Keeping your brain fit is essential to your mental and emotional health. Just like you exercise your body to strengthen your muscles, you can exercise your brain to improve your mental functions by learning new skills and working out with a free brain fitness program. Brain fitness comprises a variety of mental and cognition skills, and fitness programs allow you to improve your short-term memory, concentration, word power, perception skills and mathematical abilities.
Brain Fitness
According to the University of Connecticut Health Center, keeping your mind active may help to ward off cognitive decline that occurs naturally as you age. Doctor George Kuchel, a professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, recommends lifelong learning as one way to prevent cognitive decline.
Word Games
Word games are an excellent way to give your brain a workout. Free word games such as crosswords, word searches, hangman, jumbled word puzzles, cryptograms and Scrabble games can be found online. Other types of word games include typing games, which test your verbal skills and typing skills at the same time. Don't forget to check out smartphone applications for sources of free word games. Newspapers and some magazines have crossword puzzles and jumbles. If you are learning another language, seek out puzzles in that language to get an even tougher brain fitness workout.
Math Games
Math games are another type of brain fitness workout. Because mathematics skills are different from language skills, you should consider adding some math games to your brain fitness workout. Like crunches, they may be difficult at first, but they're good for you! Sudoku is a popular math game and can be found for free online or as a smartphone app. Many free newspapers also carry Sudoku puzzles. Math games and puzzles improve your ability to manipulate numbers and boost short-term memory functions.
Logic Games
Logic games include visual type puzzles that require you to utilize strategy and planning to solve the puzzle, as well as word-type logic puzzles that may also include some math. Internet sites and smartphone apps are good sources for visual logic games. Although logic puzzles usually aren't timed games, Tetris is a kind of animated logic puzzle because it requires you to manipulate shapes and think ahead before you remove any puzzle pieces.
Memory Games
Memory games help to build your short-term memory and improve your ability to focus on the task at hand. Free memory programs include games such as "Concentration" that test your short-term memory's ability. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco tested a commercial brain fitness program and found that after 10 hours of training the players boosted their visual working memory by about 10 percent.
Visual Puzzles
Visual puzzles test your ability to see shapes and patterns. Jigsaw puzzles are a common type of visual puzzle, but others include games that require you to find hidden objects, shapes, or patterns in a larger picture or grid. Optical illusions and mazes are also visual puzzles.
Keep Learning
Since lifelong learning seems to help fend of mental decline, take advantage of free classes to learn new skills. You can take language classes, music lessons, or even learn a craft such as quilting or woodcarving. To boost your brain's fitness and your body's fitness, try a new sport or take a free dance lesson.
