Currently, a large number of people are inclined to have a fitness lifestyle, exercising and eating a balanced diet. This is positive, in fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends doing five hours of exercise a week. However, there is a “muscle” that is just as important, but that is often forgotten to exercise: the brain.
Brain care is generally considered to be almost exclusive to the elderly; however, it must be remembered that after 25 years of age brain volume begins to naturally lose, that is, the gray matter deteriorates and reduces and the structure of the neurons and connections of the cerebral cortex is modified. As a consequence, there is the progressive loss of the ability to reason and have mental quickness.
In fact, neurorehabilitation psychologist Sherrie All, founder of the Center for Cognitive Wellness in Chicago, United States, indicates that memory is not just about age, since “people over 40 forget that they also forgot things when they were 20 years old”.
Constant work
This leads to analyze the importance of training the brain to increase memory and learn to focus attention; When seeking to improve cognitive abilities, the center of the work is based on the compensatory strategy, which consists of relying on resources to complete tasks or activities; for example: in the case of children, the songs that are invented to learn colors, numbers or the names of presidents.
Additionally, some practices to maximize brain exercise are as follows, according to Sherrie All:
- Physical activity. The neurorehabilitation psychologist points out that it is proven that exercise helps develop more brain cells. Although there is no specific exercise that is recommended, high-intensity interval routines stand out, as well as outdoor activities, such as biking or walking, and yoga.
- Continuous learning. The brain is like a sponge, so it never gets tired of receiving new information; however, limits must be set, since there is a fine line between training it and forcing it. Some activities to consider are learning to play an instrument or learning a new language. The same as solving word searches or crossword puzzles and even putting together puzzles; The interesting thing is that all these actions can be done through applications, which can be an extra stimulus.
- Timely rest. Many times, mental exhaustion is due to the fact that the brain is not allowed to rest, so that it becomes overwhelmed and its functioning decreases. For this reason, it is recommended to sleep between 7 or 8 hours in an interrupted way, time in which the body goes through a cycle of care of the brain.
- Social interaction. The brain is designed for interaction, so not being it makes you depressed; in fact, a study in Social Psychology and Personality Sciences indicates that just 10 minutes of conversation increases executive functioning skills such as working memory and the ability to suppress distractions.
Summing up, the exercise of the brain can take place in different activities that are even pleasant, since some focus on people having a space for themselves, while others take place in the same social accompaniment, either live or virtually. Therefore, it is all a matter of making the decision to want to improve memory to better perform activities in all areas of life.
