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Next up video playing in 10 seconds. A Whole-Body Approach to a Healthy Brain So what types of exercises might benefit your brain? Test your recall. Make a list — grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind — and memorize it.

An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. Make the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation. One small past study suggested that writing and organizing lists helped older adults recall word lists more effectively.

Let the music play. Learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Learning new and complex skills is good for the aging brain, and a past review published in The Gerontologist suggested that musical activities like playing a musical instrument, singing in a choir, or taking piano lessons showed particular promise for healthy brain aging, though research is limited.

Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of a pencil, paper, or computer. You can make this exercise more difficult — and athletic — by walking at the same time. Take a cooking class. Learn how to cook a new cuisine.

Cooking uses a number of senses — smell, touch, sight, and taste — that involve different parts of the brain. Learn a foreign language.

Bridge is a card game that involves critical thinking, memory, and strategic decision-making. It can be an enjoyable way to keep your brain sharp. An older study of people ages suggests that playing bridge may improve working memory and reasoning, but not vocabulary and reaction time.

Brain exercises, from chess to dual n-back training, serve as dynamic tools to keep our minds agile and resilient. But research is mixed and further. They may enhance memory, problem-solving, and cognitive abilities. They may also contribute to structural changes in the brain, fostering neural reserve.

For convenient access, explore online platforms and make enhancing cognitive abilities a regular part of your routine. Your brain will thank you for the workout! Neuroplasticity may mean your brain can grow and heal on its own. If you're living with a mental health condition, your brain's ability to regenerate….

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can change your brain. Research says yes. Researchers have found that years of meditation can change the structure and function of the brain.

Here's how. Creating a schedule and managing stress are ways to make your days go by faster. Changing your perception of time can also improve your overall…. Experiencing unwanted and difficult memories can be challenging.

But learning how to replace negative memories with positive ones may help you cope. There are many reasons why spider dreams may occur, like unresolved feelings or chronic stress. Learning how to interpret your dream may help you cope. Tornado dreams are manifestations of the subconscious mind that may indicate various interpretations, such as personal fears or major life changes.

Work burnout occurs due to chronic stress and other factors, such as long work hours or toxic workplace culture. But help is available for you to cope.

If you dream about someone dying this may occur for various reasons, such as life changes or dealing with grief. But support is available to help you…. Domestic Violence Screening Quiz Emotional Type Quiz Loneliness Quiz Parenting Style Quiz Personality Test Relationship Quiz Stress Test What's Your Sleep Like?

Psych Central. Conditions Discover Quizzes Resources. Medically reviewed by Tiffany Taft, PsyD — By Traci Pedersen on November 27, New language Active reading Mindfulness Chess Dual n-back Crosswords Sudoku Go Bridge Recap Engaging in brain exercises, such as completing a sudoku puzzle, enhances cognitive abilities, boosts memory, and promotes overall mental well-being.

Learning a new language. Active reading and note-taking. Mindful breathing meditation. Strategic online chess. A  study published in the journal NeuroImage: Clinical found that six months of strength training can help prevent shrinkage of the hippocampus in older adults. Another study , published in the Archives of Internal Medicine , compared the effects of two different types of exercise done once or twice weekly over 12 months among women ages 65 to 75 — balance and tone training and resistance training — and found that pumping iron produced the best results for memory and other cognition measurements.

AARP Membership — Memorial Day Sale. LIMITED TIME OFFER. Join now and get a FREE GIFT! They also had more activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain where higher-level thinking occurs.

Adults with mild cognitive impairment due to dementia saw a boost in cognitive ability too. Ciolek points out that tai chi is a great form of exercise because it combines mental focus with movement.

In other words, the brain has to think about what comes next while the body stays active. A landmark New England Journal of Medicine study followed seniors for more than 20 years and found that regular dancing reduced the risk of dementia by 76 percent — twice as much as reading.

More recently, a review published in the journal Current Alzheimer Research concluded that dance interventions improved cognitive function in dementia patients.

More generally, experts recommend that people try to stay on their feet as much as possible. A study that Small and others published in the journal PLOS ONE found that adults ages 45 to 75 who sat at least three hours a day had substantial thinning of their medial temporal lobe, a part of the brain responsible for the formation of new memories.

Even if you tend to sit more than you move, don't jump into activity, which can raise the risk of physical injury. Instead, Casaletto recommends that you start slowly and work your way up. This can be intentionally parking a little farther away from the grocery store, doing wall sits while you brush your teeth, going for a walk during your next phone call, standing while you take that meeting or even doing five sit-ups during a commercial break.

Hallie Levine is a contributing writer and an award-winning medical and health reporter. Her work has appeared in  The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Real Simple, Health and Time , among other publications.

Editor's note: This article, originally published on March 2, , has been updated to reflect new information. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Real Simple, Health and Time , among other publications. AARP Staying Sharp. The 9 Worst Habits for Your Brain.

Bad choices and everyday missteps could harm your cognition. Here's how to combat several of them.