Why exercise is so good for brain health
Most of the time, our brains are on autopilot. We wake up brush our teeth, get in the car drive to work, and throughout the day we follow the same routines, we do the by using the same old pathways in our brain.
So what happens when you decide to switch things up and start training your brain. this blog is going to provide you with a list of exercises you can do to do just that.
Exercise is medicine when it comes to the brain and we want to challenge it so it can create new pathways re-wire and grow, this is known as neuroplasticity.
Think of it like trying the rest of your body at the gym. If you always do the same exercise, nothing changes. But add a new challenge, and you get stronger. These exercises will do the same thing for your brain.
So every time you do one of these movements and do something different, you’re not just breaking routine, you’re going to be future-proofing your brain.
And they are all so easy to do as most of them you are doing anyway you're just doing them differently than before, so give them a go.
Physical exercises to try at home:
Brush teeth with your non-dominant hand
Eat with your non-dominant hand
Get dressed in a different order to what you are used too
Take a different route when walking, driving, or cycling to somewhere you go often
Change the order of your morning routine
Do chores with your opposite hand
Stand on one leg while doing simple tasks
Challenge yourself to do activities in the dark, like showering. However keep safe!
Cognitive challenges to try at home:
Learn a few words in a new language daily and say them out loud.
Write/doodle with your “wrong” hand.
Try to identify objects by touch only (close eyes, feel keys, coins, or fruit).
Listen to music from a genre you don’t usually choose and focus on the instruments.
Read aloud instead of silently (engages auditory + speech centres).
Do a memory recall exercise (try to list what you ate yesterday, or 10 capitals of countries, etc.).