Your mind: Use it or lose it. Mental exercises are just as important as physical exercises. Like our muscles, our brain need to be put to use if we expect them to maintain function. Using our brain is likely to promote new cell growth and reduce the risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia. Mental exercises are a good way to use our brain but we need to do more than just the daily crossword, we should be trying to use all sections of our brain, and this requires a variety of activities.
Once we turn 40 our brain start to shrink in a very slow and steady way. Exercising our brain mitigates this by increasing its size and countering the shrinking effect. The more areas of the brain we exercise, the more areas we grow, reducing the shrinkage.
Because the purpose of our memory is not to remember every piece of information that we are exposed to but to remember the information deemed important for future needs, it has developed an energy and space-saving system whereby it relies on previous information and experiences that are already stored, a template on which it can draw on to successfully navigate the present needs without having to take in new information. Unless of course new information is provided and deemed necessary for the future.
An example of this would be our habit of driving the same route from home to the shopping centre that we frequent or perhaps the office. We have driven this route so often that our brain don’t need to be used much to navigate the journey. We can drive it almost unconsciously, even daydreaming while we do it, often arriving at our destination not remembering anything about the journey. In effect, we are not using our brain, but relying on memory. The more we rely on memory and not use our brain the more the brain will shrink.
Understanding that our brain depend on fresh inputs coming through our senses to grow, it’s not surprising that deteriorating senses is an early symptom associated with cognitive decline.
Knowing and understanding the importance of being a lifelong learner as a means of exercising our brain, we must always be learning new things and doing things that we haven’t done before. Occasionally, take a different route to the supermarket and open your eyes and ears to the surroundings, taking in the sights and sounds that are new, providing new inputs for the brain. This is possibly why the practice of mindfulness helps build resilience to cognitive decline. Usually attributed to its ability to help reduce stress, it also activates our senses, increasing awareness of what we hear, see, touch, taste and smell.
Here are a few other ways we can exercise all the regions of our brain on a regular basis:
- The prefrontal cortex is involved with tasks such as planning, problem-solving and forethought. It is also responsible for language. This is the part of the brain that will benefit from crosswords, or games such as Wordle, Scrabble and Connections. Also, strategy games such as chess or battleships will boost function in this part of the brain. Other ways that will help include meditating, reading, public speaking or debating. And for an extra boost practice spelling words backwards while you do your aerobic exercises or mindful walking.
- The basal ganglia are found deep in the centre of the brain and are associated with controlling stress, pleasure and forming habits. It also helps movement, balance and coordination. Exercises that challenge hand-eye coordination such as tennis or table tennis will help strengthen this area of the brain. Also, aerobic exercises such as yoga, pilates or tai chi will benefit the basal ganglia.
- The temporal lobes where the hippocampus is located are involved with memory, learning and auditory functions. Strengthen memory by practising remembering a long list of words or poems. London taxi drivers were found to have increased the size of their hippocampus by learning the thousands of streets and places of interest in London.
- The parietal lobes are found at the back of the brain and are linked to spatial awareness, sense of direction, touch, using a map and mathematics. Orienteering is good for this area as is doing number puzzles and games. I practice counting backwards in groups of 7s or 9s from 1005 when I’m walking. Sudoko would also be helpful in this area.
- The cerebellum is also at the back of the brain and involves movement and thought processing. This will also benefit from hand-eye coordination and analysing complex information, such as anticipating an opponent's next moves in basketball or football.
Try to establish a habit of exercising various parts of the brain daily. Join a local class or take up and learn to play a musical instrument. Maybe you could volunteer with a local charity and get involved with a project, such as fundraising or putting on a local event. Practice mindful walking, awakening your senses to the colours, sounds and smells around you. Notice the wildflowers and all the different colours.
We need regular physical exercise to keep our bodies in good shape and likewise, we need regular exercises for our brain to keep it cognitively sharp. And when our brain is healthy we will feel the benefits everywhere.