Feed Your Brain and Sharpen Your Mind

A sharp mind is a work in progress. A mind needs stimulation to keep it working to the best of its ability. And quite honestly, many of us don't take the time to tax our brains. We find it easier to sit down and watch a silly sitcom instead of watching a game show that actually makes us think. Even our jobs often don't force us to think a lot. We get into the habit of doing something, and after a while we are doing it without even thinking about it. That doesn't mean you're not doing your job well; it just means the job doesn't stimulate your mind anymore.

So how does a person keep their mind stimulated? There are countless ways. But they all do require one thing. Thinking. You have to actually pay attention to what you are doing and think about it. Here's just a few tips to help you get started. The first one I received from an elderly neighbor of mine. He was in his seventies at the time. Every morning, about seven, I would see him out walking. He usually walked for about thirty minutes, then stopped at the curb to pick his newspaper up. Many times I would leave for work as he settled down at a small table on his front porch with a cup of coffee, the newspaper and a pencil. One day I asked him how he had the energy to walk every day. "Oh, I have to walk every morning," he said. "The fresh air clears my brain and gets my blood pumping so I can think better. I can't work the crossword puzzle if I don't walk." I guess I looked puzzled, because he laughed and asked "You ever try to work one of those newspaper crossword puzzles? They're real hard."

So that day at lunch, I sat down with the daily crossword puzzle and started working on it. I found out one thing in a hurry. He was right; it was hard. I was embarrassed when I couldn't work a third of it. That evening I walked over to my neighbor's house with the unfinished crossword puzzle in my hand. When he answered the door, I asked him how much of the puzzle he had been able to do. "Oh, I finished it pretty quick. It was kind of easy." His answer floored me. I showed him my puzzle to confirm it was the same one. It was. He then showed me the finished puzzle. "How'd you do it?" I asked. "You must be a genius." He laughed again, and said no, that he was just a retired carpenter. He then explained that crossword puzzles made you really use your brain's thinking power. They help teach your brain to look beyond the obvious answers for the right answer.

I am now an avid crossword puzzle worker. The new Suduko puzzles are also great. But my neighbor was also right about the morning walk. Exercise does indeed help increase the brain's ability to think. Exercise also helps reduce stress, in fact, as my neighbor said, it "clears my brain." Other fun ways to stimulate your brain are playing along with the game shows on tv. Try to get the answer before the contestant. Or, here's a good one. Pick up your child's history book or math book and turn to the end of the chapters. See how many of the questions you can answer correctly. Warning, though, this could be embarrassing.

If you enjoy reading mysteries, really focus on the clues and try to figure out who done it before you reach the end of the book. Do the same with the detective shows on tv. Don't just sit there and watch.

Last, but certainly not least, remember your brain is part of your body. Your body needs rest. If it doesn't get enough rest, then it will be complaining constantly to your brain. And it's hard to concentrate on problem solving if your body is complaining about lack of sleep. So get a full night's sleep. Your body and your brain will thank you.