Did you exercise your BRAIN today?

[DogMan]

I need to focus more on this. Being on a pension makes for fuck all brain stimulation if I'm not careful, and with that, things like memory start faltering.

 

There's a thread for workin the booty, but not the brain*, so post brain exercises like cross words, reading, and online IQ tests for shits and grins you do here.

 

*if there is a thread for this I missed forgive me... no crosswords/scrabble etc today, just a long bus trip

[olga]

It think this is a great idea, HD.

 

My husband likes languages, so he has taught himself quite a bit of German, and now he's learning Italian.  If you check your library, sometimes you can get those CDs that have language lessons.  Our library also has a program on line to learn languages.

 

I've been using Lumosity.  They are great little brain exercises and it only takes a few minutes a day.

 

I'll push libraries again and suggest that people go there and read a newspaper.  You will see things in a paper that you don't notice in the news on line.  There will also be magazines that you wouldn't spend the money to buy, but you can read them and it might spark an interest in a hobby or new subject.

 

Ideas, people!  How do you stimulate your brain?

 

olga

[Wonderful.Cheese]

Oooh! I love this topic! Great idea! I need to do something too.

 

I love your language idea Olga! Awesome! I'd love to brush up on my Spanish! I still have old textbooks!

 

My father-in-law does Sudoku puzzles. He is good with numbers.

 

The library is a great resource. I think even just reading books in general helps stimulate your brain. If there is a word  you don't know, look it up and learn a new word! That's always fun. (sorry English Lit nerd is coming out in me!)

 

I've seen calenders that have a new word to learn every day. Or others that have a puzzle or Sudoku or crossword, word find, etc each day that you tear off and could do.

 

Learning a new craft or hobby is also good IMO. Learn to knit or crochet. There is a lot of counting in knitting and different tricks you do with the yarn to make gorgeous stitches. There are tons of "learn to knit" books out there. I always learn something new with every pattern that I try!

 

YouTube is also a good source. I mean, you have to be careful of your sources (ie, a professional person vs. an average Joe wannabe who knows nothing). I learn and watch a lot of knitting technique videos so I can learn new tricks or stitches. You could watch old class lectures, etc. I am a visual learner and a do by example learner. So I find YouTube to be great for learning things.

 

Also I think there is a iTunes U (university) and you can listen to podcasts on your phone or ipod or ipad (or whatever you have).

 

Take a class at a local university or library about whatever tickles your fancy. The library of course will be a inexpensive choice, while the university will be much more expensive of course. But if you save your pennies or get a student grant/loan, it is possible.

 

www.coursera.org       I think this has already been mentioned but you can take free university courses online! They have a ton of choices and you can pick whatever one(s) you want. This is an excellent opportunity IMO. I have tried it but didn't follow through because I got depressed. But I plan on trying it again! You don't get actual college credit, however. But if you're just in it to learn for the sake of learning and keeping that brain busy, then it is an excellent resource.

[Savannah]

Every morning I "paper trade" the foreign currency market. I dont do well, but I attend a morning seminar and then trade for several hours. I have done this for several months now. It keeps my mind active and is also a great way to pass time.

[dedoubt]

Today I read a book I've been trying to finish for months, "Herland" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (a feminist utopian novel from 1915), and now I'm almost done!

I like to paint, draw, felt wool, knit, crochet, cook, garden, sew, read and write, among other things. Cooking and gardening may not seem like brain exercise, but I have to put a lot of thought into planning for both.

I also make lists to help organize my brain, and put up to do lists for what I need to get done. Again, the planning helps my brain work (more than, say, watching Supernatural on the computer).

[CrankyMe]

I read all the time, mostly books, either real paper books or Kindle books. I buy cheap books at yard sales or at Goodwill (more below about the library).

 

I have an app called "Mind Games" that is a bit like Luminosity, I think, in that it has short games designed to stimulate different parts of your brain. Plus it is free!

 

I also play a lot of 3-match games (most people have heard of Candy Crush Saga, that's one type of 3-match game) and the upper levels get very challenging, which I enjoy.

 

I don't go to the library much now, although I did when the kids were young. I'm terrible at returning books on time, and used to joke that I singularly helped build the new wing on my late/lost book fees. 

[olga]

 

I don't go to the library much now, although I did when the kids were young. I'm terrible at returning books on time, and used to joke that I singularly helped build the new wing on my late/lost book fees. 

he he he.....we love people like you at the library!  I have to say, though, that my fines are much reduced these days because we can renew items on the internet.  Makes it much easier and I get an extra 2 or 3 weeks to read the thing.

 

olga

[hagar]

I definitely agree with learning a language. I try to make sure to use Spanish at least once daily to keep it sharp (which is exceedingly easy to do where I live, thankfully), and I'm actively trying to get a better grip on French. I would also some day love to learn Lebanese Arabic and Scottish Gaelic, the languages of my ancestors but those seem like pretty lofty goals. There are some great online site and courses for language learning if you seek them out. I've heard Rosetta Stone language courses are the golden standard, but they're crazy expensive.

 

Reading helps too. Besides readings for school, I try to be reading a novel or some creative nonfiction as frequently as I can. I love the library. 

[DogMan]

Learning a language is huge, I've tried before, but failed dismally. Much kudos to anyone who can

[hagar]

I can speak Spanish only because I was taught it from an early age. I'm finding French harder to acquire now that I'm older. But even learning just pronunciation, basic grammatical structure, basic verb conjugations and tenses, and some basic vocabulary is a great step. I find workbooks to be really helpful, and going to French news sites and listening to French radio to get a feel for the flow of the language. I almost did a French immersion study abroad program in Montreal a few years ago, before shit really hit the fan with my BP, but it was too expensive and I was insecure of my ability to handle such a new setting. I wish I had gone now.

[melissaw72]

I agree with the you tube videos ... I learn a lot from them, and have studied various things, so I have been learning new information constantly, which I actually understand.  (Now if I could just take all the information I've learned and tell people about it ... I have a learning disability where I literally can't say what I've learned.  I understand it all, but when someone asks me about it the words just don't form to come out of my head.  It seems like I never learned anything, when I have all this information stuck in my head.  I could never do an essay test or something now if I was paid to do it).

Edited November 12, 2013 by melissaw72

[DogMan]

yeah, youtube is good. reading, or even looking at instruction pics to tie a bow tie = but watching youtube makes it very easy

[melissaw72]

I learn so much more and better when I can see things and hear them at the same time, which is why I love you tube so much.

[xxmoonxraverxx]

I dropped out of high school so I checked ninth grade curriculum books out of the library and am currently teaching myself my entire high school education.

[melissaw72]

I xercised my brain yesterday by playing with kids all day   They wear me out!

[crtclms]

I am teaching myself to play cribbage, poorly. I play both players. I struggle to remember all the combinations, but I'm getting there. DH is only interested in learning once I know it well (he doesn't know it, and he wants me to be qualified to teach him).

 

I knit, poorly. The scarf I am working on now, one I have made twice before, I swear is conscious and is screwing with me.

 

I like to read, but have a hard time concentrating. I am crawling through a book about Queen Isabella, the wife of Edward II. It is a really good book, but as I said, I have trouble concentrating.

 

Actually, I should go read that, I have horrific insomnia.

[melissaw72]

I worked on a difficult puzzle today for 5 hours this morning.

[hagar]

I worked on a difficult puzzle today for 5 hours this morning.

I love working on jigsaw puzzles, that's definitely a great way to keep your mind sharp. Sometimes I get frustrated and have to step away from it for a while, but otherwise it's a good way to kill time.

[melissaw72]

 

I worked on a difficult puzzle today for 5 hours this morning.

I love working on jigsaw puzzles, that's definitely a great way to keep your mind sharp. Sometimes I get frustrated and have to step away from it for a while, but otherwise it's a good way to kill time.

 

 

I LOVE puzzles too   1000 pieces are just right.  I like doing them with someone though.  Time does go by extremely fast when working on them, you're right.

[DogMan]

I read one[1] chapter of a book before my midday nap. It wasn't overly interesting, but i pushed on and read it.

 

If gardening counts, I did some problem solving in a patch where nothing will grow and picked up some succulents as a last resort for that spot