A good memory and a sharp mind are not innate human talents, but rather skills that can be developed and trained by both children and adults. For this, there are sets of exercises and special methods that aim to improve brain activity and synchronize the functioning of the cerebral hemispheres.
Human brain and memory training
Just like the body, the brain needs training. Many tasks that used to create new neural connections gradually become routine and reduce the brain's ability to focus and concentrate on new things. The reason for this is a violation of interhemispheric interaction and the lack of its equivalent development.
A person's desire to learn new things, which forms new neural connections, helps normalize brain function. But the lack of "nourishment" of the brain slows down the learning process, due to the deterioration of memory, lack of quick reaction and the ability to think creatively.
An effective way to restore and improve mental and cognitive abilities is to perform special exercises to train the brain. Daily training helps improve brain activity and, consequently, a person's cognitive abilities, which include thinking, memory, speech, perception, imagination and attention.
To benefit
What are the benefits of gymnastics for the brain:
- increases concentration and reaction speed;
- memory improves;
- increases emotional resistance to negative factors;
- improves coordination of movements;
- have more energy to carry out daily tasks;
- hidden brain abilities are revealed;
- sleep quality improves.
Brain gymnastics is often prescribed by psychotherapists to treat neuroses, depression and emotional exhaustion. Exercise helps to let go of negative thoughts, distract oneself, and restore a person's productivity.
Peculiarities
You need to train your brain throughout your life, starting in childhood and continuing into adulthood. In principle, gymnastics to improve memory and brain activity is the same for children and adults, but it has a number of features.
In adults
Forgetfulness, poor spatial orientation and a general decrease in performance can be observed in everyone over 20 years of age. Common reasons include bad habits, poor sleep, and irregular work schedules, which overload the brain with an abundance of information. To normalize the functioning of the brain and regain the sharpness of the intellect, you need to reconsider your lifestyle, be physically active, be able to rest and devote 5 minutes a day to thematic exercises.
Also, adults should not forget about brain development methods for children - exercises for fine motor skills, studying poetry, retelling, etc.
In children
The degree of development of interhemispheric connections determines the child's academic performance, adequate coordination of movements, communication with peers, quality of speech and emotional intelligence. The development of new neural nodes should begin at 2 to 3 years of age, when a child's brain absorbs much more energy than an adult's brain.
The main and popular way to develop children's brains is through educational games that combine activities to improve hand-eye coordination, concentration and motor skills. In addition, the equal development of the cerebral hemispheres is favorably influenced by:
- finger gymnastics;
- breathing exercises;
- logorhythmia;
- listening to music;
- dancing;
- read and retell what was read;
- creativity: modeling, drawing, weaving, etc. ;
- self-massage;
- kinesiological exercises;
- didactic games: compare objects, guess an object by description, etc.
All of this helps to improve interhemispheric interaction, which influences the formation of healthy self-esteem and the child's success. And the desire to learn new things can become a useful habit for a child that will help him throughout his life.
How to develop memory
Memory is closely related to other cognitive skills that also need development. Therefore, its development must be approached comprehensively, performing special exercises and changing your everyday life through other interesting ways, which we will consider later.
Best exercises
Classes must be held in a calm environment. The duration of the workout is 5 to 20 minutes. It is also important to complicate the exercises by increasing the number of repetitions, adding additional gestures, movements and sounds.
For the brain
The following set of neurogymnastics exercises was developed by American psychologists Paul and Gail Dennison based on educational kinesiology.
Exercise 1. "Brain buttons"
Exercise helps "start" the brain and tune it to work.
- Stand up straight, with your back straight.
- One hand massages the depressions between the first and second ribs in the left and right area under the collarbones. The other hand is placed on the navel, which allows you to focus on the center of gravity.
Exercise 2. "Hooks"
- Take any comfortable starting position: standing, sitting or lying down, crossing your ankles.
- Extend your arms forward, crossing your palms toward each other and interlacing your fingers.
- Turn your arms inward at chest height so that your elbows point down.
- Return to starting position. Repeat 8 to 10 times.
Exercise 3. "Knee-elbow"
- Starting position: standing.
- Lift and bend your left leg at the knee.
- With the elbow of your right hand, touch the knee of your left leg. Then repeat the movement with your right leg and left arm. Do 8 to 10 repetitions.
Exercise 4. "Elephant"
- Starting position: standing, in a relaxed position. Knees slightly bent.
- Tilt your head towards your shoulder. From this shoulder, extend your arm forward, like a torso, and draw a horizontal figure eight, starting from the center of the visual field, upwards and in a counterclockwise direction. Important: the eyes follow the movement of the fingertips.
Perform the exercise slowly 3-5 times with your left hand pressed against your left ear and the same number of times with your right hand pressed against your right ear.
Exercise 5. "Mirror drawing"
- Pick up markers or a pen with both hands.
- Draw numbers, letters, etc. mirror symmetrically on a piece of paper with both hands at the same time.
Additional exercises to maximize brain engagement at work:
- "Fist-palm. "Extend both arms in front of you. Clench the fingers of your left hand into a fist and straighten your right hand. Then, consistently change the position of your fingers, gradually accelerating the movements.
- "Winner". The fingers of one hand show the "V" gesture, the other "OK". Alternate hands, gradually increasing speed.
- "Horns and legs. "One hand shows the horns, the other the legs (thumb, index and middle). Alternate hands, gradually increasing speed.
- On the one hand, sequentially connect the thumb with all the other fingers, starting with the index finger. Do the same with the other hand, but starting with the little finger. Do the exercise with both hands at the same time.
- "Puzzle". On the one hand, bend all fingers except the index and middle fingers, on the other - except the ring and little fingers. Connect them like puzzles. Change hands, gradually accelerating the movements.
For memory
Simple and effective exercises to improve memory:
- Route map.Draw a map of the route you take to get to work. Try to remember everything down to the smallest detail: street names, metro stations, bus stops, shops you met along the way.
- Alphabet.Quickly create words for each letter of the alphabet.
- Magic.For this exercise you will need a deck of cards. Shuffle and remember the sequence of the first 3-5 cards in the deck. Shuffle the deck and find these cards.
- A carbon copy.Find any image on the Internet or take a note. Study the image for a minute and draw from memory what you see on a piece of paper. Then compare the drawing to the original to identify any missing details.
- Remember a school poem or learn your favorite songs. It's also great for training your memory.
- Before going to bed, remember the people and objects that surround you. If you have attended a lecture, try to reconstruct all the material in your head.
- Pick up some object. Look at this in detail for a minute. Then move away from the topic and try to describe it by writing a detailed review.
Other methods
In addition to special exercises, there are other useful ways to activate the brain and improve memory:
- Constantly learn new things.Minimal load on the brain and lack of new information lead to deterioration of memory and other cognitive abilities. Additionally, shifting your attention to something unrelated to your work helps you develop stress resistance. The best options are learning foreign languages, online courses, crafts, etc.
- Play mind games, solve crosswords, puzzles. This will help keep your mind clear and broaden your horizons.
- Get out of your comfort zone.For example, take a different route to work, take up a hobby you once dreaded, meet and actively communicate with people in real life.
- Get involved simultaneouslyboth hemispheres of the brain. Brush your teeth, eat, open the door, hold the doorknob with your non-dominant hand.
- Read, write by hand.Reading trains memory, activates imagination and creative thinking. And handwriting is a great way to develop motor skills.
Equally important is being able to rest. Avoid sleep deprivation and learn to meditate. The brain needs relaxation and rest.
Products for memory and brain development
To keep your brain active, it's important to watch your diet. A healthy daily diet should include proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. You can also include in your menu the following products that support brain activity:
- Fatty fish.Source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which affect the active saturation of brain cells with oxygen and nutrients.
- Bitter chocolate.Chocolate with 70% cocoa slows age-related mental decline and prevents cognitive impairment.
- Eggs. Egg yolks contain choline, which is used by the body to create the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, responsible for memory and mood.
- Wholemeal bread and cereals.Cereals improve metabolism, fill you with energy and improve blood circulation in the brain, thanks to their vitamin B6 content.
- Tomatoes.Source of melatonin, which prevents the aging of brain cells and improves the condition of blood vessels.
Additionally, for active brain activity, it is important to maintain fluid balance by drinking plenty of water every day.
Prevention
For a clear mind, good memory and active brain function it is important:
- Get rid of bad habits.Smoking, drinking alcohol and taking psychotropic substances impair blood circulation in the brain, leading to a lack of oxygen and the death of neurons.
- To walk.Daily walks saturate the brain with oxygen and help develop concentration and memory.
- Exercise.Physical activity improves blood circulation, helps improve memory, coordination of movements and improves health.
- Give the brainuniform loadand don't forget to rest.
- Maintain good sleep hygiene.Sleep at least 7 to 8 hours. Sleep is necessary for the brain to rest, strengthen the necessary and destroy unnecessary neural connections.
The most important thing is to train daily. Only regular exercise will give the desired result.