For a lot of older adults, memory loss is something that most people really fear to have even from a younger age. The good thing is there are ways to prevent it and one of them is doing brain exercises for seniors. Brain exercise is a great way for senior citizens to maintain brain health and maintain the focus and clarity that they’ve utilized most of their life. At adults age, they tend to use their brains less frequently. As a result of the brain not being challenged, it gradually deteriorates gradually with time.
Technology Advancements
Today, the advancements of technology are becoming less and less dependent on our own memory and ability to calculate. With the aid of various inventions, there has been a drastic decline in physical condition. When was the last time you memorized a grocery list, a group of names, the cost of a product at the grocery store without having to use a technological device?
The point is the emergence of technology has not aided everything and just because computers are everywhere or involved in the everyday operation of homes and organizations has not made our minds stronger but has weakened our minds over the years. We don’t exercise the brain so our memory efficiency wears off gradually.
Brain fitness programs are structured exercises for people who are more serious about maintaining their brain’s alacrity and health. They offer much more promising benefits for improving memory and counteracting the effects of age-related cognitive deterioration. It is based on the brain’s ability to change and adapt and rewire itself into a new form.
Understanding The Human Brain
The human brain has two basic fundamental capacities which can be nourished and encouraged, they are called neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. However, Neurogenesis is the birth of new brain cells, daily, which apparently migrate to the hippocampus where memory is laid down. So perhaps memory loss is not inevitable.
The new neurons don’t just drop themselves into an already existing neuronal circuit. In order to keep them, we must challenge our task our brain regularly if not the brain gets rid of them. Some of these challenges involve learning a new language or a musical instrument or better still a computerized brain fitness program, the likes of Posit science brain fitness program.
Neuroplasticity describes what neurons do constantly, which involves seeking new connections by reaching out to nearby neurons. If the connections prove beneficial, the brain will keep them. It is also very important to take care of my brain through nutrition, sleep, stress management, and physical exercise, which are key components for maximizing neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.
Workouts To Improve Brain Fitness
Senior citizens and aging adults can incorporate mind workouts into their day just like they would an exercise program. With mind workouts, they will not work up a sweat but they will experience some tire and fatigue.
This is actually a very good thing! Good stimulation means to challenge and good challenge means mind fatigue but this is our aim regarding brain exercise. By means of real brain exercise, senior citizens and adults can conquer much of their fears and anxiety regarding mind dullness and can even sharpen their minds beyond what they’ve ever achieved mentally.
Seniors and adults who have utilized mind techniques and exercises seem to remember better think faster, communicate better and achieve daily activities with an overall greater amount of confidence. As a result of these exercises, many have been living and are still living a happy and healthy lifestyle.
The methods suitable to help seniors transition properly into daily brain methods that will greatly improve their brain clarity and even eliminate memory loss symptoms includes:
Before we move on, it is important to know that Brain fitness involves mental exercises, memory techniques, mental nutrition, and awareness.
Ways You Can Improve Your Brain Function
- Mind exercises consist of anything that challenges the brain to focus and stretch beyond its normal, everyday capacity. A lot of these mental exercises for seniors are meant to be fun and appealing to their interests.
- Crossword puzzles and quiz challenges can be used in the beginning be it word, number or jigsaw puzzle improves long term and visual memory so you can keep up with your younger friends and loved ones. Solving simple mathematical problems, especially solving them just in your head, is also one of the mental exercises for brain fitness. To make this more appealing, you can try this with your grandchildren.
- Another thing that promotes brain fitness for seniors is to choose a poem and memorize it line by line until you can memorize it from start to end. In selecting a poem choose something that you really like, something that really inspires you as a person so that it would be easier for you to memorize.
- Consistent meditation is another great way to exercise your body and mind. It doesn’t only relax you, it also gives your brain a neural pathway of workout. With meditation, we create a different mental state engaging the brain in an interesting way while increasing brain fitness.
- Telling good stories is a way we can indurate memories, share experience and interpret events. Practice your storytelling in a way that they are interesting, compelling and fun. The basic storytelling technique will go a long way in keeping peoples interested in what you have to say.
- Mental nutrition involves healthy nutrition for your brain and at the same time your entire system. Your brain needs you to eat healthy fats. Focus on fish oils from wild salmon, nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as flaxseed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less saturated fats. Be sure to eliminate Tran’s fats completely from your diet.
- And lastly, the most important of all brain exercises for seniors is to keep a positive disposition in life. Being happy and positive in life can actually lower your risk of developing memory loss so be sure to find reasons to smile and laugh every day.
Anyone can benefit from brain exercises but it tends to be adults and seniors that appreciate them the most. After they’ve noticed the decline in their mental clarity it usually takes a few weeks of brain exercise sessions for anyone to notice a great difference.