Think of your brain as a muscle: It gets stronger with exercise.
Your everyday mental tasks are like walking, but how about a real
workout? Try these simple exercises to boost your brain power and
clear away the fog of forgetfulness.
1. Use your non-dominant hand
Tackling new tasks improves brain capacity in younger people and has
a restorative effect on mental faculties that are declining. Boost
your brain power right now by performing everyday activities with
your non-dominant hand. If you're right-handed, use your left hand
to eat, drink, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. Try writing
your name with your non-dominant hand or put your mouse pad on the
other side of the keyboard.
Why does this work? The human brain starts declining after the age
of 30 especially in women with each successive pregnancy. By
exercising your brain through the use of non-dominant hand, you are
stimulating the opposite side of the brain and activating blood
flow, which slows down the brain aging process and improves mental
capacity. Evidence from functional brain imaging shows that the
process of neuroplasticity -- the brain's natural ability to form
new connections -- can be enhanced by studying new things,
especially hand-eye coordinated exercises like developing the use of
your non-dominant hand and practicing visualization meditation. For
an effective guided visualization that will also increase your
years, check out Meditations
to Live to Be 100.
Stimulating communication between the two hemispheres even helps
physical balance. Mind-body exercises like
tai chi coach people to use the right and left side of the body
equally. Try switching it up in sports. For instance, in tennis,
switch the racquet to your non-dominant side and play.
2. Work out your brain
You have to use it or lose it! You can work out your mind just like
you work out your body. Mental exercises that will keep your brain
fit include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, or memorizing
names, shopping lists, and phone numbers. When I was a young boy, to
keep my brain function strong, my father had me memorize Tang
Dynasty poetry. Every day I had to memorize a new poem and recite it
back. Learn the words to a poem or a new song and repeat them back
from memory. Set aside the calculator and add manually instead. Keep
challenging yourself with tasks that are new to you.
Whatever mental exercise you choose, the key to success is to
practice every day at the same time; you are developing and
activating new neural pathways, and consistent cycles will keep the
brain on track.
3. Move your fingers to improve your brain
Many people marvel that Asian children seem so intelligent. It could
be because they use their fingers more frequently. They eat with
chopsticks and at one time, they used to compute with an abacus in
school. In fact, some studies have been done with children who use
an abacus daily, and findings show that engaging the fingers
stimulates nerve endings that go directly to the brain, increasing
circulation. Take advantage of this by practicing motor activities
that use your fingertips, like crocheting, knitting, and other arts
and crafts where you are manipulating small parts. Try playing the
piano or a stringed instrument.
Here is an exercise you can do anywhere, at any time. Put one finger
on top of the one next to it, then try to stack the next finger on
top of that. Or hold a pencil or pen between your index and middle
fingers, roll it over until it's balanced between the middle and
ring fingers, then again to between the ring finger and pinky. This
exercise has a beneficial impact on brain health for anyone at any
age, but especially for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond -- when
signs of brain aging starts to set in.
Why does this work? A map of the brain shows that the nerve endings on your fingertips correspond to more areas of the brain than any other body area, except perhaps the tongue and lips. Therefore, finger exercise and movements can be useful in stimulating the neurons in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments that showed finger exercises enlarged the capacity of the participants' brains, increased connections between neurons, forged new neural pathways, and increased circulation to the brain areas. The researchers concluded that finger exercise contributed significantly to brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to renew itself. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients for the brain cells and decreased waste products that clog up the brain.
4. Stimulate brain acuity with self-massage
To improve concentration and memory try this self-massage that
stimulates two easy-to-find
acupressure points on your neck at the base of the skull. Cross
your hands behind you with the palms cradling the back of your head,
your thumbs in the grooves on each side of your neck, and your index
fingers crossing one another below the skull, just above the thumbs.
Sit in a chair, lean your head back, and let it rest against the
pressure of your thumbs and index fingers. Slowly inhale deeply
through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting your whole
body relax. Do this for three to five minutes. You'll increase blood
flow to the brain and at the same time relax the neck muscles, which
often tense up in response to stress, constricting blood vessels in
the area.
You can find these, and many other brain boosting tips in my new
book,
Second Spring. I invite you to visit often and share your own
personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
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To learn more about Dr. Mao and other natural health tips, go to askdrmao.com.
To purchase Dr. Mao's book, "Second Spring," click here.