New skills, exercise, and staying socially connected are ways to keep your brain active. Here’s some easy tips and inspiring ideas – Pilates is the ideal activity that challenges and keeps your mind, and body, active!
Staying sharp
Healthy cognition (your thinking ability), mild cognitive decline and dementia are all contributors to quality of life as we age. It’s in our best interest to do all that we can to slow the decline of cognitive ability and live life to the full by staying sharp.
Being healthy in your diet and with physical activity are great ways to build a solid foundation for maintaining your cognitive ability. Other things you can do are to be socially active and engaged with people in your life, improving your emotional wellbeing, stopping smoking, doing brain training exercises.
Having a hobby that consistently challenges your brain is both a fun and engaging way to stay sharp. This could be anything learning a language, knitting, learning dance routines, Sudokus, crosswords etc.
Teaching a skill to someone else is another way to not only improve yourself but to help someone else’s ability to be sustained. By teaching and learning our brains are more engaged and your cognitive ability will benefit.
Did you know, ballet is one of the gold standards for cognitive stimulation. Fantastic to keep your brain and body flexible and active!
Getting Social
Being social is a perfect way to increase your mental health, have greater feelings of wellbeing, and is connected to living a longer life. By getting involved with a group or community you can have a positive impact on other people as well as yourself and potentially make a difference in the world too.
Do you often feel lonely or isolated? This is something everyone feels at times, especially as we age. But there are things you can try in order to overcome these feeling and create a better life for yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to develop new social connections and friends as well as starting conversations with different people. Be prepared to try new things and go to new places. Getting out of your comfort zone, little by little, will help you to feel more connected and accomplished.
Stay socially connected by:
- Volunteering
- Visiting family where possible
- Contacting old friends
- Talking to neighbours and local shoppers
- Attending face-to-face (or online in COVID times!) classes or education series at community colleges, meet up groups, clubs etc.
- Explore social media to discover groups you are interested in
In today’s digital world it can be a great idea to explore different aspects of technology. This can be looking at social media to make connections with old friends, finding people who are interested in similar things, discovering groups and clubs nearby, keeping in touch with family and much more.
If you are unsure about how to go about these things, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help or to look around online with you. You might be surprised how helpful these tools can be for improving your social skills and connections!
Pilates classes are an excellent way to stay sharp by working your mind and body. Get in touch today to find a class that suits your schedule.
Feel calmer, stronger and ready to face today’s challenges. Find your centre and get a workout in the comfort of your own home. Contact us now about our at home options.