Here are a few easy workouts that will help your brain in many ways. Think of your brain as a vehicle. When you are young it is like a fighter jet. It is fast and can perform outstanding maneuvers. As you grow older it becomes more like a Moped. It is slow and restricted to simple maneuvers. As your body grows older so does your brain and just like those who continue to do physical exercise do better than those that are sedentary. The brain is no different. If you don’t exercise your brain the muscle will atrophy over time.
THE ALPHABET WORKOUT: When you first learned to write you started out writing the alphabet, each letter was a struggle. It was hard to stay in the lines on the paper and your letters lines and curves were not smooth and uniform. After lots of practice your letters lines and curves were smooth and uniform. Staying in the lines on the paper became automatic.
Now start writing your alphabet again with your non-dominate hand and do so at least once or twice a day. Date your papers so you can monitor your improvement. Develop new neuro pathways.
THE BRUSH WORKOUT: We typically use two brushes every day. A toothbrush and a hairbrush. Try doing those daily activities with your non-dominate hand. You may feel a need to repeat with your dominant hand before you can consider yourself finished, but at least go through the motions of completely brushing your hair and your teeth with your non-dominate hand every day.
THE ASCENT AND DESCENT WORKOUT: Climbing stairs most people lead with the same leg first on the ascent and lead with the opposite leg on the descent. Pay attention to how your climb up and down stairs and reverse your ascent and descent pattern by switching to the leg you don’t lead with on the ascent and descent. If you climb stairs and start with your left leg first, next time start with your right leg.
THE FORK AND SPOON WORKOUT: Most people eat, stir, and serve food using their dominant hand. Ambidextrous people can do most tasks equally with either hand. However, the majority of the population is not ambidextrous. We tend to favor one side, left or right. The next time you are in your kitchen for a meal, act as if your dominant hand is not available and do everything with your non-dominant hand.
DO NEW THINGS WORKOUT: Learn a new language, research a topic you know nothing about, learn to play a musical instrument or read music, use your senses differently (example close your eyes and navigate a room in your house try to identify every piece of furniture, etc). If you don’t cook start reviewing recipes and try making a dish each week. Of course there is the beauty of physical exercise, get outside and walk in nature (if possible) but walk even if it is inside your neighborhood.