Work to keep your mind sharp with these enjoyable activities!
You should want to keep your mind sharp in retirement! While we all envision our golden years to be the best years we will ever have, there are certain things that are associated with aging that should concern all of us.
While memory loss and cognitive decline sound scary, these are some of the most prominent concerns for senior adults, and we should not turn our heads away just because the idea is scary.
Given that there are a lot of myths and speculations around senior memory, we should mention that there are lots of things that can affect you and contribute to your mental capacities declining; some of them may be genetic, and some of them could be due to outside influence.
Despite mental decline being part of some seniors’ golden years, it does not mean that you should be scared of it, nor should you try to ignore this possibility.
A good course of action is to try to do certain things to make sure you are keeping your brain trained and your mental capacities fortified. If you are looking for a way to try to delay cognitive decline and start to do brain exercises that are proven to help keep your mind strong, keep on reading!
Have you started to do these types of mental exercises? Which one is your favorite, and why? Let us know in the comments down below!
Why you should strive to keep your mind sharp?
You may not give much attention to mental sharpness now if you are just going to retire or have recently retired, but in a few years, you may find that it is extremely important.
The idea of upholding your cognitive skills is not that everyone is worried you will suddenly forget to do things, but rather that upholding them lowers the chances of it happening every time.
Studies have shown that older and senior adults who do these types of mental exercises have both slowed down any age-related cognitive decline and reduced the risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive decline-related diseases. Not to mention, they are also associated with a longer life expectancy, which is just another perk added to the list!
The moral of the story is that while it may not sound too interesting or even useful to you now, none of these things we will discuss are going to cause you any harm. So even if you are not at risk of developing the aforementioned conditions, improving your mental fortitude and upkeeping your skills has benefits and no drawbacks!
Now that we have explored why, let’s meet the best 5 mental exercises you can try! Don’t worry, they are actually lots of fun, and change may have it that you are already fond of them!
Making use of computer apps!
Never underestimate technology, either, when it comes to doing mental exercises.
Some senior adults make it a point to keep up with any technological progress out there because they are interested, and others use it as a mental exercise. You may not take to the new technology fast, or it may be difficult, but it is a good way to make sure your mind stays sharp and you do not fall behind with technology.
There are courses and educational programs out there you can join in order to make sure you do not fall behind with the new technology if you feel like everything is new and moving too fast.
At the same time, there are a lot of applications and online activities made specifically for seniors to learn and master new technology while maintaining their cognitive skills.
If you are already familiar with new technology, then you should also look into doing an upgrade, learning more, or just using the technology for the types of activities and games we have mentioned earlier. There are lots of online activities that will keep your mind sharp; you just have to give them a true shot!
Word searches!
One of the best things to do to keep your mind sharp is to pick up doing word searches. They are some of the best mental exercises out there, and they are useful in a lot of areas, not just when it comes to keeping the brain active and trained.
Some of the skills needed in order to complete a word search include vocabulary knowledge, spelling knowledge, and strong visual skills to be able to detect all the words.
What’s more, it also helps you train your concentration, and they have been used time and time again by older adults in order to keep their vocabulary skills intact while also training their vision to remain just as sharp as their mind.
Not to mention, this one makes for an amazing game to play with the grandkids, as they are bound to love the challenge.
Trivia games!
Another popular and appreciated mental exercise for senior adults includes trivia games! This type of exercise trains both recall and the sense of memory, as you will have to rely on the information you already know to be able to successfully play these games.
The most exciting part of these games is that you can play them in groups, be it individually or in pairs and that you can choose between your favorite categories.
Not only will you be able to make sure everyone feels included, but you will also be able to engage all your loved ones and close ones in such a game by appealing to their competitive spirit.
If anything, these types of games are a great way to bring around a group of your senior friends, and you can make a weekly schedule and meet up once a week for a game of trivia. That way, you can hit two birds with one stone: you get great mental exercise while also ticking off the social activity aspect.
What’s more, if you want, you can always join trivia night at any pub or bar in your city that has them if you feel spontaneous.
Puzzles!
Do not skip out on puzzles when it comes to making sure you keep your mind sharp! When cognitive skills are involved, all types of puzzles are going to do wonders for the brain, no matter if we are talking about jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles, just to mention two of the most popular types of puzzles for retirees out there.
When it comes to the crossword ones, the skills you will be training and upkeeping include memory, reasoning, vocabulary, and, of course, spelling.
Jigsaw puzzle on the other side will focus mainly on memory and problem solving as you will need to see which is the best way to tackle the puzzle and how you can place the pieces in the right places. Jigsaw puzzles are great group activities be it that you are doing one with a friend or you are doing one with your family and grandkids.
Other types of puzzles you may want to look into if these two do not appeal to you or you want to give something new a try include:
- mechanical puzzles;
- logic puzzles;
- Rubik’s cubes;
- sudoku;
- math puzzles.
The best thing about puzzles is that there is a whole world out there, be it that you are looking online or hitting your local bookstores or game shops!
If you want to give puzzles a try but do not want to spend a lot on one that may not be suitable for you while also being able to play it again and again until you’re sick of it, check out this bead puzzle game with hundreds of levels!
Arts and crafts!
While not truly regarded as a mental exercise, the likes of arts and crafts hobbies are actually great ways to keep your mind sharp.
Any sort of creative outlet, be it creating artwork or crafting, will allow any older adult to both explore their creativity and express it, while also finding a new hobby that is definitely helping with cognitive skills.
There are a lot of crafts and arts (like painting, sculpture, and knitting, for example) that are both going to require fine motor skills, your brain to be engaged, and attention to detail. Adult seniors developing artistic and creative hobbies is a great type of mental exercise that will not feel like you are doing anything of the sort!
While you should keep your mind sharp, you should also make sure your body stays in good shape too. This is why we have explored all the best exercises to pick up during your golden years in this article here, so you too can give them a try!
