5 Activities to Keep Your Mind Sharp for Years to Come

The heavy stigma of Alzheimer’s and other illnesses of cognitive degeneration is most often associated with the elderly. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s time to admit we don’t talk about exercising our brains while we’re younger in the same way we talk about exercising the rest of our bodies until signs of slowing begin to show. Keeping preventative care in mind, here are a few easy suggestions to help continue opening neural pathways, increasing plasticity, and activating that amazing brain to keep you functioning at your best.  Card games Virtually any rules-based games are great for keeping the brain and its functions up to code. With the exception of Solitaire, playing card games is a social activity that does not require screen time, also giving your eyes a rest while your engagement is activated. Once you shift your brain toward understanding the confines and structures of the games you play, it goes into a problem-solving task-completing mode, processing the information necessary to stay a step ahead. Anything from Poker, Gin Rummy, Go Fish, or even Uno are all reliable options to keep the cogs turning.  Word puzzles Crosswords, anagrams, Hangman, Wheel of Fortune, Scrabble, etc. Word puzzles...