How to Exercise Your Brain and Improve Your Memory

This is how "whole-brain combo exercises" are described by neuroscientists.

My neighbour Sean's dad suffered a stroke two decades ago. He was a nice husband and parent one day, and then he changed. Despite his miraculous survival, the part of his brain responsible for empathy was irreversibly injured.

His softness had vanished.

Sean's father had already changed by the time I met him. He seemed normal to me, though a little irritable. But Sean insisted: his dad, the man who had reared him, had died.

Every time I see Uncle Billy, I am reminded of the importance of having healthy minds. It affects both our loved ones and our own identities.

If I told you you could do more than merely maintain your brain's health, would you be interested in hearing it? Why not see if you can make it better?

"The human brain may continue to expand at any age given proper stimulation and an enriched environment," says Marian Diamond, a pioneer in current neuroscience.

Neuroplasticity is the term for this. To put it another way, it's a term used to describe the brain's ability to grow and change as we age. For adults, our brains keep producing neurons that may boost our mental abilities and enhance our memory if they are engaged correctly.

For a long time, I assumed you achieved this by doing crosswords and sudokus. Working out your abs will not offer you a whole body exercise, yet that is what many people believe. Some things are missing.

Dr. Daniel Amen, a New York Times Bestselling author, discusses this issue in his book Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most. As part of his "whole-brain combo workout," he gives a detailed instruction manual.

Dr. Amen recommends working on five separate brain regions to completely enjoy the advantages of Neuroplasticity: the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and the cerebellum. Here's how it's done:

The Prefrontal Cortex: The CEO of the Brain

The brain is divided into four lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. The final two sense our environment, but the first two — which include the prefrontal cortex – integrate and process sensory information before making judgments.

The prefrontal cortex, according to Dr. Amen, is the brain's CEO because it "allows us to learn from our failures and develop plans." We are structured, goal-oriented, thoughtful, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent when we are healthy. We try not to say or do stupid things.

When it deteriorates, however, impulsivity, disorganisation, poor time management, and a lack of empathy, among other undesirable issues, emerge.

What to do to get the most out of it:

Language games like Scrabble and Boggle are good ways to practise it.

Crossword puzzles are popular.

Classes in speech and debate, as well as other public speaking activities

Risk, chess, and Catan are examples of strategy games.

Meditation and prayer "It might be the most potent prefrontal cortex enhancer ever." It enhances concentration, executive function, judgement, and impulse control."

Weight training in conjunction with aerobic activities (brisk walking).

The Temporal Lobes: The Memory Center of the Brain

When it comes to memories, the temporal lobes play a critical role. They contain the hippocampi, which are two seahorse-shaped structures that hold the stem cells that produce new neurons.

According to Dr. Amen's book, the hippocampi may develop up to 700 new cells every day if we exercise, eat omega-3 fatty acids, participate in mental activities, and have an active social life. Consider the possibilities!

However, without a nutritious environment, the temporal lobes might suffer, which spells disaster. Damage in this region may result in short and long-term memory issues, reading difficulties, difficulty finding the proper words in conversation, difficulty interpreting social signals, and emotional instability.

What to do to get the most out of it:

Exercise it by playing 3D video games like Super Mario 3D.

Intensive instruction (a degree or a dedicated course).

Poetry and prose memorization

Playing a new musical instrument activates the prefrontal brain, parietal lobes, and cerebellum.

Physical activity.

The Parietal Lobes: The Brain's Navigation System

The parietal lobes are located in the upper, rear region of the brain and are important for our sense of direction and ability to distinguish right from left. To put it another way, our GPS.

People who have difficulty in this region often get disoriented and find it difficult to follow items visually.

Worst of all, persons with injured parietal lobes deny they have issues. Those afflicted are unaware of the risk they are in. And how can you tackle an issue if you don't initially recognise it?

What to do to get the most out of it:

Exercise it by playing math games like sudoku.

Juggling.

Golf. "Training for 40 hours increases grey matter in the parietal and occipital lobes."

Dancing.

Reading a map without a GPS gadget.

The Occipital Lobes: The Eye of the Brain

If you can read this, your occipital lobes are healthy. They process visual information and are located in the rear of the brain. Then, light, shadow, colour, and fundamental forms are separated.

If there was a problem in this region, it would be difficult to distinguish colours, faces, and anything else in the visual universe.

Golf is a great way to work things out.

Exercising optical illusions.

3D films.

VR (Virtual Reality) encounters

The Cerebellum: The Coordinator of the Brain

Despite accounting for just 10% of the brain's volume, the cerebellum comprises 50% of its neurons. Furthermore, it is engaged in higher-level thinking such as learning, language, judgement, and thought coordination.

If the brain is harmed, a person may suffer slower thinking, speech, and movement, similar to playing an online game with a poor internet connection.

What to do to get the most out of it:

Coordination activities such as table tennis, dance, yoga, and tai chi are good ways to work it out.

Basketball.

Making "Whole-Brain Combination Exercises"

Dr. Amen's advice is straightforward: we must train every part of our brain.

Choose one exercise from each category to do this. Learn a new language (prefrontal brain), complete a sudoku puzzle every day (parietal lobes), remember a poem (temporal lobes), view 3D movies (occipital lobes), and play table tennis are just a few examples (cerebellum).

Alternatively, if you value efficiency, choose fewer tasks that use many parts of the brain. Learn a new musical instrument (prefrontal cortex, temporal lobes, cerebellum, and parietal lobes) or view 3D movies, for example.

But there is one word of caution. The more you do something, the less your brain is stimulated.

Dr. Amen thinks that the finest mental exercises are learning new things and doing things you've never done before. Regardless of what you're doing, search for new and challenging challenges. Your mind will thank you.

Though Uncle Billy will never be the same, a decade of "whole-brain" training sessions has helped him. He was previously a helpless victim of a devastating brain haemorrhage who has now regained his independence.

Now i've learned to take better care of my mental health thanks to Uncle Billy.