Brain Exercises

What do you think about these suggestions? My friend Linda does Math puzzles, my mother in law does Crosswords, I do word games....what do you do to exercise your brain?


* Test your recall. Make a list — of grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind — and memorize it. An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. Make items on the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation.
* Draw a map from memory. After returning home from visiting a new place, try to draw a map of the area; repeat this exercise each time you visit a new location.
* Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of pencil, paper, or computer; you can make this more difficult by walking at the same time.
* Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal, including subtle herbs and spices.
* Take a cooking class. Learn a new way to cook. Cooking uses a number of senses: smell, touch, sight, and taste, which all use different parts of the brain.
* Create word pictures. Visualize the spelling of a word in your head, then try and think of any other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
* Learn a foreign language. The listening and hearing involved stimulates the brain.
* Let the music play. Learn to play a musical instrument or study music.
* Refine your hand-eye abilities. Learn a new skill that involves fine-motor skills, such as knitting, drawing, painting, assembling a puzzle, etc.
* Engage your senses. Try activities that involve as many of your senses as possible, such as gardening.
* Learn a new sport. Take up an athletic exercise that utilizes the mind and body, like golf or basketball.