Your brain needs daily exercise just as much as your body. Learn how you can keep a cool head and playfully jolt your brain into action.
On average, adults reach their physical and mental peak between the ages of 25 and 30. After which it’s all downhill! Sounds bad, but a closer look reveals that you can actually combat this downward slide. By constantly introducing many new stimuli – both physically and mentally – you can even become more productive. We share some best practices and exercises, which will help you agile and alert.
We achieve mental fitness not only by consciously tackling tasks and solving puzzles, but also by mixing up our exercise routines, enjoying a varied diet and trying new experiences. It’s important to be flexible and allow for a change of perspective as often as possible.
So why not take a look at the world from a totally different point of view? For example, imagine the world through the eyes of your boss, your partner – or even through the eyes of children.
Your brain is as much as 75-80% water, which is why a sufficient intake of fluids is enormously important. Dehydration prompts headaches and inhibits efficient synapse transmission.
Dietitians recommend a daily fluid consumption of 1.5 – 2.5 litre for healthy adults in normal living conditions.
Intense natural experiences can improve your creativity and problem solving abilities. In a U.S. study, 56 hikers were asked to solve a set of different puzzles both before and after four- to six-day trips in the wild. They hiked without any mobile phones and other electronic devices. The hikers’ ability to come up with creative solutions to problems was, on average, 50 percent higher after their hike than before.
In order to boost your ability to concentrate and perform at your best, you should take multiple small breaks from your work – get up from your desk and move around. Exercises that incorporate the sensitivity and motor function of your feet and hands also help train your brain, as these parts of the body are represented by a particularly large area of the brain. It also means that you are also able to perform more precise movements with your hands and feet than say your knees and elbows.
Try these eye-hand games to keep your brain cells sparking on all cylinders.
A laughing woman is doing exercises outside: Neustockimages / iStockphoto, A woman is balancing her way across a tree-trunk: IsaacLKoval / iStockphoto, Mineralienstein mit Calcium, Magnesium und Hydrogencarbonat: ElementalImaging / iStockphoto