13 Ways to Exercise Your Brain

Keep your brain healthy and functioning with these 13 brain exercises.

Do a jigsaw puzzle

The act of doing a jigsaw puzzle is looking at a variety of pieces to determine how they fit into a larger picture. By doing this activity, research has shown it activates parts of your brain that help protect visuospatial cognitive aging.

Play cards

In addition to improving memory and thinking skills, playing cards can lead to a greater brain volume in different regions of your brain.

Increase your vocabulary

Research shows that several regions of our brain are used in vocabulary tasks, especially for visual and auditory processing. Try writing down newly learned words when you read and look up their definition, then challenge yourself to use that word five times the following day.

Use all five senses

Find activities that activate all five of your senses at the same time. Go to a farmers market or new restaurant to take in all the smells, tastes, sights, sounds and touch.

Learn a new skill

Improve connections and memory in your brain by actively learning a new skill. Pick a hobby you’ve always wanted to learn but never made the time to master.

Teach someone a new skill

Already have a skill? Share it! Teaching someone else a new skill expands your learning, too. It allows you to explain an idea and correct mistakes.

Dance

Want to improve your brain’s processing speed and memory? Learn a dance! There are tons of different dances you can learn. Grab a friend and have them join in the brain-enhancing fun.

Listen to music

Putting on some of your favorite tunes helps your brain come up with more creativity and innovation compared to thinking in silence.

Drive a new route

Do you always take the same route someplace? Instead of putting your brain on autopilot, switch it up. Your brain will benefit from the change-up.

Meditate

Meditation not only provides great benefits for things like stress and anxiety, it can also help you fine-tune your memory and increase your brain’s ability to process information.

Learn a new language

This one is challenging. But the rewards are plenty! Not only can you become bilingual, you’ll have a better memory, improved visual-spatial skills, and experience higher levels of creativity. Plus, it can help you more easily switch between different tasks, and slow down the onset of age-related mental decline.

Do tai chi

Tai chi is all about balance. It helps reduce stress, improve the quality of your sleep and of course — your brain! Not only does it improve your memory, tai chi can can induce structural changes in the brain.

Focus on someone

Literally! Take a good look at someone the next time you talk with them and take note of four things about them. It can be anything from their behavior to how they styled their hair. Take a mental picture. Then, the next day, test your memory and write them all down.