Improve Your Mind Power

Improve Mind Power Through These Natural And Simple Methods

by

J Wall

There are some simple, yet effective methods to improve mind power. Using these tools will impact your mind several times more than the amount of effort it requires to use them. They are also something you can do anytime and anywhere.

A crossword a day is a great tool for improving mind power and keeping age related decline away. Studies have shown that people who do some sort of mind puzzle or game tend to retain their cognitive abilities or even increase them well into their later years. Crosswords are a great tool that doesn't require a lot of time but actively works important parts of the brain that control thinking and recall.

You can do crosswords on the bus or train, while eating lunch or even during commercials while watching your evening TV programs. However, to make the most of them it is important to do them frequently, at least a couple times a week. Like regular exercise for the body, the mind works better when it is exercised regularly.

You can also improve mind power by what music you choose to listen to during the week. There seems to be a link between those who listen to complex music like Classical or perhaps even Jazz and increases in the brain's ability to do complex processes like math, logic problems, etc. Music of a complex structure works a number of areas of the brain effectively. Again, this is something you can do even in the background while performing other tasks.

Another tool is memorization. Memorizing your favorite poem, new vocabulary words, etc. also strengthens pathways in the brain and makes them more effective. Aside from improving mind power in general it also improves recall and if you are memorizing words....increases communication skills.

With memorization it is important that you use repetition, not just initially, but even after we've memorized something it is critical to go back and repeat it occasionally. Not only is repetition usually the way we memorize things, it also creates larger neural connections. Those larger connections are helpful in establishing better recall and improving mind power.

You can improve mind power through learning new skills as well. This is another two-for-one deal. If you already have something you are dying to learn...a new sport, dancing, or how to paint oils...you not only gain a new skill that you can use and enjoy you build up your mind as well. The process of learning new things keeps the mind fresh and helps retain ability as we age.

Eating right is another way to improve mind power. Healthy eating...getting more fruits and vegetables and lowering fat...is important in helping the brain to operate efficiently. Getting the right vitamins and minerals allows the brain to create important enzymes and neurotransmitters as well as fight off cellular decline and aging. Making a few changes in our diets will yield huge benefits.

However, if we can't get the right nutrients from our diet or if the foods you buy are nutrient deficient due to heavy farming or modern processing techniques you might want to consider a dietary supplement. Supplements are an easy way to boost your intake of nutrients and can often make up for what we're missing in our diets.

Using these steps to improve mind power is not something that takes a whole lot of time. All it really takes is willingness and commitment. The rewards are a stronger mind that will function longer as you age. None of us wants to have our minds give out early in our later years, so it is important that we take steps now to protect our cognitive abilities and strengthen our brains.

J. Wall has an avid interest in natural remedies for the treatment of memory loss. He is a regular contributor to the Improving Mind Power section of http://www.memory-enhancement-guide.com, a site dedicated to improving mental ability and cognitive function.

Cranial Comeback

Boost your brain power in middle age

By Amy Anderson

As you age, your brain is more easily distracted and slower to retrieve information. It has trouble shutting out mental chatter and concentrating on the task at hand. That’s why you walk into a room to find the keys — that you’ve lost again — only to forget why you were there in the first place.

But a recent study called Midlife in the United States, or Midus, revealed that one of the most important elements in retaining memory and other cognitive skills over age 50 is a college degree. “Education seems to be an elixir that can bring us a healthy body and mind throughout adulthood and even a longer life,” says Margie E. Lachman, a psychologist at Brandeis University and a principal investigator for Midus.

Higher education slows the brain’s aging process by up to a decade, allowing people in their 50s to test in the range of less-educated people in their 40s. The more years of school someone has, the better he or she did on calculations, memory and reasoning tests. The study also revealed that higher education is associated with a longer life and a decreased risk of dementia.

But there were other similarities among those who scored the best on cognitive tests, including regular exercise, volunteering or belonging to organizations, being socially active and remaining calm in the face of stress.

Fortunately, the study found that people who regularly challenged their brains by reading, writing, attending lectures or working word puzzles did better on intelligence tests and even made up the difference between themselves and their more highly educated counterparts. “We have shown that those with less education may be able to compensate and look more like those who have higher education by adopting some of the common practices of the highly educated,” Lachman says.

In fact, regular mental challenges will actually alter your brain’s neural circuits, even as you age, making it more responsive. The earlier you start, the larger the impact, so keep reading and make a plan to get in a cognitive workout daily.