Take care for your brain
While most people aren’t aware of this, our brains shrink with age. Like a muscle that atrophies from a lack of use, the human brain begins to lose neurons and get smaller as we get older. Over time, this re-formation of the brain can lead to a feeling of mental dullness, at best, and memory loss and dementia, at worst. Fortunately, just because ageing is inevitable doesn’t mean a declining mind has to be. Although it’s true that your brain changes as you age, it’s possible to use a series of specially designed games and activities to exercise your brain, just like you would any other muscle, and keep it sharp. In fact, studies have shown that adults who take part in mind games and other mental exercises are 63% less likely to suffer dementia than their counterparts. Just like a healthy back or strong arms, your mind is a “use it or lose it” tool, and the more proactive you are about keeping it healthy, the better.
Daily Task
Challenge your brain: play the Colour Game. It is simple: you write out a list of colour names, and change the colour of the actual text so that it does not correspond to the colour referred to. Here’s an example:
You read out loud the colour each word is written in, not the word itself. While it sounds easy, this is a tough game! Move as quickly as you can through the set, and then start again to see if you can boost your score. Once you’ve got this set down, create another, larger set and try your hand at that one.
