Walking Offers Great Benefits for your Brain Activities

Walking is a way to get the daily exercise you need and it is also great for your brain activities. Research shows that people who walk are doing a huge service for their brains. As a person walks the blood circulates faster. At the same time more glucose and oxygen are sent to the brain. This is possible because walking is a very low impact type of exercise. When you exercise with fast paced movements your body is going to absorb that extra glucose and oxygen so it isnt available for the brain to receive.

The additional oxygen that goes to your brain is a great way to help you reduce levels of stress. This is why a brisk walk a couple of times each day can help a person to see pressing situations in new ways. Individuals that walk on a regular basis have better concentration and they seem to be more receptive to learning new things. It is estimated that they risk of a stroke is reduced by more than 50% when you walk each day. Since a stroke can have severe consequences for the brain activities this is good news.

There have been many studies with women and their walking habits. Those that walk at least 20 minutes each day seem to be able to remember things that have occurred more than others. The fact that they arent suffering from memory loss as they get older could be due to the amount of walking they have done in the past.

Start out by walking at least 20 minutes a day. Try to work up to at least 30 minutes. As you are able to get this time frame in without any problem offer yourself a new challenge. Try to walk further in those 30 minutes than you did before. This can be accomplished by picking up the pace and by focusing your attention on the size of your stride. Try to make them longer and with a purpose rather than just going for a leisurely stroll.

Dont use the excuse that you dont have enough energy to walk. If you have aches and pains you may be afraid to engage in such activities. However, walking releases more endorphins that are produced by the body naturally. This means you will have more energy than before when you walk. You will also have a sense of happiness that you didnt before thanks to those endorphins being released in the brain. Those endorphins can also help to relieve various types of pain your body may have.

It is understandable that people are very different when it comes to their fitness levels. Walking is low impact so just about anyone can take part in it. This is the perfect activity to engage in so that your body gets the physical exercise it needs. At the same time our brain gets a workout that keeps it youthful and vital as well. You can walk alone or with a friend to keep yourself motivated. If you are alone the use of an MP3 player can help make it more interesting.

If you have children, take them along for the walk as well. Children are never too young to work on their physical and mental well being. In fact, children that have been doing so from a young age will accept it as a part of what they need to do. They will be more likely to continue such efforts as they become adults themselves. This means that their brain activities will be very strong and healthy. They will stay that way too instead of slipping as they get older.

You can get them a stroller or a wagon to help keep the pace rapid until they are old enough to keep up with you. Many parents walk at tracks around playgrounds too. This is perfect because the children get to play while you walk. Yet you can still keep a close eye on them while you do so.

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Stimulate your Brain each Morning before you get out of

Stimulate your Brain each Morning before you get out of Bed

We often take for granted that our brains are able to function in amazing ways. We also tend to forget that this is a very important part of our bodies to really take good care of. One way you can treat your brain well is to stimulate it each day before you get out of bed. It doesnt take long to accomplish, and it is going to help you face each new day in a positive light.

Set your alarm for ten minutes earlier than you have to be out of bed. This way you can relish the time to stimulate your brain and not worry about being late for work. Stretch each part of your body and really focus on it when you are doing so. Wiggle your fingers and your toes too. Pay attention to how it feels as you freely move each one of them. You may feel silly doing these activities but they are very good for you.

As you are stimulating your brain in the morning before you get out of bed, you are going to stimulate the nerve endings to your brain. You are going to become alert and look forward to your day. If you often end up sluggish in the morning then this could be a great way to wake you up and get your day off to a better start.

When you stimulate your brain each morning before you get out of bed you will be safer too. Research shows that this can help you to stay focused and to be well balanced. This can help reduce the risk of injuries due to falls. Many individuals find that they are more alert on their commute to work as well as throughout the day when they start it by stimulating their brain.

When we are children we tend to be very visual by nature. We have creative fantasies and stories that we role play all day long. However, as adults we dont allow ourselves to have those types of pleasures. You can turn back the hands of time though and incorporate them into your morning routine. Imagine yourself as a princess or a rock star before you get out of bed in the morning. Stimulate your brain by focusing on the vivid images of what would unfold in your life.

Try to incorporate all of our senses into those images as well. What did it feel like? What did it smell like? What were you saying and what was being said back to you? How did food taste? The more of these senses that you can pull into your imaginative stories the more stimulated your brain will become. These stories should put a nice smile on your face to begin the day with as well.

Have some classical music by your bed that you can easily turn on without getting up in the morning. Focus on listening to the sound of it for about 10 minutes. Doing so is going to open up your mind to many things. Identify the flow of the music as well as what will come next. As you become more familiar with the music it is going to be easier to end up thinking about something else as you listen to it. Dont let that happen though make a conscious effort to focus all of your attention on only the music for that span of time.

Some people would prefer to engage in such a process before bed to help them unwind. While that can be helpful and it can help you to get a good night of sleep, too many people rush through the process in order to get it done at night. Others fall asleep before they are able to complete it. So the best rule of thumb if you want to really stimulate your brain is to take part in such activities first thing in the morning.

Playing Games is a Fun Way to Exercise your Brain

Playing Games is a Fun Way to Exercise your Brain

Many people enjoy playing games as a source of entertainment as well as a way to have some fun. However, playing games also helps you to exercise your brain. This is a great way to keep your mental health in check. There are plenty of games that fall into this category. Basically anything that requires you to do some thinking will help you keep it healthy.

Sudoku has become a very popular game that people play. With this type of puzzle you have to fill in the grid. Each line going down as well as across has to have the digits 1 through 9 used only once. It is a game that requires you to use deductive reasoning because there are several possibilities for each square on the grid until you start working to narrow them down.

Crossword puzzles and work search puzzles are also great forms of games you can engage in to exercise your brain. Why not get yourself a few books with these games in them. You can keep it with you to do in the car while you wait to pickup kids. You can even take it to the office to upwind on your lunch hour with the time remaining after you eat.

Memory is a way to exercise your brain as you have to try to remember where certain pictures are so you can match them up. This isnt a game just for kids as it helps adults too with their brains staying on top of the game. If you have youngsters in the house they will love to play such a game with you. There are plenty of board games too that get you thinking. You will be giving your brain a good workout while you are having fun playing the game as well.

Dont worry if you dont have someone around to play though board games with you. The internet is full of places where you can play them. Some of the favorites are memory and Scrabble that people can easily access online. There are also many of the Sudoku puzzles, crosswords, and word searches online as well.

Many of you are likely saying that this sounds great but you just dont have the time to do it. If you are motivated to improve your mental well being you will make time for it. Carve out about 30 minutes a day when you can take part in such activities. You may find you love getting up earlier in the morning. You can exercise your brain before work and while the rest of your household is still in bed. This can completely change your attitude for the rest of the day.

Turn the TV off in the evening and spend some time playing these types of games alone or with a family member. You can even invite friends over to play them with you so that you get some social interaction with them as well. Try a variety of new games too so that you dont get bored playing the same one all the time. However, most people find that that they have a couple of favorites that they really enjoy playing each day.

Most of these games offer several different levels as well. To get the most exercise for your brain start out with the easy stuff. This is especially true if you are new to a given game. It gives you time to learn the rules and time to device some effective strategies. As your level of skill improves, continue to challenge your brain by moving into more advanced levels of the game.

Find those games that you really enjoy playing. That way exercising your brain wont be a chore for you. Keeping your brain sharp with such games is really going to pay off for you in a variety of ways. You will be surprised at how much it improves various aspects of your life. You will find that you have less stress and that it is easier to make decisions. You will also find that your memory is improving.

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