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Keeping our brains active

(121 Posts)
LRavenscroft Tue 03-Jan-23 08:46:20

What do other Gnetters do about keeping their brains alert. I find as I am getting older that there are days when my mental arithmetic and recall of good vocabulary for crosswords is getting worse. They just don't jump to the front of my brain anymore and I have to sometimes wait several hours for recall. Do I need to do more brain exercises and, if so, which ones?

grandtanteJE65 Wed 04-Jan-23 12:18:54

I combine a reasonable amount of walking, or when the weather is like today - pouring and blowing a gale, indoor exercise, with reading books I enjoy, but also force myself to listen to the news, or read them online.
I find that part of keeping one's brain active is still hearing and discussing opinions that are not necessarily your own.

I also volunteer at the local museum so as to get to know new people and have someone other than DH to talk to.

Let's face it: at this time of life we know what our husband or wife is going to say and think about most things, so it is rarely there we encounter a new opinion.

Zeddy Wed 04-Jan-23 12:10:58

Dancing is said to be better for your brain than crosswords etc
www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032090-200-how-busting-some-moves-on-the-dance-floor-is-good-for-your-brain/

Modompodom Wed 04-Jan-23 11:58:14

I belong to knitting/craft groups, and still go although I find crafting difficult since I had a fall last June. I enjoy the social interaction. I meet friends for lunch/coffee and a chat, and I play an online hidden object game called June's Journey. I am on a team with people from all over the world who are mostly in a similar age group, and we play timed competitions twice a week as well as chatting every evening at our meeting time. As I live alone I feel all this keeps my mind and memory sharper, as well as being enjoyable.

Daisydaisydaisy Wed 04-Jan-23 11:53:20

Hi there,

Ancestry really keeps My mind active,I'm only in My mid 50s however I don't work and I can spend hours doing it. :-)

Albangirl14 Wed 04-Jan-23 11:50:35

I have signed up to The National Numeracy Challenge . You can start at any level or find games to do with Grandchildren. They sent a quiz at Christmas but entirely up to you how much or how little you do. As soneone who was poor at maths at school I have found it helpful.

SALTburn64 Wed 04-Jan-23 11:48:23

Words with Friends 2

crista Wed 04-Jan-23 11:45:55

Wordscapes in bloom is my favourite

Moggycuddler Wed 04-Jan-23 11:45:40

Video games and chess.

GrannySeaside51 Wed 04-Jan-23 11:44:26

I do Wordle daily which I share on a WhatsApp group with my daughters and I do the daily crossword and codeword on the Saga website. Suduko frustrates me as I’m sure I am numerically dyslexic - maths has always been my weak spot although I’m told by many that Suduko is nothing to do with maths grin hmm

Annierob Wed 04-Jan-23 11:42:41

Yes think is important to keep brain active. I learn French on Duolingo. Do a crossword and codeword. Plus always have a jigsaw on the go.
Read every day too.

AussieGran59 Tue 03-Jan-23 22:22:48

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pittcity Tue 03-Jan-23 21:46:39

I do Wordle, Quordle and Octordle. I try to keep up with Only Connect and University Challenge but my brain is more House of Games level.
Putting detail onto my family tree takes a lot of mental agility to sort fact from fiction.
I also volunteer on the till at a charity shop one day a week.

Ali23 Tue 03-Jan-23 21:22:33

I do wordle on line and share it with a friend. Then later i do the free games on the same link
www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

I like to think it keeps my brain busy… but I suspect that my reasoning is standing up to the test of time much more successfully than my short term memory.
😟

silverlining48 Tue 03-Jan-23 19:43:12

Thats brilliant Maywalk. Well done.

Maywalk Tue 03-Jan-23 19:40:30

Many thanks silverlining48.

Yes all recorded with the History Society plus written down and many published with all proceeds, after taking printing costs taken out, going to various charities.

silverlining48 Tue 03-Jan-23 18:52:04

Maywalk, how wonderful to have memories from so long ago. Assume you have written this down.
I go out with a walking group and one of the walkers is 102. He is amazing and so interestimg to talk to. I bet you are too. flowers wishing you a happy and healthy new year.

Wyllow3 Tue 03-Jan-23 18:23:47

I have pretty bad CFS but agree

as much exercise as possible. -I do yoga
people contact

but most of all

stay curious about life and engage with ideas and documentaries and people and politics and you will never be bored and thank goodness in out time of getting older we have computers and the internet.

JackyB Tue 03-Jan-23 18:13:30

I listen to In Our Time - if I find my mind wandering, I "wind back" and listen again until I've understood. Philosophy still eludes me though - Infant get my head around that at all.

Maywalk Tue 03-Jan-23 15:00:09

I am 92 but I still love to put true tales into verse, plus I like a daily game of Scrabble.
I cannot knit any more now due to finger spasms, so my hobby of making up my own patterns had to cease.
I am still getting requests from worldwide for tales of how life was like during the 30s/40s/50s so that too keeps my brain going.

grNadpa Tue 03-Jan-23 14:49:39

DW and I do at least one word challenge together most every day. And I just completed a walking regimen as part of a U.S. Veterans' Administration study -- and trying to maintain the habit.

But what keeps my brain active are the tilting-at-windmills I do to try to make a difference. For as long as I can remember, I've designed offerings that somehow never quite make it to fruition. (Some of you may have seen my posts here about my current "mission" related to video anecdotes.) When they never pan out, I mercilessly berate myself. But, while in the process, it is incredibly stimulating, educational and leads to adventures -- such as this forum -- that become valuable.

Mamie Tue 03-Jan-23 14:42:27

Wordle, Quordle and Le Mot every morning. I think speaking two languages and watching TV in two languages helps. I belong to the French version of the U3A and go to lectures and classes. I read a lot too, but am lazy about reading anything more challenging that a newspaper in French.

Grantanow Tue 03-Jan-23 13:28:31

Stop reading newspapers with a limited vocabulary like the Sun. Read thought-provoking articles in the Guardian, especially its long reads, and watch the BBC and Channel 4 News. Read books to extend attention span and spend less time with short attention span social media. Spend more time with people who can think.

biglouis Tue 03-Jan-23 13:11:03

I sell antiques and vintage online. So I often spend time doing research about the things I sell in order to incorporate into my descriptions. Ive also begun to do some social media work for other sellers doing advertising campaigns, surveys, press releases and so on. Running several shops, keeping up stock levels and dealing with customer queries keeps me pretty busy. I also play some online games such as scrabble and chess.

silverlining48 Tue 03-Jan-23 12:31:07

Thanks Kate and Blossoming.

Quokka Tue 03-Jan-23 12:28:08

I founded a local Writers’ Group. We meet weekly and read our work. Great mental stimulation, support and friendships.