How to Train Your Brain

Regardless of whether you want your brain to function better or you want to stay sharp, you can always get there by exercising your brain. Some ways to do this include improving thinking skills and using words, playing games, communicating, constantly learning, and taking care of yourself. You probably won’t get results overnight, but after a few months of applying these methods, you’ll notice a marked improvement in your memory skills.

Table of Contents

Improve thinking skills and word use

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Read more. This is a great brain exercise. You can read newspapers, magazines or books, but remember that the more difficult the content, the more the brain will be exercised. Similar to any other form of exercise, you’ll start out reading for a short period of time first and then gradually increase the duration.

Read books that teach you new things, such as books on history or other topics that interest you.

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Increase vocabulary. You can also learn new words through a one-word-daily notebook or dictionary. This is how to train the language area of your brain.

You can write the new word somewhere visible, like on a whiteboard in the kitchen or on a sticky note at your desk. Choose words that are hard to read and use so you can get the most out of this exercise every day.

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Writing. This is something that requires you to think a lot! You can make up stories, rewrite things that happened to you, or write about any topic you know and love!

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Learn a new language. Language learning is a way of stimulating the brain and opening more neurotransmitters. Here’s how to train the part of your brain that stores language information and even improve your ability to use your mother tongue.

Language learning gives you the opportunity to learn new things and challenge your brain. ^{[1] X Research Resources} Even if you’re just learning a few new words or sentences in a language, you’re still training your brain.

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Find new solutions to old problems. Try coming up with other solutions to some of the day’s problems and discover the results. That way, you’ll be more creative and better at problem solving.

Train your brain through games

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Play crossword puzzles and solve puzzles every day. Basic puzzles like crossword puzzles give the brain a chance to get some light exercise. These are the activities that can be easily done in this. Furthermore, the internet is also full of free crosswords and puzzles.

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Solve more complex puzzles. Complex and “difficult” puzzles require more brain activity. Sometimes it will take you from a few days to a week to solve the puzzle, but the result is totally worth your effort. Don’t just solve the traditional puzzles though, try the Japanese pocket quiz to keep your brain working at full capacity while you’re free.

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Play chess. Chess is a highly strategic intellectual game. In terms of brain training, very few puzzles can beat chess. Chess is also an easy game to learn and play.

You can join local chess clubs for more opportunities to test your skills and learn from more experienced players.

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Play video games in moderation. Have you heard that playing video games in moderation can actually make you smarter? Challenging games like Mario, Zelda, Scribblenauts, and Myst are powerful cardio exercises for your brain that help you solve problems more effectively, be more creative, and think faster. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Communicate more

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Chat with others. Talk to others about things you or they know. Discussing politics, religion, and other challenging topics (discussed rather than debated) is a basic form of brain training.

You can join a group like Toastmaster because the topic here is very diverse.

Non-stop learning

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Go to school. This is a great opportunity to exercise your brain, and learning will benefit you, too. You don’t have to study for another degree. Your employer may provide financial support for you to learn to improve your career skills, or you can take a course on a topic that interests you.

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Take free courses. If you don’t have the time or money, you can still take many free online courses. Some top universities like Harvard also offer free courses. Try Coursera, Khan Academy, or even Ted Talks for a free college experience.

You can take the course for free at your local college or university. Some educational institutions have free courses for older students.

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Regularly use existing skills. Similar to muscles, the brain also needs exercise to develop. If you don’t use certain information and skills for a long time, what you have will gradually fade away. Use basic skills like math regularly to maintain and use them at any time.

You should practice skills you haven’t used in a while, such as woodworking, knitting, sewing, or home repair.

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Get used to a new hobby. Learning new skills is also a way of exercising the brain. Creative skills like music, dance, and the visual arts exercise different areas of the brain and provide great benefits.

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Create something. Whether you want to build a robot or a new chair for your living room, brainstorming to make something (from scratch without instructions) is a powerful exercise. Learn some basic building skills and train your brain through practical creativity.

Try “do it yourself” to learn new skills and create your own products.

Stay healthy

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Eat healthy and exercise. Diet and exercise are very important for brain health. If you want to optimize your brain power, choose a healthy diet rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids that can nourish your brain. Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Exercise also helps keep the body healthy, reduces the risk of stroke and increases oxygen saturation.

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Play sports. Get active or learn a new sport to improve hand-eye coordination and body coordination, such as tai chi and pinball.

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Get enough sleep. Scientists have discovered that sleep is extremely important for maintaining brain health. While you sleep, your body flushes toxins out of your brain (in parallel with recovery). ^{[5] X Research Source} If you want to protect your brain, try to get enough sleep every night.

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Change your schedule. Try going different routes than usual so that your brain does not stagnate after spending a day with a familiar schedule. You can also change the way you work, such as sitting on an exercise ball or trying another activity.

Advice

When exercising, you should practice walking backwards (against the direction you usually go) to stimulate the brain.
Remember to be physically active – a healthy body creates a healthy mind. Therefore, you should exercise regularly.
Regularly do something like memorize something or play Rubik’s Cube for 15 minutes a day.
There are many programs to help you improve your memory. “Brain Age” or “Big Brain Academy” for the Nintendo DS is highly recommended and a lot of fun. These are games designed to improve memory, increase reflexes and thinking.
Just like any other part of the body, the brain also needs rest. The brain is always active, but focusing on one spot or meditating can really free the mind to give the brain a chance to relax and then function more efficiently. Closing your eyes and listening to soothing instrumental music for 10-15 minutes a day is also helpful.
The way you speak reflects your thoughts; so, “bend your tongue seven times” before you speak. Here’s how to improve your speaking skills.
Drink a lot of water.

Steps