Recharge Your Mind With Daily Brain Exercises

Do you find yourself trying to remember names on the tip of your tongue? Are you misplacing things like eyeglasses and keys a little too often? The same way that exercising keeps your body toned and flexible, neurobic exercises — also known as mental gymnastics — can strengthen your mental acuity.

"Neuroplasticity is about the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout your life," says behavioral scientist and entrepreneur Clarissa Silva, founder of C Silva Solutions. "Brain gymnastics are designed to enhance cognitive function, improve memory, boost problem-solving skills and potentially delay age-related cognitive decline."

Keep in mind, as you age, "neuroplasticity can decrease and cognitive functions like memory and processing speed may slow down," says Silva, a brain health specialist for the past 26 years. "As I have aged, I started incorporating more 'brain gymnastics' to prevent cognitive decline and keep my performance functioning at consistent levels to when I was younger."

Thankfully, "not all brain functions slow down, some can be enhanced — and cognitive exercises can also lead to the formation of new neural pathways," Silva explains.

Try these expert-backed brain exercises to keep you sharp:

Games, puzzles and logic challenges: When you vary how you spend your time it gives your mind a chance to shift gears and stay mentally alert. Maybe you enjoy Wordle or the Sunday crossword puzzle. Silva recommends, "activities like brain games, word puzzles or math problems in between your work routine. Taking a break helps you approach work with a sharper perspective that allows ideas to flow." Additionally, Silva reminds us that a minimum of 30 minutes a day of aerobics helps the brain generate neurons.

Chess: The game "involves planning, foresight and memory, engaging the brain's executive functions in the frontal lobe. It achieves this by strengthening strategic thinking, memory recall and mental endurance," according to Silva.

Limit screen time: Help regenerate neurons "and give your brain time to repair itself from overstimulation. Try to reduce dependence on checking your device as soon as you wake up and an hour before bedtime," Silva stresses. This is important for brain health, and can help your mind become better at discerning information and making decisions, she says.

According to Paula Oleska, brain-optimization expert and president and CEO of Natural Intelligence Systems, it's easy to forget that your brain also controls your emotions and behavior, with specific parts dedicated to various functions. Along with teaching brain exercises, Oleska also does them regularly herself. "They help me focus, switch from one activity to another and keep my head clear. I do more activities when I'm stressed or need to solve a specific problem," Oleska says.

Self Hug: This comforting brain exercise doesn't involve a true hug, but Oleska says it feels like one. The benefits include enhanced communication between the right and left brain hemispheres, and fostering inner calm when you experience anger or anxiety, Oleska says. 

You can be seated and standing: Cross your ankles, reach forward with your arms and cross your wrists. Turn your thumbs down, interlace your fingers. Bend your elbows to turn your arms inside out and bring them to your chest. Close your eyes and touch the tongue to the roof of your mouth. Hold for one to 10 minutes.

Then, put your feet flat on the floor, hands tented with fingers touching. Close your eyes and touch the tongue to the roof of your mouth. Hold for another minute. "The simplified version for the arms is to cross arms over chest and tuck the hands into armpits," Oleska says.

Cross Crawl: Oleska says this exercise helps stimulate the connection between the brain hemispheres and is "great for focus and memory, especially recall."

To do it: While standing, lift your left knee and touch it with your right hand. Then change to the right knee and left hand. Repeat for one to three minutes. A variation is to alternate touching the opposite heels behind your back. Extend the opposite arm and leg to the side.

New York attorney Patty Staco has incorporated Oleska's exercises with much success. Staco does specific exercises to remedy different concerns. "I do cross-crawl in all three directions when I need to feel focused, energized and calm myself. I do self-hug (sometimes in conjunction with eye circles to reset) when I need to access information or tap into my own wisdom and intuition," Staco says.

According to integrative psychologist Roseann Capanna-Hodge, "The best brain exercises are often the ones that feel almost too easy — crossing your arms in a different way, tapping your fingers in a sequence, or doing gentle coordination exercises. These small actions make a big impact on keeping your brain strong."

Finger Tap Pattern Challenge: Tap your thumb to your index finger, then middle, ring, and pinky —then reverse the order. Try doing it faster and with both hands at the same time. Capanna-Hodge explains, "This simple exercise strengthens fine motor skills, improves processing speed and gives your brain a mini-workout."

Eye Tracking: Hold your finger in front of you and slowly move it side to side, up and down and diagonally. Follow the movement only with your eyes, keeping your head still. "This strengthens visual tracking, which is crucial for reading, processing information and maintaining focus," Capanna-Hodge advises.

Bilateral Hand Squeeze: Squeeze a small stress ball or rolled-up sock in your right hand, then pass it to your left hand and squeeze again. Keep alternating hands. "This helps with hand-eye coordination and stimulates both sides of the brain, improving alertness and focus," she says.

One of Capanna-Hodge's clients, Tammy Metz, is also a physical therapist specializing in neurology and trauma. Metz suffered three separate concussions and began doing brain exercises six years ago. "After my recent concussion, eye exercises and EEG neurofeedback are helping with the vertigo and my overall recovery and function," Metz says. "Eye exercises are easy to do, anywhere, any time so I do those often," she adds.

In addition to these exercises, there are countless other ways to stimulate your brain: try inhaling natural essential oils such as lavender and peppermint as your olfactory sense is directly linked to memory via the brain's limbic system. Particularly, rosemary has been the subject of multiple studies, known for its powerful effects on mental alertness. Practice yoga, slow breathing and other mindfulness techniques. Remember to have fun and invite curiosity: vary the streets you walk down, types of music you listen to and foods you eat, and socialize often. Expand your mind with the insightful must-read, "Keep Your Brain Alive" by Lawrence C. Katz and Manning Rubin.

In the words of Capanna-Hodge, "It's never too late to boost up your brain power!"

Editor’s note: Next Avenue and the author do not offer this piece as medical advice. A patient or advocate should always discuss clinical issues with a medical provider.

Danielle Winston is a Manhattan-based wellness writer specializing in the mind-body connection. Her work has appeared in “Success, Medicinal Media, Backstage” and many other publications. She is also a produced playwright and screenwriter, who often writes about creativity, film and art subjects. Read More