The brain works just like your muscles in your body – the more you train it, the stronger it becomes. However, going to the gym or lifting weights will do little for your brain as it requires other types of exercises to become stronger, sharper, and absorb more information.
If you’re familiar with the Latin saying “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano”, you know that you cannot look after your brain unless you look after your body and the other way around. Here are some easy tips to improve your memory, increase your brain activity, and stimulate it to enhance your academic and work performance.
Play a music instrument
Music, much like math and science, can help you boost your brain activity and determine you to make connections from various other fields. Although the best time to start playing an instrument is until the age of five when toddlers’ brains are much like sponges and easily absorb any information, it is never too late to learn something new.
You may not become the best pianist or violinist, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying and practicing, especially if it gives you pleasure. This article is a good starting point if you want to learn a little bit more about the history of the piano.
Play Chess
Chess is a strategy game that can improve your analytical and problem-solving skills. It also helps develop creativity and critical thinking, as it requires you to devise creative solutions and alternate plans. While analyzing your games and making better moves can be difficult, chess is a great way to challenge your brain and test its limits.
Professional players invest in advanced tools and software solutions to analyze their games and get better insights. While beginners may find some of these tools challenging, web-based platforms offer enhanced access to leading chess engines and extended databases accessible to everyone. You can drastically improve your skills with a single platform for chess game analysis.
Apart from this, playing chess can also help reduce stress and provide a sense of accomplishment.
Play card games
Contrary to what you may believe, poker is more about science than pure luck. Some of the best poker and Blackjack players in the world have high IQs and are known for being innovative and thinking outside the box.
The truth is that card games stimulate your brain, improve your photographic memory, and force you to test its limits. Counting cards when playing Blackjack isn’t illegal but it is forbidden in casinos, so don’t expect to make a fortune out of it. However, you can still use this trick to stimulate your brain.
Other game cards that can help you with your memory include bridge, euchre, gin rummy, poker, hearts, and solitaire.
Learn a new language
According to recent studies, people who speak at least one other language aside from their mother tongue perform up to 32% better at their jobs and tend to score higher in tests.
Bilingualism contributes to better memory, improved visual-spatial skills, and higher levels of creativity. However, it is very difficult to equally expand your vocabulary in both languages, and chances are even lower when you speak more than three different languages.
At the end of the day, you can only train your memory so much, so speaking too many languages, although impressive, may lead to a smaller vocabulary in all of them.
Make healthier eating choices
Many clinical and social studies have linked a lack of education to obesity and poor dietary choices. According to these studies, people who didn’t graduate from high school are 40-50% more likely to become obese or overweight, while those with academic studies tend to live a more active lifestyle and make better dietary choices.
The truth is that you don’t have to be a genius to know that excess sugar, deep-fried foods and sodas will only cause health problems sooner or later. If you want to commit to a healthier lifestyle, you need to learn to eat properly.
A slice of pizza and a burger are delicious comfort foods you can indulge yourself in once in a while, but your daily diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, nuts, and fewer fats. Grilling and baking are healthier choices than deep-frying. Fish is a key ingredient in keeping your brain and muscles strong and healthy, so consider a 3.5-ounce serving of your favorite fish at least 2-3 times a week.
Healthy eating alone won’t boost your brain power. However, if you take brain boosting supplements like Nootropics that are known as cognitive enhancers, you are much more likely to experience significant benefit. Chemical Planet’s Nootropics are the best in the market today regarding quality and purity.
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