we consume – so remember to feed your brain with the good stuff! (i.e. fresh fruit and veg & plenty of OMEGA 3 oils found in oily fish).

Make time for friends and fun: Humans are highly social animals. We’re not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Relationships stimulate our brains—in fact, interacting with others may be the best kind of brain exercise.

There are many ways to start taking advantage of the brain and memory-boosting benefits of socializing. Volunteer, join a club, make it a point to see friends more often, or reach out over the phone. And if a human isn’t handy, don’t overlook the value of a pet—especially the highly-social dog.

Looking for ways to bring more laughter in your life: You’ve heard that laughter is the best medicine, and that holds true for the brain as well as the body. Unlike emotional responses, which are limited to specific areas of the brain, laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain.

Give your brain a workout: Doing crossword puzzles is an old stand-by that may keep you sharp by forcing you to mine your memory. Also, some people swear by memorizing and reciting anything from their favorite books to inspirational quotes. You could also learn song lyrics by heart and warble in the shower. Another strategy is to play board games such as Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. Bonus: You'll be interacting with other people so you'll be getting the added benefit of social contact. That in itself can keep your mind agile.