BRAINERCISE

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BrAiN TrainERs

How to sharpen your noodle and smarten up in a jiffy

Of all the things you’ve got to remember – call your mum, pick up some washing powder, put the rubbish out – training your brain probably isn’t near the top of your list. But if you’ve started drawing a blank when someone asks for your mobile number or you’ve put your keys in the fridge twice in one month, perhaps it’s time to put your grey matter through its paces. New research shows that with the right training, you can actually improve your brain function as you get older. Practise these tricks and you’ll be acing it down the bingo hall for years to come.

1 Become a better problem-solver.

Try this exercise from Carol Vorderman’s Super Brain: 101 Ways to a More Agile Mind. Get a pen and paper and pick one or more of the following and come up with 10–15 solutions for each problem. No idea is too ridiculous when you brainstorm like this. What would you do if: – you were on a flight to America and the passenger next to you kept talking to you and all you wanted to do was read your book? – you were asked for new ways to improve on the design of women’s tights? – you wanted to buy something but couldn’t afford it? – your boss made impossible demands on your time?

Now try using this approach to real-life problems as well.

2. “You know – what’s his face.

That bloke with the dark hair. And the big nose. And the hairy mole.” If you have trouble with names you’re not alone. Most of us have a natural ability to remember faces, but always coming out with the name of someone you’ve met but don’t know well does wonders for your popularity. The trick is to repeat your new acquaint-ance’s name several times during your initial conversation: “Hi, Ben, great to meet you. So, Ben, what do you do when you’re not working? Would you like to come up for coffee, Ben?” You get the idea. Afterwards repeat the name a few more times to yourself. Another trick is to associate their name with someone famous or someone they resemble. Practise with the next five people you meet and soon it’ll become a habit.

3 Drop the remote and pick up a paper.

Some TV programmes are informative but most of them just leave your mind coasting in neutral. In fact, studies have shown that you have the same level of brain activity staring at a blank wall as you do watching television. Reading strengthens the language areas of your brain and engages the left side and the right side at the same time. For maximum benefit, pause every now and then and summarise what you’ve just read. This helps “fix” the information so you can show off your knowledge of current affairs at dinner parties.

4 Get stocked up on superfoods.

Add these to your shopping list:

walnuts, flaxseed oil, mackerel, salmon, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, green tea and dark chocolate. Antioxidant-rich foods and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to nourish and protect the brain. In fact, researchers found that pregnant women whose weekly diet included at least 350g of seafood – a good source of omega-3s – had children with higher IQ scores, a lower risk of behavioural problems, and fewer difficulties with fine motor skills, communication and social development. And our favourite scientists ever have found that the flavonols in dark chocolate help to improve blood flow, which may help prevent dementia.

5 A healthy mind in a healthy body.

We all know that exercise is good for your heart and shrinks your love handles but, by increasing blood supply to your brain, it can also help you think faster and improve your memory. The next time you’re taking a walk with someone stop at intervals, close your eyes and describe to your friend whatever you hear, smell or feel. Get them to do the same. This can sharpen your recall skills. Handy if you’ve been busy killing off brain cells with a few nights on the tiles.

6 Think you’ve got a good memory?

Play this game with your family and see how you compare against each other: get a tea tray and place 10 random items on it like house keys, a watch, a hairclip etc. Everyone gets a minute to look at the items. Someone takes one of them away and the first person to guess what’s missing gets a point. Then shuffle them round and take two away, then three, and so on. Warning: this could lead to Monopoly-style family feuds.

7 - And the answer is… 40 winks.

Write down a single-sentence summary of your problem or project. Then write down a few related keywords. Review the problem in your mind for a few minutes and make a conscious request to yourself to think about it while you sleep. Now, forget about it and go to sleep. As soon as you wake up, read the summary and keywords. Chances are, some new and interesting ideas will come to mind. Write these down and review them later. You may find that the answer to your problem has come to you in your sleep.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Zen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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