As we grow older, we start to slow down in almost every area of our lives. Physically, this means that we’re less flexible and have less stamina. Injuries also take longer to recover from.
Our brains also start to slow. Memory gets a little worse and often we can find ourselves struggling to remember names, facts and other information.
But this is no reason for despondency. Keeping physically active by going to the gym, swimming and even walking can keep us fit. And keeping our brain active can also mean that we are more acute and switched on. We can do the latter in a number of ways and this includes playing different kinds of games designed to keep the old grey cells active.
Part of the reason that more people are interested in ways to stay mentally sharp is the rising issue of dementia.
In New Zealand, around 70,000 people suffer from this in varying degrees. According to the Alzheimer’s Society the ageing population means that this figure is set to rise to 170,000 by 2050.
While there may not be any solid proof at the moment that brain games can fend off the condition, more research needs to be done. And, in any case, there is broad agreement that the more we use our brains, the better shape they’ll stay in.
So here are four ways to keep yours working to full capacity.
Wordle
Every day, millions of people across the world challenge themselves to solve the puzzle that was bought by the New York Times for a reputed $1 million in 2022 from its astonished inventor, Josh Wardle.
The principle of the game is simple. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word. You begin by filling in any five-letter word, and you will see if any of the letters are in the actual word and whether they are in the right place.
Then, it’s a process of deduction to come up with the word itself. A handy tip is to have a “starter” word with as many different vowels as possible and to avoid less commonly used letters like x, z, and q.
There are also a number of spinoffs from the original game that are even more challenging. These include Quordle that involves solving four word puzzles simultaneously.
Card games
There are a whole host of card games that are great for keeping your brain sharp as a pin. These range from social games like Bridge to ones that you can play on your own, like online blackjack. If you fancy a go at the latter, then you can find many review sites like Bonus Finder that give a rundown of the best online casinos, as you can see from this one on their post.
Blackjack is a particularly good game to play as there is something called the “basic strategy” to help you. This comes in the form of a number of tables to memorize that tell you what, probability-wise, your best move will be in any given situation. The studying and remembering of the tables is a great brain exercise in itself.
Sudoku
Most newspapers feature this, and there are even whole books and magazines dedicated to this game. It’s ideal if your brain is more numerical, although it does also rely on the sort of deductive logic used in Wordle.
In the game there is a grid of 9 x 9 squares. In turn, this is divided into 9 3 x 3 boxes. The idea is to fill each one of these with the numbers 1 to 9 with no number being repeated in any row column or box.
To start you off, the sudoku compiler fills in a few numbers, and it’s up to you to use your powers of deduction to complete the rest. For beginners, more numbers will be given at the start. However, sudoku experts should be able to solve the puzzle with minimal information provided.
Chess
On the face of it, chess is a very simple game to play. Once you’ve mastered the moves that the six different pieces – pawn, castle, rook, bishop, king, and queen – can make, you’re ready to go.
But you’ll soon find that it’s really one of the most complex and strategic games there is. You really do have to run through every possible scenario in your head before you make a move. You also have to try to anticipate exactly what your opponent will be planning.
One of the great things about chess is that even if you don’t have a “live” opponent, there are plenty of online games. And if you want to play another human, you can also do this virtually.
So, choose whichever one, or one of these you think will suit you best. Then, give your brain the sort of workout that’s sure to do it well.
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