What do Alan Greenspan, Warren Buffett, and Sumner Redstone have in common? Leaders who are as sharp at 60 as they were at 25 constantly hone their cognitive fitness: their ability to reason, remember, learn, plan, and adapt. According to Gilkey and Kilts, such executives practice specific techniques to stimulate development of new brain cells and neural networks: They use indirect experiences such as observation or simulations to form new neural pathways, regularly engage in play, search for patterns in seemingly unrelated fields of endeavor, and seek novel experiences.

But the best leaders do more than just enhance their own cognitive fitness. While direct experience is key to enhancing mental capacity, your brain also has specialized nerve cells that enable you to form new neural networks through indirect experiences such as observation, simulations, and case studies.

These indirect experiences accelerate your learning and present you with fresh perspectives valuable for informed decision making. Play engages the prefrontal cortex, responsible for your highest-level cognitive functions—including self-knowledge, memory, mental imagery, and incentive and reward processing.

To get the most out of play, participate in games and activities involving risk. Risk alerts the brain and activates your reason and imagination capacities.

Activities like bridge, chess, sudoku, role-playing games, and challenging crossword puzzles all provide rigorous neural workouts.

Encourage structured play environments in your organization, such as the Zen dens, play spaces, and chat chambers at a host of various Silicon Valley companies. Pattern recognition is crucial for executives trying to make sense of a rapidly changing business environment.

Through pattern recognition, you scan the environment, create meaning from large amounts of seemingly unrelated data, and rapidly assess situations so you can take quick, appropriate action. To cultivate pattern recognition in your brain, challenge and expand your existing mind-set, experiencing new places for example, visiting a museum and talking with locals during business trips , and listening to different viewpoints.

Novel experiences stimulate your brain to generate the new knowledge needed for pattern recognition. Winston Churchill was outspoken on the sacred rites of smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before, after, and during meals—and in the intervals in between. But he was also exceptionally active mentally.

As historians have duly noted, Churchill went on to live until That speaks volumes for the information that is now coming to light about how the brain can affect the body.

New research in neuroscience shows how to stay sharp by exercising your brain. by Roderick Gilkey and Clint Kilts. A research report suggests that using all your senses may help strengthen your brain.

To give your senses and your brain a workout, try doing activities that simultaneously engage all five of your senses. Learning a new skill is not only fun and interesting, but it may also help strengthen the connections in your brain.

Research from also shows that learning a new skill can help improve memory function in older adults. You now have one more good reason to learn that new skill.

After you learn a new skill, you need to practice it. Teaching it to someone else requires you to explain the concept and correct any mistakes you make. For example, learn to swing a golf club, then teach the steps to a friend.

Do you want an easy way to increase your creative brain power? The answer may lie in turning on some music. According to a study , listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being in silence. Which means, cranking up some feel-good music can help boost your creative thinking and brain power.

And if you want to learn how to play music , now is a great time to start because your brain is capable of learning new skills at any point in your life. Instead, be willing to try new ways to do the same things. Choose a different route to get to work each week or try a different mode of transport, like biking or using public transport instead of driving.

Your brain can benefit from this simple change, and you might be surprised by how easy it is to change your thinking. Daily meditation can calm your body, slow your breathing, and reduce stress and anxiety. A review of research has overwhelmingly proven the many cognitive benefits of being able to speak more than one language.

According to numerous studies, bilingualism can contribute to better memory, improved visual-spatial skills, and higher levels of creativity.

Being fluent in more than one language may also help you switch more easily between different tasks, and delay the onset of age-related mental decline. According to researchers, you can boost your memory and improve other mental functions by becoming a student of a new language at any time in your life.

Plus, it can also help center you when life seems out of balance. Taking up a regular practice of tai chi can help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and improve memory.

A study found that long-term tai chi practice could induce structural changes in the brain, resulting in an increase in brain volume.

Beginners do best by taking a class to learn the different movements. But once you know the basics, you can practice tai chi anywhere, anytime. The next time you interact with someone, take note of four things about them. Maybe you observe the color of their shirt or pants. Are they wearing glasses?

Do they have a hat on, and if so, what kind of hat? What color is their hair? Once you decide on four things to remember, make a mental note, and come back to it later in the day. Write down what you remember about those four details.

Focusing on your brain health is one of the best things you can do to improve your concentration, focus, memory, and mental agility, no matter what age you are. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Practicing certain lifestyle habits may help boost your intelligence and stimulate your brain.

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Helpful brain exercises can include Sodoku, Scrabble, brainteasers, and mazes. Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Stanford Center on Longevity. A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community. Yuki A, Lee S, Kim H, Kozakai R, Ando F, Shimokata H.

Relationship between physical activity and brain atrophy progression. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Liu PZ, Nusslock R. Exercise-mediated neurogenesis in the hippocampus via BDNF. Front Neurosci. Elwood P, Galante J, Pickering J, et al.

Healthy lifestyles reduce the incidence of chronic diseases and dementia: evidence from the Caerphilly cohort study. PLoS One. Park DC, Lodi-Smith J, Drew L, et al. The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: the Synapse Project.

Psychol Sci. Palmer MD. Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness, by Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin. Sommerlad A, Sabia S, Singh-manoux A, Lewis G, Livingston G. Association of social contact with dementia and cognition: year follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort study.

PLoS Med. Lardone A, Liparoti M, Sorrentino P, et al. Mindfulness meditation is related to long-lasting changes in hippocampal functional topology during resting state: A magnetoencephalography study.

Neural Plast. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How much physical activity do adults need? Stankov L, Lee J. We can boost IQ: Revisiting Kvashchev's experiment.

J Intell. By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book.

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Learn more. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Older adults should aim for at least minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, according to current physical activity guidelines, though you may want to consider mixing in bursts of high-intensity activity.

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. These Games Can Lower Dementia Risk. com Medical Review Board Prevention Awards Win. Skip to Content Health Beauty Fitness Nutrition Life. sign in. BEST WALKING SHOES VALENTINE'S GIFTS FOR HER VALENTINE'S GIFTS FOR HIM BEST HAMSTRING STRETCHES HEALTHY SMOOTHIE RECIPES.

Why might exercise sharpen your memory and thinking? The best physical exercises for your memory Currently, the CDC recommends that most adults get at least minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Do squats or march in place while watching TV : The multi-tasking component of getting your heart rate up and taking in new information is more impactful than you might realize.

Start a walking routine : Dr. Rabin says taking walks is great for memory. Stroll around the neighborhood and take note of your route. Memorize said route, and when you feel good about it, establish another. Rotate through your routes every few weeks to keep your memory and your exercise regimen fresh.

Use the stairs: If you find it difficult to make time for movement, work it into your day by opting for the stairs instead of the elevator. If you want to do more vigorous movement, like the above study suggests, you can try some heart-pumping workouts like: HIIT workouts : This interval training is sure to make you break a sweat, and it challenges your memory by repeating a circuit of movements that you can improve on over time.

Running: Running gets the heart rate up relatively quickly, and can help with emotional balance, and therefore memory, per the CDC. With enough distance, it still increases the heart rate and blood flow, which is ideal for brain health.

A review notes that sleep has been proven to:. As such, making sure to get enough sleep each night is an important step toward maintaining a healthy brain. Brain exercises can be as simple as actively engaging the brain in everyday tasks.

Others are targeted workouts for the brain, specifically designed to enhance memory, cognition, or creativity. Exercising the brain may help improve brain function and boost connectivity between the different areas.

This may help protect the brain from age-related degeneration. People are likely to differ in terms of the brain exercises they find most enjoyable. It may be a good idea to try a range of brain-training activities at first and to stick with those that provide the most enjoyment or reward.

The diet can have a significant impact on the brain's function. A brain-healthy diet, rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, can boost memory…. Are you looking for ways to improve your mind and boost brain power in ?

Look no further; we have compiled the best brain enhancing methods to try. Brain atrophy can refer to a loss of brain cells or a loss in the number of connections between these cells.

In this article, learn about the symptoms…. Researchers found that applying controlled electric shocks to some areas of the brain may improve long-term and working memory in older adults.

Learn about the symptoms and causes of Becker muscular dystrophy. This article also looks at treatment options, how doctors diagnose the condition…. My podcast changed me Can 'biological race' explain disparities in health? Why Parkinson's research is zooming in on the gut Tools General Health Drugs A-Z Health Hubs Health Tools Find a Doctor BMI Calculators and Charts Blood Pressure Chart: Ranges and Guide Breast Cancer: Self-Examination Guide Sleep Calculator Quizzes RA Myths vs Facts Type 2 Diabetes: Managing Blood Sugar Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or Fiction Connect About Medical News Today Who We Are Our Editorial Process Content Integrity Conscious Language Newsletters Sign Up Follow Us.

Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Jon Johnson — Updated on April 4, Meditation Visualizing more Playing games Card games Crosswords Puzzles Sudoku Chess Checkers Video games Socializing Learning new skills Increasing vocabulary Learning a language Listening to music Musical instruments Engaging hobbies Regular exercise Dancing Sports Tai chi Sleeping Summary Brain exercises may help boost and maintain brain function.

Visualizing more. Playing games. Playing memory card games. Practicing crossword puzzles. Completing jigsaw puzzles. Playing sudoku. Playing chess. Playing checkers. Playing video games. Learning new skills. Increasing personal vocabulary. Learning a new language. Listening to music. Learning a musical instrument.

Taking up engaging hobbies. Exercising regularly. Engaging in sports. Practicing tai chi. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Atlantic diet may help prevent metabolic syndrome. How exactly does a healthy lifestyle help prevent dementia? Related Coverage. Medically reviewed by Katherine Marengo LDN, R. How to boost your brain Are you looking for ways to improve your mind and boost brain power in ?

In addition to good nutrition, regular exercise can promote vascular health to help protect brain tissue. Avoiding ruts and boredom is also critical. Bender, adding that some researchers believe people are more vulnerable to dementia when they pay less attention to the things around them.

Therefore, sedentary and relatively passive activities, such as sitting in front of a TV for hours a day, can be detrimental to brain health over time.

Physical exercise can also be particularly beneficial for the brain. And a small study published in July in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society found that a single moderate-intensity workout session immediately before a cognitive task resulted in greater brain activation.

The researchers measured the brain activity of 26 healthy adults ages 55 to 85 on two separate days. On one day, they had participants rest for 30 minutes before identifying famous and nonfamous names; on a separate day, they had participants pedal a stationary bike for 30 minutes before doing the same activity.

The result: There was significantly greater brain activation after exercise. This finding led researchers to conclude that exercise can immediately change the way our brains function, which added to existing scientific evidence that physical activity helps strengthen brain function and memory.

Health experts recommend sticking to brain training that involves real-world activities instead. Exercises to strengthen brain function should offer novelty and challenge. Brush your teeth with your opposite hand.

Your morning newspaper is a great place to start. Morley, MD , a professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University in Missouri. In addition to word games, Dr. Morley recommends the following exercises to sharpen your mental skills. Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport.

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DailyOM Courses. About DailyOM Most Popular Courses New Releases Trending Courses See All. By Linda Melone. Medically Reviewed. Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD. 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.