A common expression heard in connection with the brain is ‘use it or lose it.’ Indeed how true those words are. Scientists have discovered that if one does not stimulate his or her brain through various brain exercises, neurons and neuronal connections die. So what exercises can keep your brain in top-notch shape way into old age? Different exercises stimulate different parts of the brain. Some exercises may stimulate the parts of the brain that handle analytical thinking which includes dealing with numbers and logical thinking while others may stimulate the emotional parts that help us develop skills in communication and cooperation with others.

Before you can begin any brain exercises, you have to remember that you are never too old to learn. You have to be willing to expand your perspective and try out new things. One of these is music. The entire brain seems to be stimulated by music. This is because the brain is divided into two, the left and the right hemispheres. On the same level, music has two sides, the beat and the lyrical content. Scientists have discovered that while the music activates the right brain hemisphere, the left hemisphere is busy analyzing what is being said. This stimulation of the entire brain allows one to develop both analytically and emotionally.

Other brain exercises include learning a new art, for example a new language. Learning something new is an excellent way to activate new neurons and neuronal connections. This literally ‘expands’ your brain. In fact, scientists have noticed that one of the parts of the body that seems to resist aging is the brain. When put to good use, that is, given a varied intellectual diet, it grows while the rest of the body ages. Clearly, brain exercises that test your skills and that challenge you to explore new things will keep your mind young and keep you highly intelligent. Such brain exercises have also been show to counter the development of certain brain disorders associated with old age. It is true that as we age, we tend to forget where we placed our car keys or the name of someone we just met. While age affects short-term memory, it seems that the long-term memory is not affected even after a severe brain disorder. Why not make it your goal to improve your memory by use of brain exercises. There are countless puzzles, quizzes and projects that you can try out that can be found online. The more brain exercises you undertake, the more your brain will serve you and the longer it will do so.