Train Your Brain

It was always thought that we're born with a certain number of brain cells, and that as we grow old they die off and you can't get them back. How exciting - let's grow older and dumber! Thankfully science challenged that belief and new technology is proving that not only can we generate new brain cells, but we can also branch them out and make new pathways in learning. Brain strength and sharpness are no longer just for the young!

This science of building brain power is called "neurobics." - doing aerobics for your brain. Neurobics is something anyone can do anywhere in just minutes a day. Here are some simple things that you can do as part of your daily routine to help your brain branch out.

Act happy to keep your brain more alive and functional. Acting happy activates positive chemicals in the brain that keep us alert and physically healthy. It sets the stage for more growth and learning.

Mess with your senses, patterns and habits. Shake things up in your routines. Brush your teeth with the opposite hand. Sit at a different place. Eat something new and try to guess what what's in it. Balance on one foot and then the other while you're washing the dishes. Read out loud. Take a new route to work. Get dressed in the dark. Say "down" when you're looking up and "up" when you're looking down. Sit outside with your eyes closed and pay attention to sounds and smells. You get the gist of this. How many more things can you think of doing?

All these things help your brain make new pathways. Keeping the brain alive is all about making new connections and branching out. If you're right handed, you use your left brain a lot. By using your left hand for the same task, you're exercising your brain and developing new pathways for the right side of your brain. If one of your brain's pathways gets destroyed, you already have another small pathway formed and it can be built up to take over the lost function.

Stay connected to others through a club, association or crowd at a sporting event or concert. Stay connected to nature by growing plants or spending time outdoors. Stay connected through animals by having a dog or cat or hamster. Always bring something living into your life and avoid becoming a loner (which keeps you locked into routines). As you become skilled at something - at anything at all - teach it to others. Celebrations and rituals can bring connection into your life. Train your brain to be happy, expansive and fulfilled and branch out into new experiences.

Next Week: Bringing Sports Psychology Into Your Life