Exercising our minds is just as important as exercising our bodies if we want to get the most from life. And while our brains naturally change with age, cognitive impairment doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of getting older.
Over the years, scientists have frequently explored the ‘use it or lose it’ approach, which suggests that for our brains to stay in peak condition, we need to exercise them.
Research also shows that people who do more mentally stimulating activities have better critical thinking skills later in life.
With this in mind, here are 20 ways to help keep your mind sharp as you age.
1. Solve puzzles or play brain games
Whether it’s Sudoku, crosswords, word searches, jigsaw puzzles, or memory games – there’s a brain game out there for everyone to enjoy.
Puzzle-solving comes with a host of mental benefits, including enhanced memory function, increased IQ, and improved visual and spatial reasoning skills (the skills needed to perceive, analyse, and understand visual information).
2. Use your non-dominant hand to perform tasks
Using your non-dominant hand challenges and engages your brain in an entirely new way. So, why not consider using it to perform tasks like eating or writing? It will force your brain out of autopilot mode by making it think more about your movements.
While this can feel awkward and tiring at first, it’s a positive sign that your brain is working hard to develop new learning pathways. With practice, you’ll become more efficient at using your non-dominant hand.
Plus, learning to use your other hand more often can also have physical benefits, such as avoiding injury from repetitive strain.
3. Mix up your diet
It’s easy to stay within our comfort zone with food. Perhaps you have the same chicken wrap every day for lunch, or you find yourself choosing from the same dinner options every night out of convenience.
While there’s nothing wrong with sticking to foods you’re familiar with, it can be good to occasionally mix up your diet and try something new.
For inspiration, you might like to visit our food and drink section. Here, you’ll find a range of delicious suggestions, including meal ideas to suit every diet and recipes from around the world.
For example, you could have a Mexican cooking night, whip up some Thai food, or spend an afternoon baking. Increasing the variety within your diet will be a real treat for your taste buds, and will also keep your mind active while you enjoy and appreciate new flavours.
Often, when we start exploring and experimenting with different foods, we also learn more about food in general (nutritional breakdown, calories, and so on), which can help us make healthier choices. So, it’s a win-win.
4. Change up your daily routine
Our brains are always working, but they do far less when we simply repeat the same actions over and over. For this reason, it’s a good idea to change up your routine every so often to keep your brain alert.
For example, if you usually walk, run, or cycle the same route, why not try going a different way next time? Or, consider slotting a new activity into your daily routine – like 10 minutes of meditation first thing in the morning.
It’s these changes in activity that help take our minds off cruise control and put them back into gear as they increase brain activity in several different areas.
5. Learn to knit
Alongside the physical benefits of knitting, such as a reduced risk of arthritis and tendinitis, there are also plenty of mental benefits.
When you knit, you use your whole brain. This includes the frontal lobe (responsible for planning, attention, and processing), the occipital lobe (processes visual information), the parietal lobe (deals with spatial navigation and sensory information), the temporal lobe (stores memories and interprets language and meaning), and the cerebellum (coordinates the timing of movement).
This high mental engagement helps to keep your mind sharp. As a result, knitting is often used to help people with diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s improve their motor function.
6. Challenge yourself to read differently
If you usually read in your head, you could try reading out loud or listening to an audiobook instead. This is because reading in a new way can encourage your brain to use different circuits.
You could also try reading different genres of books or joining a book club where you’ll be exposed to different opinions and interpretations.
7. Take an exercise class
Low-impact classes that focus on slow, controlled movements and breathing
Low-intensity exercise classes like yoga and Tai Chi allow us to step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and actively engage our minds and bodies as we perform slow, controlled, and precise body movements.
These activities allow us to focus on the daily practices we often take for granted, such as breathing, balance, and motion.
Focus intently on each body movement takes practice and gives your mind a great workout. Research has linked both Tai Chi and yoga to improved brain health.
8. Do sums with a pen and paper (or in your head!)
Most of us don’t think twice about using a calculator to work out maths equations. But, if you’re looking to keep your mind sharp, it can be helpful to swap your calculator for a pen and paper, or do some mental maths.
It can feel slow and time-consuming, but you might be surprised how quickly your maths skills improve with a little practise.
9. Play card games
Every card game is different, but they all require you to make decisions based on what’s in front of you at the time.
Playing cards is a great activity for developing your problem-solving skills and helping you think on your feet. Studies also suggest that playing cards can improve both short and long-term memory.
10. Learn a new language
Scientists believe that learning a new language at any stage in life can help improve brain function. One theory behind this is that your brain has to work harder to learn how to switch between two different languages.
Learning a language can also open up new work and travel experiences, which can further stimulate your mind. Our article on the benefits of learning a new language has more information.
If you’re keen to learn a language, but the idea overwhelms you, you might find our articles, 9 most spoken languages that are useful to learn and 6 languages that are easier for English speakers to learn, useful. These also offer tips on useful learning platforms such as Duolingo, where you can start learning a new language in bite-sized chunks for just a few minutes each day.
11. Practise mindfulness
Many people don’t initially think of mindfulness as a way to keep their minds sharp because it involves quieting the mind. But, in reality, it’s all about focus and training your brain.
The ability to filter out negative thoughts and focus only on the present moment is a skill that takes practise. Mindfulness also encourages you to engage more with your surroundings and explore your senses. These heightened sensory experiences are great for stimulating your brain.
12. Make diverse social connections
When we spend time with others, we open ourselves up to new ideas. And, our brain benefits most when we connect with people who are different from ourselves – for example, those with different careers, cultures, or interests.
We can learn far more from people who don’t share all the same ideas as us than from people who do, which can lead to mental growth and stimulation.
Try to intentionally seek out people who are different from you. Doing so will open up your mind to new perspectives and experiences. Just because someone has interests that are wildly different to yours, doesn’t mean that you won’t get along. As the saying goes, opposites attract!
13. Rely less on technology
Technology has made so many aspects of life easier and more accessible, but it also has drawbacks. When technology does things for us, we tend to switch off and think in far less depth than we usually would.
For example, when we use GPS navigation to drive somewhere, we’re less likely to remember how to get there without it, even after visiting the same location a few times. This is simply because we don’t need to worry about remembering it, as we can always use the satnav next time.
The days when people memorised one another’s phone numbers are also now a distant memory because our smartphones do all the work for us.
Sometimes it can help to go back to basics to engage and develop your mind. Consider using a paper map every now and then and make a conscious effort to remember your route, or try to learn a couple of phone numbers that you know you’ll use regularly.
One example of how memorising routes can benefit your brain is to look at London cab drivers, who have to memorise 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks before they can become licensed cabbies. Research has shown that the average London cab driver has a larger-than-average hippocampus (the part of the brain which is responsible for storing memories), showing how their brains have developed with their intensive memory training.
14. Learn to paint or draw
If you’d like to increase your concentration skills, reduce anxiety, and improve your memory, why not learn to paint or draw? As well as being a creative outlet, research also suggests that being artistic can strengthen the neural pathways responsible for focus and attention.
Many people avoid painting and drawing because they fear they won’t be any good, but anyone can learn with a little patience and practice. Appreciation of art is also largely down to interpretation, so while there’s always room for improvement, it’s impossible to get ‘wrong’.
15. Eat with chopsticks
Using chopsticks can be tricky if you’ve never used them before, and it involves a great deal of patience, especially when you’re really hungry. However, after the first time, things will usually get easier, and you’ll be able to appreciate the benefits for both mind and body.
Using chopsticks forces your brain to work to master the skill, which will improve your coordination over time. You’ll also tend to eat more slowly and mindfully. Not only is this better for digestion, but it can also heighten your senses, as you’ll have more time to appreciate the smells and flavours.
16 . Watch thought-provoking movies or TV shows
Most of us watch films and TV shows, but how often do you watch anything that challenges your thinking?
Whether we realise it or not, we pick up a lot of our information and cultural awareness from what we see on TV. Documentaries, films based on true events, or those that offer a cultural experience are all great places to start.
17. Learn an instrument
Learning to play an instrument isn’t only great for stimulating your mind, but it can also add a whole new dimension to your life.
When we learn to play music, we naturally become more curious about songs we hear on the
18. Play video games
More and more people are taking up video gaming later in life, and for good reason. According to research, playing video games can make the regions of the brain responsible for attention and visuospatial skills more efficient.
They can also give you a chance to connect with your inner child, escape the stresses of daily life, and improve your hand-eye coordination and alertness.
So, if you needed an excuse to buy a games console, or borrow your children’s or grandchildren’s, now you have it!
19. Keep up with events around the world
The world around us is constantly changing, and keeping up with global events can be a helpful way to stimulate your mind and keep it sharp. You might naturally be drawn to news about your specific interests (such as sports, politics, or science), but it’s a good idea to delve into other news, too, if you really want to challenge yourself.
Perhaps you could make it your goal to focus more on news and history from a specific region in the world that you know little about, or maybe you’d be interested in reading some in-depth, personal items from people who’ve been personally affected by current events.
The world is a diverse place, with so much to learn about and explore – even from the comfort of your living room – so it’s important to stay curious.
20. Set goals and work towards them
One of the most effective ways to keep your mind sharp is to set goals and work towards them. This allows you to continue learning, developing, and moving forward. To identify and remind yourself of your goals, it can be helpful to create a vision board or make a five-year plan.
Once you master any skill, it’s important to consider what you’ll learn next or how to develop that skill further. When we learn to perform a skill well, our brains tend to relax and are no longer as stimulated as they once were.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to try to master skills where there’s always more to learn! Some of the skills above, like learning a musical instrument or painting and drawing, are perfect examples of this.
Final thoughts…
Your brain is the most important asset you have, so it’s important to make sure it gets the opportunity to learn and develop. Challenging and stimulating your brain with new activities and experiences is a great way to do this, and can improve your happiness and general wellbeing, too.
Never be afraid to learn something new or to let your curiosity lead the way, because as Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
