8 ways to exercise your brain
There are some aspects of aging, such as gray hair, that Laura Bestler-Wilcox can accept.
Mental decline is not one of them.
"I'm only 38, but I have no intention of growing old - mentally, at least," said Bestler-Wilcox, from Ames.
She started playing Nintendo's Brain Age game last month, and says it helps keep her brain active. The goal is to score the ideal "brain age" of 20, which you achieve by doing a range of exercises - from math problems and counting the number of syllables in words, to reading aloud and Sudoku.
"I do math better," said Bestler-Wilcox, who plays the game every other day for about 20 minutes. "It's like doing exercises for different parts of your body. This is exercising your brain."
Staying mentally fit is a hot topic - from new research touting the benefits of mental exercises, to seminars on maintaining your brain health done by AARP and the Alzheimer's Association.
Two new studies, one done in Des Moines, show that brain workouts are beneficial for mental health, and can help improve brain function.
Brain health is an important issue among America's approximately 78 million baby boomers. The AARP Web site includes tips for a healthy brain, as well as brain puzzles. The organization conducted about 30 presentations nationwide on brain health last year, said Michael Patterson, manager of AARP's "Staying Sharp" program.
"People seem to be more willing to put up with physical decline, more than mental decline," Patterson said.
Here are eight ways people of all ages can keep mentally sharp.
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