Keeping your mind sharp is an important part of your overall health and fitness. It is generally believed that the brain functions under the classic concept of use it or lose it -- if you regularly challenge your brain to try new things, then you'll retain mental acuteness and resist the decline that may come with age. Luckily, there are a plethora of ways to challenge yourself on a daily basis.
Math Skills
Math skills have long been equated with intelligence, but if you don't use them very much, your skills can get rusty. Try balancing your checkbook or calculating a sale price without the benefit of a calculator. If math isn't your strong point, work a few Sudoku puzzles, which are logic-based and just happen to use numbers -- so no math is really required. Remember that if something is easy, it isn't really working your brain. You won't get much mental sharpening out of an exercise that isn't a challenge.
Language Skills
Word puzzles can improve your language, logic and spatial skills. They come in many forms, including rebus puzzles, word searches and anagrams. Learning a new language or simply journaling in your native language have both been connected with improved cognitive skills in older adults by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Dexterity
Switch to your non-dominant hand while doing simple, everyday tasks to force your brain to create new neural pathways to handle the foreign activity. If you're right-handed, use your left hand to brush your teeth, or shift your computer settings to use your mouse with your left hand. If you find it difficult, that means it's working to boost your brain development, according to the Franklin Institute.
Physical Exercise
Being physically fit not only benefits the body, but it also benefits the brain. Researchers at the Rhode Island College conducted a study that found that aerobic exercise can actually boost your creative energy for up to two hours after your exercise session.
Video Games
Although video games have probably not garnered a whole lot of respect in the area of cognitive study, they are gaining recognition as powerful tools for mental sharpness. The American Association of Retired People, or AARP, suggests that the older set join in with the grandkids and play games to help retain mental acuity.
Social Connections
Social activity can help keep the brain firing because conversation and group activities keep you on your toes. AARP has suggested that the elderly people who have regular social contact and participate in group activities are more likely to retain sharp mental abilities, especially in comparison to those who remain in solitary situations.
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