Exercise your mind

We’re always told how important it is to resist the urge to be a couch potato. We’re told to be active, as it will help in most other areas of our health and well-being. Exercise reconnects you with your body, what your body is capable of, and how far you can push it.

But it’s also important to exercise your mind. From boosting your mental capacity to improving your memory, and even exploring parts of your brain that you don’t often use – it’s good to test our mental capabilities.

Try a couple of these wonderfully weird ideas to help you get in touch with your mind and start to use your brain more like a muscle.

Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand

And that includes squeezing the toothpaste tube and turning the tap on and off too. You more than likely use your dominant hand for more or less every simple activity, like brushing your teeth. But try using your other hand, and notice how unusual it feels, and how much more you have to engage your brain to do it.

Make a shopping list – and test yourself on it

We’ve all done the classic mistake. You spend a good ten minutes painstakingly writing out everything that you need to pick up at the supermarket, only to leave it behind and end up scratching your head about what it was you came for.

Next time, try writing your list out in easy to identify sections – fruit and veg, meat, dairy, toiletries, etc. Then, force yourself to recall each group. You can do this on your journey to the shop. It will make your shopping trip more methodical, and avoid leaving any necessities on the shelf!

Shower with your eyes closed

It sounds weird, we know. But think about it; keeping your eyes closed will help improve your spatial awareness. (Just be sure to put the soap somewhere easy to reach!)

If you do feel unsteady, or worried about slipping, simply try turning the light off – that in itself makes the task trickier, without leaving you completely in the dark.

Switch seats at home

Disturb your family’s norm, and rearrange where you all normally sit. This will help you to get a different perspective of a room you normally only see from one angle, or even to see your loved ones from a different point of view.

Have you tried any of these before? Let us know, and tell us any other brain challenges you’ve tried, over on our Facebook and Twitter!