10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp

My mother use to say, “I just can’t remember things like I use to.” She never suffered from Alzheimer’s or anything like that, but she did suffer from the effects of aging.

Even my wife and I, in our fifties now, joke with one another when one of us forgets something, saying, “We are getting younger”. It’s better than saying the truth, which is we are getting older and our mind slips from time to time.

The point is we need to do what we can to keep that mind of ours sharp all the way into our golden years. It starts when we are young. We need to incorporate habits into are life that will strengthen our mind.

If you don’t use something, you are going to lose it. It is a simple fact. Your mind is something that needs to be used. If all you do is watch mindless TV it won’t function as well when you are 60 as it did when you were 20.

Just like the body needs exercise to get stronger, the mind needs to be exercised to get sharper. I have listed 10 ways to exercise your mind. First and foremost on the list of exercises for the mind is to read.

1. Read

Reading for the mind is like the bench press for the bodybuilder. It should be part of your every day life. Pick a topic or a couple of topics and get some books about them.

If you are an early riser, get up and read before you start your day. Another option is to turn off the TV in the evening and open a book instead.

As for myself, I have gotten in the habit of getting up first thing in the morning and reading a section of my Bible as well as a chapter of a book.

I rotate my topics so to keep a balance. At present, my rotation is to read and archaeology magazine, then a biblical or theological book, a historical book, then a mystery or literature book.

I have now collected a variety of digital books as well so I end my rotation by reading one of my Shadow mystery books which I have almost 40 of those.

Find the topics that work for you. It will help broaden your vocabulary as well as teach your mind to visualize concepts that you are reading about.

You may even catch yourself thinking about what you have read later in the day which keeps your mind active.

2. Write

Writing is a great way to keep your mind sharp. Unlike reading where you are comprehending what someone else has written, when you write you task your brain to compose the words you want to put down.

Writing is a creative process where you have to use your imagination, your wit and the analytical part of your mind to construct sentences and paragraphs in such a way that your reader can follow and hopefully enjoy.

Writing can take various forms depending on your interests. You can blog like I do here. You can write that book that you have thought of doing or you can try creating poetry if you are so inclined.

You can also take up correspondence with others writing emails or letters. In this modern day writing letters has become a lost art. In another era that was the primary way of keeping in touch. Now in today’s instant society we have lost that ability.

Give writing a try. Whether you do it by handwriting or typing is up to you, but it is a challenge worth taking.

3. Study a new subject

Youth is wasted on the young the old saying goes, so was schooling in my case. I was never as focused on studying when I was a teenager. Between hormones and discovering who I was, school was a burden. Now I wish I had the desire back then that I have now to learn.

You don’t need to go back to school to broaden your horizon by learning. You can pick a topic, do some research and discover something new on your own at your own pace.

I created a lot of study guides when I was an adult Sunday School teacher and Pastor. I fell in love with learning and now I try to teach myself all the time.

If you need help and don’t think you can do it on your own there are also a lot of non-credited continuing education courses offered at the local community colleges these days. There are also an online opportunities to learn such as The Great Courses where you can study subjects that interest you.

So what topic do you fancy?

4. Play games

When talking about playing games, I’m not talking about the mind numbing video games that so many are doing now. The games I’m referring to are those games that involve strategy and thinking. Games like Chess, Checkers, Scrabble and Backgammon.

There is a lot to be for the old fashioned board games. Fortunately they have been made available on the computers as well these days.

In the same vein as board games are the puzzle games such as Crosswords and Sudoku.

My father was the king of crosswords. He got two newspapers every day and after reading the headlines, sports and comics, he would go to the crossword puzzle in the paper. He had his crossword dictionaries but rarely ever used them.

I always was impressed by his ability with crosswords. Here was a man who was pulled out of school part way through the 9th grade to work on the farm during the depression, but he had no lack when it came to vocabulary.

He also loved to watch Wheel of Fortune and more times than not figured out the words or phrases long before any of the contestants.

Give strategy games or puzzles a try. It’s entertaining as well as good for your mind.

5. Learn a foreign language

This is something that I am trying to do. I wish I would have been motivated to do this when I was young. Young minds seem to be able to absorb languages at an easier rate. The older you get the more difficult it is to be fluent in another language. It might be difficult, but not impossible.

I started with dead languages. When I was 16 a professor of a Bible college that my brother went to came to our church. He inspired me to want to learn biblical Hebrew. He suggested that I ask the local Rabbi if I could learn. Rabbi Kosman allowed me to come every Shabbas to his house where a teenager my age would try to teach me the basics of Hebrew.

I kept at it for a year and a half. It was a chore for me just to learn the alphabet and some basic words but I yearned for more.

I also took a biblical Hebrew course at college but was not ready for the rigors of college in general so I didn’t do well, nor did I finish my college.

My real breakthrough with languages came after I married and we started going to my wife’s home church. There, the pastor, Al Knoblock, was an expert at biblical Hebrew and Greek. He taught courses in the languages at the church. Today I still practice what I learned by translating two verses of each language from the Bible each day.

On top of that I remarried in 2014 to a Filipina, so since then I have been trying to learn her language. Tagolog is not as difficult as the biblical languages but being conversational takes some time. I think I’m getting to the point that I am starting to understand it.

The one benefit learning another language, besides being conversant in that language, is that you gain a better understanding of the grammar of your own language. I had difficulty studying English in high school and college, but after 3 years studying Greek under Al Knoblock, my comprehension of my own language soared.

I’m sure in the back of your mind there is a language you have always thought would be fun to learn. Go for it and give it a try.

6. Take up a hobby

This can be a fun way to keep you mind sharp. The wonderful thing about hobbies is it can take an infinite variety of forms. It can be something physical such as building arts and crafts or mental such as collecting coins or collectors’ items.

The point about a hobby is it keeps your mind exploring. If you like to build things, you have to think through the process to figure how you can accomplish the task.

On the other hand, if you are a collector, then you spend time researching the topic, learning all you can about what interests you.

For myself, because I am so busy with other things like writing this blog, I don’t get to do hobbies as much as I would like. My hobbies would have to be model making and fishing. I have tried my hand at a couple wooden ship models and have plans to do a couple other projects but haven’t found the time to pursue them.

As far as fishing. I find it a relaxing escape from busy life, but because I’m busy I only get that escape two or three times a year.

Find the thing you are passionate to do and enjoy it. Life is too short not to take a few minute and have some fun.

7. Listen to or play music

For those of you who are able to play a musical instrument, I envy you.

When I was younger I tried to learn the piano and the guitar, but the coordination just wasn’t there. I could never get my two hands to work in coordination. I would practice with my right hand until I got the fingering correct and then I would do the same with my left, but when I tried to do both at the same time it all fell apart.

To those who play an instrument well I am told it is a relaxing, even enjoyable way to pass the time. You are using your mind to put together the notes into a harmonious sound.

For those of us who can’t play an instrument, listening to music can also be good for your mind and your mental state of being.

Music affects your mood. If you have had a hectic day, classical music can be the key to calming your spirit. If you need some energy to exercise, some fast paced dance music can get you moving faster than you would normally move.

Use music to set your mood and correct your mood when needed.

The next three things are not activities to do as much as lifestyle choices that need to be made which affect your brain and it’s function.

8. Exercise

Exercise is as important to your brain as to the rest of your body. When you move your body with exercise, especially aerobic exercises such and walking, hiking or running, your blood circulates throughout your body more efficiently. This blood with the increased oxygen from the aerobic exercise travels to all parts of your body, including the brain.

This oxygenated blood helps in releasing hormones in the brain such as dopamine and endorphins which helps create a feeling of well being. At the same time this circulating blood removes toxins that are created by stress.

There is also research that suggests that aerobic exercise helps prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease which affects so many today.

I once had a cardiologist say to me that we have a second heart that pumps our blood through our body that we often avoid. That heart is your ankle. Every step you take pumps blood throughout your body and aids in your overall health, including your brain.

Take every advantage to walk and pump that blood.

9. Eat healthy

You are what you eat. Eating properly is not just controlling how many calories you eat so you can lose weight or maintain your weight. Just as important to the quantity of food you are eating is the quality of the food you are eating.

When talking nutrition we start with calories. Then you break that down into macronutrients; proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Then there is a whole of area of nutrition called micronutrients. In general terms we call these vitamins and minerals. These are the various chemicals that the body uses to build and repair parts of the body, including the brain.

I found a list of foods on a Harvard website that contains these micronutrients that the brain needs. Try adding these foods to your diet if they aren’t already.

a. Green vegetables such as spinach and kale as well as broccoli is shown to slow cognitive decline.

b. Fatty fish such as tuna and salmon and any fish high in omega-3 fatty acid helps against Alzheimer’s

c. Berries help memory.

d. Coffee and tea helps mental function.

e. Walnuts helps improve memory.

10. Get plenty of sleep

Last but not least in my 10 ways to keep your mind sharp is simply get enough sleep. When you sleep your body resets itself. This includes your brain. If you don’t get the sleep your body needs it won’t function properly. It stands to reason that if you do not get the sleep your brain needs on a consistent basis you will do yourself more harm than good.

Get your sleep.

So there you have it. My 10 suggestion for you to have a sharp mind.

1. Read

2. Write

3. Study a new subject

4. Play games

5. Learn a foreign language

6. Take up a hobby

7. Listen to or play music

8. Exercise

9. Eat healthy

10. Get plenty of sleep

Your mind is both physical and immaterial. Your mind is part of your soul. It is part of what makes you uniquely you. The way you act and react to things. The way you communicate with others is all through the function of the mind.

Keep the mind sharp so you can be the best you can be. Don’t give in to Father Time and accept that your memory will fade with age. Be as bright and curious in your 70’s as you were when you were 17.

Have a wonderful and blessed day.