Give your brain some exercise too!

Billy’s mother had three children. The first was named April and the second May. What was the name of the third child? Chances are your first response was, even if mental and not out loud, June. But

Neha Malude | Updated: August 6, 2013 11:41 am

brain Billy’s mother had three children. The first was named April and the second May. What was the name of the third child? Chances are your first response was, even if mental and not out loud, June. But give it a few seconds and it comes to you – Billy, of course. Let’s try another one, shall we?

You are running a race and you cross the person who was second, what place are you in now? Nope, not first, you crossed the second person, so you are now second. Congratulations, your brain has just been teased.

A brain teaser is like a puzzle that looks deceptively simple but in fact, requires some thought. And the most common teasers are the one that would have you think that the answer is right in front of you (the April, May, June type, for instance) but isn’t. They challenge the linear way our brains think and form associations. But why are we talking about brain teasers? Because they help you exercise those grey cells and keep your mind healthy.

What goes on in a busy brain?

Over the years, your brain learns to adapt to your daily life and develops patters in your subconscious that help you go on about your daily business without even thinking. For instance, you wouldn’t touch a hot plate because your subconscious knows it’s hot. So when you are asked what the name of the third child is your mind falls into the pattern of saying June.

When you think on a day-to-day basis, your brain fires up neurons that communicate with each other resulting in a particular action. And when you think outside the box, say to solve a puzzle, you are involved in what’s called ‘critical thinking’. At a very basic level, it improves how brain cells communicate with each other. The more you exercise your brain, the better these connections. It’s like physical exercise – the more you keep physically active, the healthier you are.

Why your brain needs to stay busy

Every time you do something new, something out of the ordinary, you force your brain to adapt. It does this by generating new cells and establishing new connections between cells. So why does your brain need to remain active?

Imagine you were to stop using your left leg forever. Over time, it’ll lose muscle, become limp and entirely lose function (yes, even though you are feeding your body). Why? Because it isn’t getting any exercise. It’s the same with your brain. Stop using your mental abilities and the brain no longer receives any signal that it is supposed to maintain those connections.

That’s one reason why aging people tend to fall behind when it comes to mental faculties and become prone to Alzheimer’s disease where their cognitive abilities no longer work.

Keeping your mind healthy

You’re probably thinking – I think daily about what to make my kids for lunch, I face new problems at work every day, I drive everyday to work for which I have to think so why wouldn’t my mind be healthy? Think again. These are things you do on a daily basis for which your brain doesn’t have to do any work because they are patterns already established. How is it getting any exercise?

Give your mind something truly new. And once you get really good at it, find something else to learn. For instance, if you start doing the daily crossword you’ll eventually get better at solving them. So take a dig at cryptic crosswords once in a while. Here are some other things you can try:

Solve puzzles and crosswords: There’s an unending supply of online websites that offer daily riddles and crosswords so subscribe to them. Your daily newspaper comes with crosswords too. Give mathematical riddles a shot too – Sudoku, kakuro etc.
Take up a dance/art/music class: Studies have shown that the part of the brain that controls limb movements in people who play an instrument or dance regularly is larger than in those who don’t. So take up a new dance or painting class, or learn a new language.
Play video games: Yes, you can’t tell your kids anymore that playing video games is bad for their brains! Nintendo DS was the first company to launch games with the aim of improving brain function. A lot of video games (especially tactical) require players to think about the best possible outcome of a challenge which improves thinking capabilities. You can download games on your phone too.
Board games: No, not ludo or snakes and ladders but more like Scrabble, Scotland Yard, Jenga, Taboo! and Pictionary – they make you think and of course, are a lot of fun. Other games that are just as great include cards and chess.
Read a lot: It could be a daily newspaper, magazine or novels. The more you read, the more you process words and the better it is for your brain. Of course, thought provoking and meaningful articles are even better.
Lifestyle: A healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Yoga, meditation, walking or jogging does a lot of good to both. Eat nutritious food. Get ample sleep and try to stay free of stress.
Neurobics: A term coined by neurobiologist Lawrence Katz, neurobics refers to using different parts of the brain for familiar tasks, such as combing your hair with the left hand or eating with your eyes closed.

We place a lot of emphasis on keeping our body healthy but we rarely stop to think about the one organ that controls the body. It’s about time we started. And remember, it’s never too late to begin; after all, if Queen Victoria could start learning Hindustani at 68, and Tolstoy learnt how to ride a bike at 67, it can’t be too late for us, right? So go grab yourself a puzzle. Now.

Published: February 20, 2013 8:36 am | Updated:August 6, 2013 11:41 am

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