Use a non-knowing hand (right-handed people – left, left-handed people – right)

So that memory and thinking do not fade, they need training. For good brain pumping, it is not complexity that is important, but a variety of tasks – the more unusual the experience, the more flexible it becomes. We chose 10 exercises that strengthen memory, improve mindfulness, increase concentration and productivity..
Training should not be a grueling endurance test. It is important not to overload yourself so as not to get a negative result. Exercise two to three times a day for 15-20 minutes, alternating methods.

1. Use a non-knowing hand (right-handed people – left, left-handed people – right)

Brush your teeth, type on your smartphone, or take your wallet out of your pocket with the wrong hand.

A separate exercise will be the search for options where you can apply this practice: holding a spoon or fork in your hand, fastening buttons, or dialing a code on the intercom.

How it works: the brain will have to use those parts of the motor cortex that previously “slept”. This will increase mental and motor tone..

2. Get a new experience

Try to blindfold and walk around the apartment, take a shower or vacuum the room. Such an experiment robs one of the main senses – vision. We will have to remember the arrangement of objects and actions committed with them earlier. This trains the ability to retrieve already acquired information and spatial memory..

Put yourself in an unusual position and try to regularly learn new things. Master the Braille system (font for visually impaired), learn to juggle, walk on your hands or just solve puzzles.

How it works: inactive areas of the brain begin to work, unused neural connections are restored. The mind constantly remains “warmed up”. As a result, you turn on faster, unusual thoughts, extraordinary decisions appear.

3. Go to work / study / meeting friends on an unfamiliar route

It is not necessary to make a topographic test out of this exercise. Walk from the public transport stop to the office along a parallel street. Get lost will not work, but everything around will be new. The brain will not miss the latest information – it will definitely turn on.

How it works: The principles from previous exercises apply. On an unfamiliar route, the brain is forced to control the path to avoid errors – this trains the concentration and speed of analysis of external conditions.

This practice also increases the hippocampus. This is one of the key structures necessary for memorization. People with a weak hippocampus remember the long-acquired information, but hardly retain the new.

4. Answer your usual questions creatively.

“How are you?”, “What’s new?”, “How was the weekend?” – we answer such questions not always in the same way, but, as a rule, rather stereotyped. Instead, start thinking through interesting phrases to answer. This approach will develop creative thinking and bring diversity to the on-call conversations. A new joke (albeit not a breaking one), an old joke, an entertaining story, an original play on words – all this will make the day better. Get ready in advance.

How it works: exercise pulls the brain out of the “autopilot” mode, activates the rational and creative departments. Trains brainstorming skills, finding custom solutions.

5. Read the colorful text

Look at the picture. Different colors spell words denoting colors. Try looking at the word to pronounce not the word itself, but the color with which it is written. This is not easy, because different hemispheres are responsible for the perception of colors and words. Such an exercise wears out the brain to work superficially. Forces him to process all the information, based on data from different departments.

How it works: The exercise forces the hemisphere to work together and creates new neural connections. Train in different pictures. You can compose them yourself or find on the Internet. Considered a good prophylaxis of Alzheimer’s.

6. Look for numbers by Schulte table

Schulte’s table is a table of numbers or letters. The task is to look for a symbol from the youngest to the oldest on the field. In a sophisticated version, matrix cells have different colors, sizes and shapes.

During the exercise, you need to look at the center of the picture, and not move your eyes to where the symbol is located. So, exercise will best develop peripheral vision and mindfulness. Ready-made tables are on the portal of intellectual development Sepia.ru.

How it works: joint mental and visual activity is trained. Decision making in time pressure (in a limited time), attentiveness. This is not directly related to memorization, but helps to think faster. A person begins to more efficiently absorb external data and compare them with existing ones in memory..

7. Work with your hands at the same time, but in different ways.

Try drawing a triangle with your left hand and a circle with your right. If you are not ambidextr (a person who is good at both hands) it will be difficult. But over time, you will begin to cope better.

Asymmetric exercises for the mind are easy to come up with on your own. Here are a few options:

• Show the “okay” gesture with your left hand and the “world” gesture (those same Churchill’s crowned two fingers). Count to five and simultaneously change: “world” – to the left, “okay” – to the right.
• With one hand, stroke yourself on the head in a circular motion, with the other – swing up and down, as if stuffing a basketball.
• Pull one hand forward, and the other – bend at the elbow and raise your thumb (as if you put a like). Count to five, swap.

How it works: exercise involves both hemispheres and provokes the creation of new neural circuits. This will increase multitasking, simplify the search for solutions in practice..

8. Connect the words

Take a few words from a book or magazine, or better, even from different sources. Make a meaningful sentence or short story out of them. This technique will teach you to look for connections between things that initially seem distant from each other..

How it works: the left (creative) hemisphere is training, the ability to search for non-obvious connections, unusual solutions is developing. This is an almost mandatory exercise for people whose specialty requires creativity..

9. Learn a foreign language (or several)

In 2012, scientists from Lund University (Sweden) found that when studying languages, the brain departments increase in volume. And in 2010, a group of scientists from Canada found that people who speak two languages ​​have Alzheimer’s syndrome less often and several years later than the average statistics.

How it works: language is a complex system of rules, logical connections and exceptions. Cramming it will not work. It is necessary to compare the parts of speech, take into account the context and particular rules that are not in the native language. Combine visual and auditory memory. This will keep the brain in good shape, increase the volume of the hippocampus and help acquire a useful professional skill..

10. Go in for sports

During sports exercises, blood saturated with useful substances faster and in a larger volume enters the brain. Therefore, physical activity increases intelligence and critical thinking, delays the onset of dementia in old age, prevents depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Exercise affects the head in different ways:

• Aerobic exercise stimulates the production of hormones necessary for the formation of new neurons. That is, they will not let the memory weaken, prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Strength training improves spatial and verbal memory.

Comprehensive training will combine benefits. The brain will receive a saturated neurobiological cocktail. This will encourage him and help organize new information..

Conclusion

Be careful and prudent in your quest for the best. Do not overload yourself and do exercises for the mind in inappropriate conditions. Take as much rest as your body needs. Without good sleep and good mood, no matter how hard you try, you cannot achieve a strong memory and strong thinking..

Similar articles

• Eat less sugar

  How to improve memory Each person is faced with forgetfulness, especially if his work schedule is saturated. Not to remember part of the information naturally, but,…

• Stop working overtime – work productively

  Become more productive People in an effort to earn more money try to work harder. They remain on overtime hours, moonlighting freelance…

• Walnut

  Products for the brain For the brain to be healthy, it, surprisingly, must be fed. And this is a very debatable topic in the field of proper nutrition. Recent…