Five mental workouts (from The Huffington Post)

In a previous post, I described a study in which bilingualism was associated with delayed onset of dementia. In other research, it was found that those with the highest levels of mental activity throughout their lifetime showed lower levels of amyloid protein buildup in their brains which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. More generally, the intimate mind-body connection suggests that a fit mind promotes a healthy body and vice versa.

Given this background a recent article in The Huffington Post caught my attention. It described 5 workouts for the brain to promote mental fitness:

1. Learn a language
2. Practice Yoga
3. Play an instrument
4. Do math
5. Develop your senses

A word of warning: These are not short 7-minute workout type activities; they represent challenging long-term investments in your mental fitness. For example, it may take years to learn a language or learn how to play an instrument; moreover, both are much more difficult to accomplish later in life. Nevertheless they are worthwhile long-term goals.

From a personal perspective, I attempt workouts 4 and 5 when I can. "Doing math" doesn't mean proving Fermat's Last Theorem or solving some crazy complex problem. Instead, I like to calculate the bill with tax and tip (if required) in my head while they are ringing me up. This type of simple mental arithmetic is comparable to doing mental jumping jacks. It is also important to take the time to engage the senses whether sight, hearing, touch or smell. Indeed the loss of the sense of smell may be associated with Alzheimer's disease (link).

So stop and smell the roses (Figure 1), and listen to the music, and determine your bill without a calculator.

Figure 1. Smelling the roses and engaging your senses can promote mental fitness.