Memory Trouble? Give Your Brain a Workout

With the increasing amount of adults hitting the middle ages, keeping a sharp mind is becoming more and more important, a recent article in the New York Times reported. In many cases as adults approach this stage in their life they become forgetful, often misplacing things. This does not have to be, and is easier to avoid than one might think.

This simplicity of being successful in remembrance in your middle ages lies in a theory we have all known for a long time. Your brain is just like a muscle in this way, use it or lose it. Yes, just like getting "buff" in the gym so can your memory. The brain works by an electrochemical process by which information is passed through neural pathways called dendrites. There are billions of these that information must go through in your brain, each one an extension of the neuron cells. Each dendrite acts like the branch of a tree. Without use these dendrites atrophy and become useless, but when the brain is used on a consistent basis in new and creative ways they remain active, increasing your mental capacity and memory.

For those of you who have been to my "live" programs, this doesn't come as news. Use it or lose it!

There are many ways to keep these branches in your brain active. Some are as simple as doing everyday things, just in a different way, such as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Riddles and Puzzles are also great at keeping these connections alive. The following riddles, collected from various websites are a great way to keep your brain in shape.

  1. Consider a road with two cars 100 miles apart. They start driving toward each other at the same time. The car on the left moves at a speed of 40 miles per hour, and the car on the right at 60 miles per hour. A bird starts at the same location as the car on the right and flies at a speed of 80 miles per hour. When it reaches the car on the left it reverses direction, and when it reaches the car on the right it reverses again, repeating the pattern until the cars meet. What is the total distance that the bird traveled at the moment that the two cars reach each other?
  2. A 16-foot cable hangs between two pillars that are both 15 feet high. The cable ends are attached to the tops of the pillars. At its lowest point, the cable hangs 7 feet above the ground. How far apart are the two pillars?
  3. Fill in the blanks. A E F H I K L M --- --- --- W X Y Z
  4. In two different towns, two strangers build similar apartment buildings. They both forget an important part of their project. By chance, they both call the same supply company to order the missing items. They are given the following prices:
    1 will cost $2
    2 will cost $2
    12 will cost $4
    144 will cost $6
    What was the item they needed?
  5. A king who loves chess decides to retire. He tells his three sons: "I will give my kingdom to one of you on one condition - you must spend exactly half your remaining days playing chess." Two sons say there is no way to know how long they will live. The third son accepts the challenge. How can he fulfill his father's wishes?
  6. What occurs once in a second, once in a minute, twice in a millennium, but never in the course of a lifetime?

Click Here: and give your brain a 45 day workout.

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