There are many steps you can take to ensure that you are cognitively sharp and engaged, no matter your age.
This Brain Fitness Checklist provides some suggestions to get you started and have been chosen because they have shown the biggest impact on improving a particular lifestyle factor. Identify one or two tips from the list to get started. Then slowly try new ones, as you work toward building brain healthy lifestyle habits.
Here are few ways to stay cognitively stimulated…
Start here:
Do a routine task in a different way (use a different hand).
Engage all your senses when doing an activity-sight, sound, touch, taste and smell-in non-routine ways (e.g., travel, gardening, camping, farmer's market shopping).
Memorize a song or poem that is new to you.
Be physically active. Try to move your body at least 120 minutes per week.
Read a challenging book or article.
Have a conversation with a person who has a different opinion on a topic than you.
Practice mental dexterity and mental effort through drawing, painting, crafts, assembling a puzzle, etc.
Try a focus exercise : mindfulness meditation can help you focus deeply on one thing at a time.
Play a game that requires you to be in the moment, that requires you to anticipate what your opponent might do next, and strategize (e.g., Chess, Bridge).
Challenge yourself more:
Learn a new skill (e.g., sport, hobby, language).
Become an expert at something.
Practice yoga and poses that encourage creativity; they can build brain flexibility (pigeon, headstand, eagle).
Learn more about cognitive stimulation and brain health; take the 1 hour course and get access to your personal cognitive stimulation toolkit. (Log into your Brain Health Vital Signs dashboard to access this course.)
Tips for getting started
Brain health challenges in the “start here” section are designed to be implemented by anyone, and will be a great starting point, especially if you scored in the Could Improve or Need to Improve categories in a specific lifestyle factor. Other challenges might be a little harder to do. In fact, you might feel resistance about adopting them at first because you may know they will be difficult to maintain for a long time.
Once you have tried 2 or 3 successfully from the “start here” section, challenge yourself with the additional challenges below. Learn more about cognitive stimulation and brain health; take the 1 hour course and get access to your personal toolkit.
