Mental: Activity For All
Think of how you go about your daily routine. Now, think about one thing you can change. Got that in mind? Great! Now do that same exercise tomorrow, and again the day after. Just challenging yourself to change one part of your daily routine each day will help you keep your mind fresh and healthy.
Research shows that if we continually challenge ourselves to learn new things, even small things, our brains will react to the challenge by growing new neural pathways. A healthy brain that grows new neural pathways stays younger longer. More importantly, if you know you have "bad" habits that are not good for you, you can gradually teach yourself to grow out of them by changing one thing you do each day.
Another great mental exercise is to project an image of yourself about ten feet in front of you as you walk down the street. Imagine how you look. Imagine how you react to people as they pass by. This pre-visualizing process helps to make you more self-aware in a way that creates a stimulating, positive feeling about yourself. If you don't like the way you look, change it. If you don't like the way you move, change it. Your pre-visualizing yourself will gradually have a positive impact on how you carry yourself and the quiet ways you interact with other people.
When you go shopping find one thing as you get out of your car to remember. It could be another car nearby, a tree, a lamp post, a pretty girl; anything will do. Think about that one thing occasionally while you shop. When you are ready to leave you should find that you have less trouble remembering where you parked your car if you recall the image of that one thing. This simple associative trick helps you recall incidental information that is important, such as where you put your keys, parked your car, or what time your next appointment is.
Mental activity is as important as physical activity because we need to keep our minds sharp and clear. We want to be able to stay focused and to recall important information when we need it. Of course, you also want to eat right and get plenty of sleep because your mind needs nourishment and "down time".
Mental activity does not have to be unpleasant. The more joy you take in creating new memories, the more you will be pleased with your memories.