Cognitive exercises can benefit you in more ways than one. As you age, your cognitive functioning slows down and your memory starts to diminish, reports the Mayo Clinic. You do not have to feel helpless, however. You can take control over what happens and decrease the effects of aging. Eating a proper diet and staying active in all areas of your life will help your mind stay as sharp as possible.
Memory Games
Playing a variety of games can help your cognitive abilities, according to the Mayo Clinic. You can play memory games that include remembering sequences of items, text, story ideas and details. Or you can choose to play any number of word games that have you remembering word lists, developing words and/or finding words in a field of letters, advises the National Institute on Aging. Puzzles are cognitive exercises that will keep your mind active by using your memory recall abilities. You can put together jigsaw puzzles or play a crossword puzzle to stimulate your mind. Word search and word find fall into this category of cognitive exercises. The game known as Concentration is another example of a memory game.
Speed-of-Processing Games
You can play different games that the National Institute on Aging classifies as speed-of-processing games. While playing these games, you will see an object for an increasingly brief exposure period and learn to identify the object. Then you will quickly notice where another object is located on the screen. Your mind will be processing in short time spans, thereby stimulating your cognitive abilities. Seeing and identifying monsters and then locating them on the screen is an example of this type of cognitive exercise for seniors. Locating mines and walking through a maze filled with minefields is another example of a game you can play. Bubble games are another popular game in this category. Here, you match up colors at fast speeds to stimulate your thought processes.
Reasoning Exercises
Playing a variety of games that involve using your cognitive reasoning skills will also help you. Reasoning games involve learning strategies that have you finding a pattern in either a word, number or letter series. For instance, you could look at a series of numbers and notice similarities; then you would be asked what the next number sequence would be.
Stimulate Creativity
Using your creative skills is a beneficial cognitive exercise, says the Mayo Clinic. Not only can creativity delay the onset of dementia, it can also lessen any effects you may be experiencing from it. You will receive the best results the more frequently you engage in the activity. You can start playing a musical instrument, paint, draw, or go to concerts and cultural events to stimulate your creative juices. Start learning a new language to stimulate your mind and keep it operating properly.
Physical Activity
Fitting physical activity into your daily routine will help improve your cognitive abilities while also lessening the effects of cognitive impairments, reports the Mayo Clinic. You can go for daily walks or jogs, join a rowing club, do housecleaning or engage in a variety of everyday activities and benefit. Even if you are chair-bound, you can still get exercise that will benefit your overall health and cognitive skills.
About this Author
Crystal Welch has a 30-year writing history. Her more than 2,000 published works have been included in the health and fitness-related Wellness Directory, Earthdance Press and Higher Source. She is an award-winning writer who teaches whole foods cooking and has written a cookbook series. She operates an HON-code-certified health-related blog with more than 95,000 readers. Welch has a B.B.A. from Eastern Michigan University.
