Ways to Exercise Your Brain

September is World Alzheimer’s Month.

If you’ve been spending more time looking for your eyeglasses or keys than actually using them perhaps it’s time to start being more proactive about your memory. With today’s technological advances, there are a myriad of ways to keep your mind healthy, active, and engaged.

Play Sudoku to Prevent Alzheimer’s

One of my favorite ways to keep a sharp mind is by playing Sudoku. This simple activity can be played via an online website or through a Sudoku activity booklet found in your local grocery store. You may have even seen this nine-by-nine grid displayed inside one of your newspapers.

The objective is to fill out each box to count 1 through 9 on each row and each column. You cannot place the same number in the same column or row. This type of game stimulates brain activity and keeps you mentally alert. In fact, this puzzle is a highly recommended activity to prevent Alzheimer’s and helps promote non-verbal reasoning skills.

Keep Your Brain Fit With Lumosity

Lumosity.com is another great tool that helps you check how mentally fit you are. By taking a short 10-15 minute memory test you can see how you compare to others in your age group. The website then creates a personalized training program that meets your exact needs and provides recommendations to help you achieve your goals.

The wonderful aspect of this site is that it uses games to help sharpen your mind. One game that focuses on developing your attention is the train game where you move the train tracks to steer the coordinating color train to its matching colored home depot. It seems easy enough at first, but when more and more differently colored trains begin to appear, you quickly have to decide where each train goes before it’s too late to change the tracks.

Backed by neuroscience research, each quiz helps decipher what areas of your brain are doing well and which parts need help. Once you’ve completed the quiz, the site shows you which activities will help you sharpen your mental skills.

Items that are covered in the initial assessment include: memory, attention, speed in recalling information, mental flexibility, and problem solving. One game even helps with recalling the names of faces that you see. Who has never had a problem with recalling someone’s name?

This site is perhaps one of the best sites out there for sharpening your mental faculties. At a minimal subscription price of less than $4.00 per month (depending on which plan you select), you can unlock over 40 different mind games, track your progress, and advance your mental skill set. Lumosity keeps tracks of your past mental work outs and shows you how you’ve progressed over time.

There are no distracting ads on the website and the site is very easy to navigate. As a subscriber you can also track your sleep and moods which could potentially help identify gaps in mental alertness as well.

Have Fun With AARP Brain Games

The AARP website also has an array of free brain games to help you keep your brain sharp and strong. Simply log onto their website and type in “brain games” in the search box. You’ll find an assortment of games that will not only entertain you but will also keep you on your toes.

Many experts agree that “senior brain” is not an automatic result of getting older. You can continue to train your mind to be sharp and mentally alert throughout your senior years. It is best to exercise your brain at least 3-5 times per week. The sooner you start, the better it is for your mental health and faculties.

Find Alzheimer’s care in Minneapolis or another city near you on SeniorAdvisor.com.

SeniorAdvisor.com Staff

Senior Advisor's knowledgeable writers blog about senior care services, trends and more.