Keeping the Brain Sharp

Ways I Exercise My Brain

Julie already posted a blog about brain health here. I want to take a slightly different approach today by highlighting a few ways I (Lyndon) exercise my brain. Basically I'll talk about a few hobbies that are not only fun but are also beneficial for my neural pathways.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay. Used by permission.

Like many people, I enjoy puzzles - not the jigsaw kind, although those are an entertaining holiday activity for me. I like word puzzles. USA Today has a bunch of them online. But my favorite - and yes, I've jumped on the bandwagon - is Wordle. 

Oh, and no lie, I guessed the right word in one try a few weeks back. Here's the untampered proof! (My general strategy, by the way, is to use the same 3 or 4 words to start the puzzle off every day, lol.)

Also, did you know there is an Antiwordle game? The goal is to see how many tries you can take without guessing the word! Give it a shot. Harder than it seems. A fun alternative to the word games is Worldle - where you guess the country. Again, harder than it looks.

I was also into Sudoku awhile back, but filled in all the books I'd bought and can't get into doing it online for whatever reason. I need to buy another few puzzle books as I seem to yearn for a physical paperback at times. Call me old fashioned.

What are some of your favorite games - either online or in a puzzle book? Comment below. Any other ways you keep your brain active? There are unlimited possibilities, probably. But let me share just one more.

As you know, Julie and I are semi-retired. Which mostly means we work part time online on our own schedule. I write, but I also teach conversational English via an online platform to students from around the world. It's a great time of social interaction. I learn a lot about culture, food, travel, etc. Being fairly outgoing, I just enjoy talking with people in general.

One of the first questions I ask those who I meet online is why they are learning English. Some need to brush up on their skills for work, some need it for school. But the vast majority are learning English for their own personal benefit. It's good for their brain, many tell me. I bet it is!

Learning a new language exercises the brain. That's one reason we moved to Puerto Rico, so that we might be a bit more intentional in our Spanish language acquisition. It's slow going for me, so I need to step up my commitment to learn Spanish. Not only will it benefit me here in PR, but it's good for my brain health long term.