Step up your Brain

Somewhere I had heard that brain cells stop growing after a certain time during adulthood. Try and google it, we may find some data for that also...But side by side we may come across something like...Learnability never stops!!

Let's not debate the point whether or not brain goes stagnant after a certain age. Let's focus on how to improve the brain and brain power. There are a lot of ways. These can be termed as brain exercises. With a little effort, we can find a lot of such sites which show us different brain exercices [both free and paid], e.g.,teasers, games, quizzes etc. I don't doubt their capability. They are good, in fact. One such site is http://www.braingle.com This site has loads of activities which can be performed to improve the power OR shall we say the capability of the brain.

However, usually such websites offer the solutions which require the person to sit and look at the computer. I know that you are reading this on a computer as well...but let's face it. Playing games or answering trivia or solving teasers sitting in front of a computer MAY improve the brain but at the cost of eyes and body. This is because these exercises take some time to perform.

The risk is:
If we perform good, we want to try more and more of such exercises, If we are slow, we might spend a lot of time on these things.

So my suggestion is to do:
1) We'll start with the old axiom A healthy mind resides in a healthy body...see more at http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/
Eat healthy to feel healthy. And yes, if possible, then physical exercise is a very good option.
2)Whatever method you choose to train your brain, never let these take a toll on your rest and sleep. A good sleep is a prerequisite to a fresh mind and a fresh mind is a prerequisite to a better learnability.
3)Improvement is a gradual process. Don't expect miracles...The high expectations might disappoint you. Let it flow slowly bit by bit. Absorb what you are trying with relaxed mind...You are doing this for your own good, right? If yes, then you have all the time in the world.
4)Try to work with these exercises away from computer. Take a printout instead or a pen and paper would suffice for most of the puzzles. Never strain yourself.
5)Let's keep computer,pen,paper out of picture. Give yourself some time to observe what is happening around you. See if you can find any other better ways to accomplish the same thing. Try to do things differently, but harmlessly :)
6)Say if you don't have Internet/Computer and you don't read this blog. Someone informs you of these things. Then would you say are we dependent on computers to improve our brain? The answer is a big NO. We can do away with computers as and when we want. For example:
a)Newspapers have been carrying out Crosswords, Sudoku and other puzzles like Spot the difference etc since long long time. Find some time to solve these. They are a terrific source of refreshing the brain PLUS improving it gradually.
b)Other activities may include exercising your brain with unusual acts,e.g., Write spellings reverted OR inverted OR reflected like- golb for blog.
c)Try to do things with your other hand. For example, you can try to practice writing with left hand if you are right handed OR vice versa. Once you master it, try step b) given above. Mind you, it is not easy and will take a lot of time.
d)Try to create,innovate...work constructively. You can try your hand at Origami-A japanese art of folding paper into various shapes.
e)Try and solve some Mathematics problems, which you had left years ago when you started your job. If interested, read things about economy, physics , biology -anything you like. It may be a part of your Curriculum or a detective novel.
f)You may also learn any new language, a new musical instrument or even painting- Anything which relaxes your mind, opening new vistas for your brain parallely.
g) Share your knowledge, experience, ideas with others. This will result in the in-flow of ideas from other people to your mind. Consequently, the improvement will come by.

h)Compete with others. Compete with yourself. Competition opens newer avenues and newer avenues mean newer level to which you can improve your understanding. [Sorry, if this point sounds weird]

Can't think of any more points now....Also the blog has grown quite long. I would suggest that we continue later sometime. Till then Step up your brain. Don't follow any advice on this page till you can feel it is correct. Your belief is important before you do anything to your mind :)