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How to stay mentally fit the fun way: Tips & tricks

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In a complicated world full of pressures and unexpected surprises, it’s important we all keep ourselves fit and healthy for whatever may come. While the idea of physical fitness is pretty universally noted, not everyone is aware of how important it is to stay mentally fit.

This doesn’t mean unrelenting positivity, but keeping your mind sharp and improving your ability to think both thoughtfully and quickly.

If your mind is feeling a bit fuzzy or you’re struggling to apply yourself to your work, here are some great tips and tricks to help you.

Play classic games

Throughout history, games have been a brilliant way of keeping the mind strong. The same is absolutely true today, with classic games and new innovations remaining fantastic methods for testing our mental abilities and preparing us for problem-solving situations.

Traditional board games such as chess and backgammon can help improve your brain by forcing it to remember and analyze multiple scenarios at once. This can help you get better at retaining information and solving challenges in everyday life.

Likewise, more modern board games may not seem as mentally demanding as classic counterparts, but they will usually also offer the same kind of scenario juggling, just with a more colorful and inspired decoration around them.

While gambling might not be the best decision when you’re feeling a bit mentally drained, classic casino games can be a fantastic way to exercise your brain. Poker, in particular, is a brilliant game for testing your ability to imagine multiple scenarios and problem-solving, with a bit of math thrown in there for good measure. These casino games are available through gambling websites, and when you’re done flexing your brain you can try your hand (and winnings) on real money slot sites (the best of which are listed here).

Exercise

A healthy body equals a healthy mind, as the saying goes. Part of your routine to retain a healthy brain should be to keep the rest of your body in top shape.

You don’t need to become a fitness guru to achieve a healthy body or get into exercise. Exercise can be as light or heavy as you want, it’s about doing what suits you and your body. Only got the time to run a couple of times a week? That’s fine. Don’t have space at home to do yoga? Head out into the garden and use that space while the sun is out. [Looking for a fitness activity that gets your body moving and your heart pumping? Participate in a fun sport like lacrosse, and make sure that you wear the appropriate footwear, clothing, and any other specialized equipment that may be necessary.] No weights? Try bags of sugar!

The key to getting started exercising is to not beat yourself up about not doing things properly, that’s only going to make you less mentally healthy. Rather than just improving your abs or chest, exercise should make you feel better about yourself overall first and foremost.

Take a walk

If you’re not the kind of person who likes to push themselves to the max with exercise, then maybe a more leisurely approach to fitness, both mentally and physically, is the way to go.

Anyone who takes frequent walks can tell you it’s a massively underrated form of exercise. It might not help you get cut or bikini ready by itself, but it’ll help you feel much fitter and make you think twice about reaching for the car keys next time you need to pop to the store.

Walking can also help you find out a lot more about the place you live. Next time you go out for a walk don’t just take the common route, take the road less traveled. Head down every side street that looks interesting. Take a walk into nature and enjoy the peace and quiet away from people and traffic. It won’t just help you feel fitter, but wash all the troubles out of your mind for a couple of hours.

Have a creative session

Flexing those creative muscles is one of the best ways to keep your brain in good shape. Rather than testing yourself with demanding work and questions, why not ease your brain into a state of relaxation with a daily creative session?

Much like fitness, the key to a good creative session is to not take things too seriously or punish yourself for not being perfect. Let your creative spark guide you, it will help engage your brain and make you feel much more comfortable about the action.

Even if you’ve never drawn, written a poem or practiced an instrument before it can be relaxing and enlightening to give it a try. You don’t have to produce a masterpiece first time or one-hundredth time round, it’s more about creating something for yourself.

Even if no-one sees your creation, your brain will massively appreciate that time you picked up a pen or pencil and let your feelings and inspiration guide you.

What keeps a brain engaged and mentally fit will differ from person to person. There are just a few ways of keeping your mind sharp and enjoying yourself while doing it. Next time you feel drained or frustrated, give them a try and remember to relax.

health, Mental Health, Physical Fitness, tips

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