Mental fitness is just as
important as physical fitness, and shouldn’t be ignored. Mental fitness is important to maintaining
good brain health and as well as body health, especially as you age. There are
many types of mental dexterity exercises, and the best part is you don’t need
to go to the gym to do them. They include active ones, such as learning a new
song or playing a game, or restful ones, such as relaxation and visualization
exercises.
Mental fitness
means keeping your brain and emotional health in good shape. It refers to a series
of exercises that help you slow down, think clearly, decompress or perhaps
boost a foggy memory. Thanks to decades
of research, you can learn how to get your mind active and improve upon your
mental fitness through practice. There are various strategies that can be used
to protect and improve memory. Here are some suggested ways to obtain mental
fitness:
- · Hold
discussions with friends and family about a wide range of
topics. This gives your brain an opportunity to explore, examine, and inquire.
- · Challenge your intellect and memory. Stretch
yourself mentally by learning a new language, doing the cryptic crossword, or
by playing chess. This is important for brain health and good for your social
life as well.
- · Read often and read widely. Keeping an active
interest in the world around you will help to exercise your brain and improve
your mental fitness.
- · Take up a new hobby. Learning something
new gives the ‘grey matter’ in the brain a workout and builds neural pathways
in the brain.
- · Take up a
manual activity or craft. Hobbies such as woodworking and
sewing or skipping rope require you to move both sides of the body at the same
time, in precise movements. This can help to improve your spatial awareness and
increase your reaction time.
- · Exercise
your brain with others. Watch, question and answer game
shows and enjoy the competitive spirit. Involve the entire family in regular
games to test their general knowledge.
Many think that multitasking
enables them to get more things done at once, but it actually creates more problems
than it solves. Studies show that focusing on one task at a time improves your
concentration and helps you to be more productive.
New experiences can also
set you on the path to mental fitness. You can fit new approaches into your daily
life in a variety of ways such as trying new foods as you explore new cultures,
invent new ways to accomplish routine tasks, travel new places virtually or
physically, or try a new route to the grocery store or your work.
Games that test reasoning
and other portions of your brain are fun ways to keep your mind sharp. Try
crossword puzzles, board games, Sudoku, or online daily mental quizzes to
increase your brain strength.
Schedule a mental fitness break into your
calendar right next to your workout schedule. Including mental dexterity exercises into
your daily routine can help you reap the benefits of a sharper mind and a healthier
body for years to come. Your
mind and your health are worth it!
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