Excercises And Brain Power

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How do Excercises help to increase Brain Power ?

Let us see below how excercises help to increase brain power.

Regular exercise offers numerous benefits for brain health and improvement of cognitive function.

  1. Increased Blood Flow and Oxygen: Exercise stimulates physiological changes, encouraging the production of growth factors. These chemicals promote new blood vessel growth in the brain and enhance the abundance, survival, and overall health of brain cells.
  2. Hippocampus Growth: The hippocampus, responsible for learning and verbal memory, increases in volume with exercise. This supports better memory and cognitive function.
  3. Stress Reduction: Physical activity reduces stress hormones that inhibit brain activity. Lower stress levels positively impact memory and thinking skills.
  4. Improved Sleep: Regular exercise contributes to better sleep quality. Adequate rest is crucial for optimal brain function and memory consolidation.
  5. Release of Growth Factors: Aerobic exercise triggers the release of growth factors, promoting brain cell growth, connectivity, and overall cognitive health.

In summary, exercise fuels the brain with oxygen, supports neural growth, and enhances mental well-being.

The hippocampus is a vital brain structure associated with memory, learning, and spatial navigation. Here’s a concise overview:

  1. Location and Shape:
    • The hippocampus sits in the medial temporal lobe, resembling a seahorse.
    • Humans have two hippocampi—one in each hemisphere of the brain.
  2. Functions:
    • Memory Formation: The hippocampus helps convert short-term memories into long-term ones.
    • Spatial Navigation: It enables us to navigate our environment by creating cognitive maps.
    • Emotional Responses: The hippocampus influences emotional regulation.
  3. Damage and Disorders:
    • In Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus is among the first areas affected, leading to memory loss.
    • Hypoxia, encephalitis, or epilepsy can damage the hippocampus.
    • Extensive damage results in anterograde amnesia, impairing new memory formation.
  4. Research Significance:
    • The hippocampus has been a model for studying neurophysiologyand long-term potentiation (a mechanism for memory storage).
    • In rodents, it’s crucial for spatial memoryand interacts with neighbouring brain regions.

In summary, the hippocampus shapes our memories, guides us through space, and plays a pivotal role in cognition.

Aerobic exercise offers remarkable benefits for brain health and cognitive function. Let’s explore how it enhances brain power:

  1. Increased Blood Flow and Oxygen:
    • Aerobic exercise gets your heart pumping, leading to improved blood circulation.
    • Increased blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrientsto brain cells, enhancing their function.
  2. Hippocampus Growth:
    • Regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory and learning.
    • A larger hippocampus correlates with better verbal memoryand cognitive abilities.
  3. Neurotrophic Substances and Neurotransmitters:
    • Exercise stimulates the release of neurotrophic factors, promoting brain cell growth and connectivity.
    • It also increases neurotransmitter levels, enhancing communication between neurons.
  4. Stress Reduction and Mood Improvement:
    • Aerobic exercise helps manage stress by reducing cortisol levels.
    • Improved mood positively impacts cognitive function and memory.
  5. Reduced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress:
    • Chronic inflammation harms brain health. Exercise reduces inflammation markers.
    • It also enhances resistance to oxidative stress, protecting brain cells.
  6. Tai Chi and Cognitive Function:
    • Tai chi, a slow, focused movement practice, has shown potential to enhance executive function(planning, problem-solving, reasoning) in older adults.
    • Learning new skills during tai chi contributes to cognitive improvement.

In summary, regular aerobic exercise fuels brain health by increasing blood flow, promoting neurotrophic factors, and reducing stress.

Brain Boosting Excercises

Boosting your brain health involves engaging in various activities that challenge your cognitive abilities. Here are 13 evidence-based brain exercises you can try:

  1. Jigsaw Puzzles: Assembling puzzles recruits multiple cognitive skills and supports visuospatial cognitive aging.
  2. Card Games: Playing card games like solitaire, bridge, or poker can improve memory and thinking skills.
  3. Build Your Vocabulary: Keep a notebook handy while reading. Write down unfamiliar words, look up their definitions, and use them in sentences.
  4. Dance: Learning new dance moves enhances brain processing speed and memory.
  5. Use All Your Senses: Engage your senses—sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing—to stimulate different brain regions.
  6. Learn a New Skill: Whether it’s cooking, painting, or playing an instrument, acquiring new skills keeps your brain active.
  7. Teach Someone Else: Teaching a skill to someone else reinforces your own understanding and memory.
  8. Listen to Music: Music can boost mood, memory, and cognitive function.
  9. Try a New Route: Change your daily commute or explore a different neighborhood to challenge your spatial memory.
  10. Meditate: Mindfulness practices improve focus, reduce stress, and benefit brain health.
  11. Learn a New Language: Bilingualism enhances cognitive flexibility and memory.
  12. Do Tai Chi: This mind-body practice combines movement, balance, and mental focus.
  13. Focus: Concentrate on a single task without distractions to improve attention and memory.

Additional Excercises For Enhancing Brain Power

1. Read Colour text – read the colour they are written and not the text.

If you follow Jainism and aware of Ananupurvi – please make it a habit to read this book daily. It will connect neurons in your brain as you try to match each number with the relevant shloka. Eg 1 = Namo Arihantanam ; 2 = Namo Siddhanam, etc  Navkar Mantra is a universal mantra and it’s chanting is extremely meritorious and spiritually elevating. It can be chanted anytime, anywhere and by anyone.

2.Study Shulte Tables

Schulte Tables are visual aids composed of grids filled with randomized numbers. They are employed to improve various facets of visual perception, including speed, focus, and accuracy. Originating from Dr. Schulte’s methodologies, these tables are tools to boost not only eyesight but also cognitive functions.

Here are three amusing, yet enlightening instances:

  1. Lost in the Supermarket:
    • Alice, a regular Schulte Tables practitioner, was once racing through a supermarket, hunting for her favorite cereal.
    • Thanks to her enhanced peripheral vision, she spotted it tucked away on a bottom shelf, even though she was several aisles away.
  2. The Elusive TV Remote:
    • Tom spent hours searching for his remote.
    • After consistent Schulte Tables practice, he became adept at spotting small details, and one day, he found the remote hiding under a couch cushion.
  3. Misplaced Glasses Paradox:
    • Ever spent minutes looking for glasses that were atop your head?
    • Schulte Tables training sharpens peripheral vision, making such everyday searches more efficient.

To experience the benefits, try focusing on the grid center and find all the numbers (or letters) with your peripheral vision—without moving your eyes.

3.Additional Excercises :

Draw a circle with left hand and a triangle with right hand at the same time. Difficult in the beginning but will enhance your brain power.

First thing in the morning before getting off the bed, try this :

Press your right thumb with left thumb and index finger of right hand. Then press the lobe. Same way press the left thumb with right thumb and right index finger.  This activates various organs in the body connected to the relevant fingers. It drives away your sleep and activates your mind.

You can also press the sides of your foreheads 3 – 5 times during the day.

Use different hand for doing routine activities like use left hand for brushing your  teeth, if you regularly use the right hand. Similarly use left hand for combing your hair if you use right hand normally. This will activate your brain and make it more alert and conscious.

Use different routes for reaching the same destination.

Make new friends and new connections.

Learn new skills. All this will activate your brain and make new neural connections. Your brain will begin to find solutions from different angles.

Kids should do lateral movements of the hands by playing the clapping exercise. Grown ups may use clapping as an excercise to activate the brain and other organs in the body.

Read stories. It will help to improve memory.

Remember, brain exercises benefit people of all ages, so try what works best for you.

Here are some popular websites that facilitate Brain-Boosting Exercises:  

 

  1. BrainGymmer
    • Website: BrainGymmer
    • Description: BrainGymmer offers a variety of brain training games designed to improve cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and logical reasoning. The games are based on trusted psychological tasks and tests, making them both fun and effective for brain training.

 

  1. Healthline – Brain Exercises
    • Website: Healthline
    • Description: This article on Healthline provides 13 evidence-based brain exercises to help boost memory, focus, and mental skills. It includes activities like puzzles, card games, learning new skills, and dancing, which are beneficial for cognitive health.

 

  1. Forbes – Brain Exercises for Seniors
    • Website: Forbes
    • Description: Forbes offers a list of brain exercises specifically designed for seniors, but useful for all ages. It includes activities like Lumosity, Cognifit, and BrainHQ, which challenge memory, attention, and concentration skills.

 

  1. Mission to Learn – Brain Training Exercises
    • Website: Mission to Learn
    • Description: This site features various strategies and tools for brain training, including workshops on mind mapping and techniques to improve creativity, mental agility, and concentration.

 

  1. MakeUseOf – Brain Training Websites
    • Website: MakeUseOf
    • Description: MakeUseOf lists several websites that offer brain training exercises and games, such as Web Sudoku, SharpBrains, and MentalUP, which are designed to strengthen cognitive skills.

Here are some popular websites that facilitate Aerobic Exercises:

  1. Medical News Today – Cardio Exercises at Home
    • Website: Medical News Today
    • Description: This article provides a comprehensive list of cardio exercises that can be done at home with minimal equipment. It includes exercises for all fitness levels, from beginner to advanced, and offers tips for getting the most out of home workouts.

 

  1. Verywell Fit – Cardio Exercises for Home Workouts
    • Website: Verywell Fit
    • Description: Verywell Fit offers a variety of cardio exercises that can be done at home without any equipment. The exercises range from frog jumps and burpees to mountain climbers and jogging in place, making it easy to add intensity to your fitness routine.

 

  1. DAREBEE – Free Workouts
    • Website: DAREBEE
    • Description: DAREBEE provides over 2200 free workouts, including cardio, strength, HIIT, and abs exercises. The site is a great resource for finding diverse and effective workout routines.

 

  1. Forbes Health – Best Online Workout Programs
    • Website: Forbes Health
    • Description: Forbes Health reviews and ranks the best online workout programs based on various criteria, including price, device accessibility, and workout style options. It helps users find the most suitable online workout programs for their needs.

These websites should provide valuable resources for enhancing brain power and overall fitness.

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