Looking for a fast fix that can strengthen neural connections and even create new ones?
Change the hand you are using, right now, to control the computer mouse or touchpad.
What do you notice? Is it more difficult, especially to be precise and accurate? Do you feel like you did when you first learned to tie a bow, or to master some other intricate skill?
Don’t worry – the awkwardness is just because your brain is learning a new skill.
Try other neural building and strengthening exercises using everyday actions. Shower with your eyes closed, operate the TV remote or brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand,
sign your name with both hands simultaneously, or walk through the house with closed eyes, forcing your brain to reconstruct where the doors and furniture are.
Try holding your book upside down to read! This gives your brain a great workout. Draw a circle with your non-dominant hand and then colour it in – careful not to go over the edge.
Take every opportunity to exercise your brain during your normal daily activities. Think of a word and mentally spell it backwards, count backwards from 200 subtracting 7 each time: 200, 193, 186….
Brain exercise can be fitted in anywhere, anytime. Your brain will thank you by becoming sharper, more alert, and mentally flexible.
Dr. Allison Lamont (dr.lamont@memoryclinic.co.nz ) is founder and consultant at the Christchurch Memory Clinic. With her sister Gillian Eadie, a renowned educator, the Brain and Memory Foundation was established to disseminate the information needed to retain a sharp, alert brain and build a buffer against future memory loss.
Visit the websites: http://brainandmemoryfoundation.org and http://memoryclinic.co.nz to browse for information on memory and memory loss prevention.
Try Memory Tune, the 14-issue memory improvement course that can be taken right in your own home. You will find it at http://brainandmemoryfoundation.org .
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