Most people think about staying physically fit, but keeping your brain in good shape takes just as much effort and thought, and you don’t need a tournament looming to make it worthwhile, either. In fact, a sharper mind helps with work, conversations, problem solving, and even stress – it’s just one of those things where you’ll see the benefits everywhere, usually in small ways, but they’re there nonetheless. With that in mind, here are some tips on keeping your brain tournament-ready all year.
A lot of people think they need to wait for the right moment to start working on their brain health, but small activities – the kind you generally do every day – are actually a lot more useful than one big effort. That could be reading for ten minutes, for example, doing a puzzle while you have your morning coffee, or perhaps taking a walk without your phone, and so on. These are all things that can help your mind stay active instead of just cruising along.
Even something simple like working through word jumble answers keeps your brain flexible, so whatever it is you like to do that requires a little bit of thinking, do it – it’s sure to help.
Your brain loves a bit of variety, and if you only do the same task or type of task over and over again, you’ll get good at one thing and not much else. That’s why it’s wise to try mixing it up, and do a numbers puzzle one day, logic puzzles the next, and perhaps a creative task after that, for example. And of course, slow challenges can be just as good as fast ones, so you can mix the speed and difficulty up too.
What’s really important is that you keep your brain curious because when you give it something new to chew on, it’s going to get stronger – like a muscle you’re training physically.
People sometimes forget that rest isn’t the opposite of productivity – it’s actually part of it (and quite a big part). The fact is, a tired mind isn’t going to think clearly, and it’s definitely not going to perform well when you need it to. That’s why you need to sleep, take short breaks, and step away from screens once in a while because it all helps your brain to rest and reset.
If you’ve ever tried solving a puzzle after staring at it for too long, you’ll know the feeling. But if you walk away and come back later, you’ll suddenly have the answer you were searching for, and that’s because your brain got a rest so it could work properly.
Did you know that moving physically helps your brain too? And the best part is you don’t need a strict routine for it to do some good – just a walk around the block, stretching while you watch TV, or tidying up the house can be enough as long as it increases blood flow and makes thinking easier. When you exercise, you’re shaking off the boredom your brain might be experiencing, and everything gets clearer again.
