Mental Aerobics
Research indicates that physical exercise enhances mental alertness, concentration, focus, memory, decision-making, multi-tasking, and reaction time. But exercise isn’t the only thing that keeps your brain functioning at its best. Mental or intellectual stimulation is also essential for a healthy brain.
Neurobics
Neurobiology professor Lawrence Katz coined the term “neurobics” in 1999 to
describe his “mental aerobics” program. It is based on the idea that brain cells
learn by making new connections with other brain cells and that a large part
of the brain is used to analyze sensory stimulus from the outside world.
Neurobics has become a generic name for mental exercises but a genuine neurobic exercise has to have all three of the following components: It must involve one or more senses in a novel way, engage your attention, and add an unexpected element to a routine activity. Katz calls it “cross training your brain”. He suggests the following simple but “unusual” exercises from his book “Keep Your Brain Alive”.
· Instead of waking to the usual smell of freshly brewed coffee, try smelling something different--such as vanilla, peppermint, or rosemary. Linking this new aroma with your morning routine will activate new neural pathways.
· Go through your morning rituals--such as combing your hair, brushing your teeth, styling your hair, applying makeup, getting dressed, eating your breakfast, and so on, using your non-dominant hand.
· Shower with your eyes closed. Locate the taps, soap, and so on, adjust water temperature and flow, and wash yourself using just your tactile senses. Also try closing your eyes as you get into your car, find your keys, and start the car--and when finding your keys and opening the door when you return home.
· Make a "sensory canister" containing such aromatic substances as sage, thyme, or cloves and take a whiff when you dial a certain phone number. See if it helps you remember the number.
· Go to new markets, such as an ethnic market, farmers' market, or bakery, to experience new sights and aromas.
For more information, go to www.neurobics.com/exercise.html
Memory
exercises
“Working memory” is the temporary storage of information you need to carry out
everyday tasks like remembering oral driving instructions or going to the supermarket
with a mental shopping list. It’s also the memory needed to solve a math problem
or read effortlessly.
Sudoku, the numerical logic puzzle craze, is a fun (and sometimes frustrating) way to improve working memory. Psychologist Neil Stewart of Warwick University writes, “In a Sudoku puzzle, one needs to hold some digits in mind whilst examining the possibilities for filling in squares. Psychologists have found that this quite specific ability is highly correlated with a person’s fluid intelligence, that is, how clever you are independent of your general knowledge. In a sense, this ability to hold information in mind, whilst working on a problem, is a prime piece of the mental toolbox that makes us clever. So, rather unsurprisingly, if you’re good at Sudoku, you’re probably a clever person.”
Crossword puzzles, meanwhile, are a test of your general knowledge. Specifically, how broad your vocabulary is.
If you have ever wondered where you put your car keys or struggled to remember the name attached to a familiar face, you have just experienced a “senior moment”. But things aren’t as bad as they sound. Based on a CNN interview with Dr. Barry Gordon of Johns Hopkins University, “intelligent memory” is different from the kind of memory needed to remember where you last placed things. It’s the kind of memory that makes you grow wiser as you grow older.
“Intelligent memory helps people figure things out faster and sparks creativity. It does this by storing memories and skills learned over time. The brain then uses this knowledge to help it learn automatically by itself. This makes it easier to understand situations and solve problems very quickly -- sometimes even subconsciously.”
There really is no substitute for the wisdom that comes with experience. But constantly forgetting simple things can be quite irritating. Luckily, there are techniques available to improve memory skills, no matter what your age. For example, to remember a name, look for an unusual feature in the person’s face and associate it with their name. Repeat the person’s name as often as you can during the conversation. For more memory exercises, go to www.mindtools.com.
New brainteasers
Doing the same thing, no matter how intellectually stimulating, is not as effective
as learning new skills, according to neuroanatomist Marian Diamond.
She writes, “It is not enough to continue activities in the same groove, year after year, with the same expenditure of mental and physical energy. The brain needs new challenges if it is to remain a healthy, functioning organ. Translated, if you have been working on the same kind of crossword puzzles year after year, it is time to advance to more complicated puzzles or to introduce a new game that will challenge different skills that are lying dormant”.