Last summer, Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, in an effort to improve his game, reportedly used his non-dominant hand for as many daily tasks as he could. He used his left hand for things like eating, writing and brushing his teeth.
Whether or not this strategy will help DeRozan’s dribbling prowess, evidence suggests that this exercise can improve cognitive skills and memory, and even prevent age-related brain deterioration.
That is the thinking behind “neurobics,” a term coined in the late 1990s by Duke University Medical Center neurobiologist Lawrence Katz, who posited that using all five senses in unexpected ways is a form of exercise for the brain.
When you keep things fresh and “surprise” the brain, underused nerve pathways are activated, creating connections and building synapses to shield the brain better from cognitive decline. The result: a sharper mind, now and as we age.
“We used to think that our brains would just deteriorate for our whole lives,” says Catherine Flatt, instructor and consultant with BrainGym, an organization that teaches a series of movement-based exercises intended to improve brain performance, in Dundas, Ont. “But we continue to produce neurons, especially within the hippocampus [the area of the brain primarily responsible for memory and executive functioning].”
Repeating the same tasks day after day does little to fire up the brain, Flatt says. A walk in the woods, for example, is more beneficial than a walk on a treadmill because the brain must be in a state of alertness, adjusting to the constant stream of sensory input it receives, such as a crooked path, changing light or an approaching coyote. These little modifications are like fertilizer for the brain, feeding and strengthening it for the long term.
The best way to improve your brain’s health, Flatt says, is to embrace novelty: “Entertain your brain. If you don’t use your neurons, then the body thinks you don’t need them or want them.”
Dendrites – the little tentacles on the nerve cells that receive and process information, forming memories – atrophy if we don’t use them. And, while neurologists once thought only children could grow dendrites, we now know that adults can, too.
The tried-and-true methods of improving brain health, such as learning a new language or an instrument still are valid. But recent research indicates that our approach doesn’t have to be that ambitious; the little things we do daily can make a difference.
The key to neurobics is to shake up daily routines by relying upon different senses and forcing your brain into “alert” mode.
Here are some ideas on how you can practice neurobics in your day-to-day life:
– Go blind. Choose a few repetitive tasks you do each day – eating, showering, unlocking your front door – and do them with your eyes closed, relying upon memory and touch to complete the tasks.
– Flip the pics. Rotate all the pictures on your desk so the images appear upside down for a day. Your brain will have to reorganize itself to accommodate the new form of incoming information.
You also can flip through a magazine while holding it upside down, then try to identify the pictures and ads.
– Go local. Browse through a farmer’s market or do your shopping at a different supermarket.
– Smell the eucalyptus. Keep a few bottles of essential oil on your bedside table. Smell and identify one every morning for a week.
– Seek variety. Vary the order in which you do your morning tasks. Choose a different route or method to get to work. Rearrange the items on your desk.
– Change your aural routine. Listen to a different radio station or music genre, or read poetry aloud to your kids or partner.
Try borrowing an audiobook from a library.
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