How many of you made New Year’s resolutions to work out?
(Note: you can’t see me, but my hand is up, making it increasingly difficult to type)
I made that resolution. But I’m not working out my body. Not saying I don’t need to… I’ve just accepted the fact that I’ve got a full-time job, freelance jobs, kids, a dog, a cat, a husband, a house, and unreasonably high expectations for myself. Plus, I like sleeping at night. So, I’m just well past the stage where I make a promise to myself to lose weight and get healthy. However, I will be exercising an important muscle: MY BRAIN!
One of my favorite sites, Lifehacker, has some great tips to make the most of your brain workout. I’ve stolen and revised them, keeping the same principals but highlighting the ones that, to me, make the most sense (and are the easiest to fit into my daily routine). I thought I would share them with you in case you, too, could use some life hacks designed to boost your brain power.
- Try new things. Every time you do something different, you’re stimulating your mind, creating new neural pathways, and increasing your intelligence. It can be as simple as taking a new route home or testing a new recipe for dinner.
- Memorize. Back in the day, we all had to memorize our home phone numbers. Nowadays, we don’t have home phones, and people don’t always actually know the numbers for their own cell phones. Learn that number. And while you’re at it, learn your social security number, your passport number, and your credit card numbers. Every time you memorize something, you’re flexing your brain.
- Exploit the power of positive thinking. “Research has shown that positive thinking, especially in the future tense, speeds up the creation of cells and dramatically reduces stress and anxiety.” So, turn that frown up-side-down!
- Sleep. Detox your brain so your body can regenerate cells and remove all the toxins that have built up during the day.This will help you reach peak performance each day.
- Un-modernize. Travel without GPS, turn off the TV and pick up a book, and put the calculator away while you solve some math problems with a good old-fashioned pen and paper. These exercises all work towards training your brain.
Editor’s Note: Help your kids change their minds in the best possible way with a subscription to one of our award-winning, ad-free discovery magazines, including CLICK (ages 3 to 6), ASK (ages 6 to 9), and MUSE (ages 9 to 14). You might even want to get this back issue of ASK called “Meet the Brain” to enhance your kids’ knowledge of the mastermind behind their unique personality.
Cricket Media Mama loves any resolution that lets her work towards achieving her goal by sleeping!
