Neurobics - The Brain Challenger

Neurobics is a term coined for a type of mental exercise that engages the brain in novel ways of functioning. It is basically aerobics for the brain. Neurobics demands attention and a lot of mental activity, leaving you either excited or frustrated. It mostly involves non-routine actions or thoughts, encouraging growth of new dendrites and neurons in the brain, and the formation of a new neural network as the brain is initiated to adapt to a new habit or environment. Thus it involves something entirely new to you. Essentially there are a few criteria for an exercise to be neurobic. The exercise must fulfill at least one of the criteria below.

1. You must have little or no experience with the action.
   
2. The action must require you to use more of your 5 senses.
3. The action forces you to concentrate.

In short, the action must demands your brain to work more. Examples of the exercises are:

1. Navigate through your house with your eyes closed. You've seen your house a millions times. Now, shut your eyes and let that confidence drop. You need to depend on your other faculties, feeling, sniffing and listening and sensing to move around. You might even notice things you never realize its there! The motor coordination area in the brain is also strongly summoned by the brain in order to prevent yourself from banging into your own bedroom door.
2. Use your non-dominant hand. This is an old recipe for training your brain but there is a staggering amount of people in the world that is non-ambidextrous. In fact, writing with your other hand can generate different types of ideas because you are using more of your other side of the brain to think. Brushing with different hands, folding your arms the other way and leaning your weight on your other leg is actually neurobic, though you are certainly going to experience discomfort at first. This time, don't hesitate to switch sides!
3. Go to a new place and do something new. Many people are too bored to take a closer look at their office or their own house. Sometimes they might be even too bored to try out something new at home. Choosing a new place for your vacation, trying out a new route to work (be early for this), go for camping and learning a new sport is beneficial for your brain.
4. Play identification games. Set up a few objects with a group of friends or family and get started! Identify the objects using touch, smell, taste or hearing can be very fun and exciting. This cultivates and enlivens your senses, using them like never before.
5. Read a book of different taste and style. Get sick with New York Times bestsellers and pick some books from the dusty shelves. If you cannot function in a kitchen, go grab the recipes for desserts and treat your parents. If you have no idea what is happening in political parties, pick some books on politics. Or if you have always wondered how the universe came into being, read about the big bang theory and start talking like a physicist. Maybe you don't like any one of those. Just maintain a neutral attitude and see what the book has for you.
6. Talk to a stranger. Grab the chance to know the new hottie in your company. Ask the handsome guy in your neighbourhood out for lunch. Start a conversation with that old lady at the bus stop. You learn to talk differently with different people.
7. Memorize numbers. You can just store telephone numbers on your phone and rely entirely on it. Or maybe you shouldn't. Try memorizing those numbers. The next time, flip on your phone and start punching numbers. Reiterate product codes in a meeting in front of your boss. Remember the car plates of your friends. You'll never know when you need those.
8. Take on a new challenge. Call an old friend and show them who's boss on the chess board. Test your badminton skills against a stranger at the sports center. Enter a singing contest. Impress your Polish friend with his native tongue ( if you're not Polish). Show the girls you can walk on your hands. Try it out and experience life anew!
   

See? There are thousands of things you can come up with. Neurobics is very flexible. You can modify it anyway you like. Anything new will do. Results? More brain cells, more brainpower, slower brain aging.