Running is and hopefully always will be, my go-to activity. I’m pretty sure by now we all know the benefits of being a runner and we all have our own reasons for lacing up. My top reasons are–>maintaining a healthy weight and keeping my heart, lungs and brain healthy. Keeping all my synapses firing is very important to me so I’m continually looking for ways to prevent or at the very least, slow the onset of Alzheimer’s. My mother had Alzheimer’s so I worry about it A LOT! Of course “they” say that worrying releases the stress hormone cortisol which has been connected to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s. Ugh! Now I worry about worrying. 

Fortunately even if you are not a runner (what?!) there’s so many other things you can do to keep your brain healthy and sharp. For this post I’m focusing on activities for brain health but there are a lot of foods that claim to improve brain health as well as foods to avoid.  That’s another post for another day.  (I will say though, stay away from aspartame…very bad for you. As a matter of fact it’s best to avoid all artificial sweeteners.)

4 Activities to Keep Your Brain Sharp

1. Crocheting

I was just at Hobby Lobby (love that place) with my daughter buying yarn for her to make a scarf with her crochet loom and I commented on how maybe I should take up crocheting. My mom taught me how to crochet as a kid which was a long time ago so I would need a refresher but it seems like the perfect thing to do while I’m watching Netflix.

We all know that our phones are listening…once again here is proof…the next day I see an article on Facebook about crocheting and how it’s good for the brain. Coincidence? I think not. The article not only said crocheting is good for the brain but it helps relax you which in turn helps you sleep better. I need that! I can totally see how it would relax me because the yarns are soooo soft, they make me want to cuddle up and take a nap. 

2. Word Games

Word games make us think and exercise our brain, keeping us intellectually engaged. I like to play Word Crossy, a game where you are given letters and you need to come up with words to fill in a crossword puzzle. I sometimes do Word Search or Wordscapes, but there are a bunch of different apps to chose from so there’s something for everyone. Word games make us think and exercise our brain, keeping us intellectually engaged.

3. Learn a New Language

Researchers have found that learning a new language at any age can change the structure of the brain, improving neural pathways and making them more efficient. 

We have a huge Hispanic patient population at my hospital so Spanish is the language I’ve been learning over the years. I’m still not fluent but I can get by and I try to learn more all the time. Sometimes I’m teaching them English while they teach me Spanish. It’s a win win. Instead of getting frustrated that they don’t speak English I try to think of it as helping my brain. That doesn’t always work but it’s a new year…

4. Learn To Play An Instrument

Study’s have found that music can improve the brain’s executive function, such as problem-solving, decision-making and information-processing. Children that learn a musical instrument are better able to listen and understand in a distracting environment such as a classroom. It also improves reading and language skills.

Just listening to music can relieve stress, anxiety and depression…that alone helps brain health. Actually learning to play an instrument can improve reaction times (which can slow with age) because you need to use multiple senses at once (vision, hearing and touch). Music also improves blood flow to the brain, giving a boost of energy…proven by our playlists we use to keep us running and/or working out.

Even if none of these activities actually prevent or slow the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia they certainly can’t hurt, and they enrich our lives at the very least. We should all be staying active physically and mentally. Let’s be the best we can be.

Do you worry about losing your mental abilities? Do you know more than one language? Play an instrument?

Thanks for reading!                         

Stay active my friends!

                    Denise