Just like physical activities are important to keep the body in shape, mental exercises are necessary to keep your mind sharp. Don't confuse mental sharpness with your IQ; those are two different things. These activities help push the brain beyond its current limits. Our brain tends to see only what our eyes expect it to see, and this is something that can be worked on.
There are 7 factors upon which one's brain performance matter, when followed properly, can detain your mental decline by almost 9 years! They are as following:
1. Challenging one's mental sharpness
Sudoku, daily crossword puzzles in the newspaper, Rubik's cube, playing a musical instrument, chess, artistic activities like drawing and painting, even playing video games enables quicker thinking, especially in children. These people are able to solve problems more quickly as well.
2. A Balanced Diet
Food plays an important role in maintaining and increasing the sharpness of the bran. One should eat more food items which promote the health of the brain, like Vitamin E (milk, eggs, butter, nuts, vegetable oil and wheat germ) and DHA (yogurt, eggs and olive oil) as it helps fight against brain disorders.
Also, read about: Vitamin D Rich Foods & Calcium Rich Foods in India.One should also eat proper quantities of nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and even fat. Foods like cranberries and red grapes have proved that they can reduce inflammation which can be harmful to the brain, while foods containing Vitamin B can help in the reduction of dementia.
Unhealthy food items that can actually restrict brain function include alcohol, creamy sauces, trans fats, sweetened breakfast cereals, baked goods, mayonnaise and packaged food items.
3. Being Physically Active
Physical activities actually encourage brain cell growth, so ensure that you manage a minimum of half an hour's worth of exercise daily. It also helps increase oxygen and blood flow to the brain which helps in gaining brain density, the lack of which leads to mental decline.
4. Getting in Touch with your Spiritual Side
One does not have to be religious to be spiritual. Be it Yoga, prayers or reflection of one's own life, whatever it is that works to soothe your mind and helps the brain make deeper connections between the mind and body. Scientifically speaking, your brain is hardwired for spiritual experiences
Also, read about: Superfoods for Super Brain.5. Getting enough sleep
A minimum of 8 hours of sleep is essential for brain because it is during this time that the brain is able to make repairs to the body and clear all toxins from it.
6. Regular Medical Checkups
Sometimes, there are things we feel wrong with our mind and body which we aren't able to figure out. In such cases, a professional opinion helps. If nothing at all, a doctor can help you figure out ways in which you can improve the health of your brain.
7. Social activeness
People who have healthy social relationships tend to be happier than those who don't. Happiness is good for the brain. One should also maintain a positive approach in life; stressing and worrying unnecessarily never does any good to anybody. Negativity has actually shown to prevent growth of brain, thus leading to a quicker aging of the brain.
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