Most Effective Brain Boosting Exercise

To keep your brain healthy you need to exercise to increase blood flow, and therefore oxygen, to this vital organ.

"All physical exercise, be it running, cycling, dancing or even walking, will help. One study that was published in the journal NeuroMolecular Medicine found that aerobic exercise not only improves overall brain function but even promotes the growth of new brain cells."

DANCE

CO-ORDINATION movements, such as learning new dance steps, enhance your thinking, cognitive flexibility and the processing of information.

TABLE TENNIS

A GAME of ping-pong is great for hand-eye co-ordination and reflexes. It causes you to use many different areas of the brain, which gives it balance.

JUGGLING

THIS can boost connections in the brain, by changing its structure, scientists at Oxford University found.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WALK

CELEBS who regularly walk as a form of exercise include Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Natalie Portman.

If you already walk regularly and would like to put on a bit of a spurt, here are my top tips for speeding things up.

1. Use good posture. Walk tall, look forward (not down), gazing about 20ft ahead. Your chin should be level and your head up.

2. Keep your chest raised and shoulders relaxed (shoulders down, back and relaxed).

3. Bend your arms in slightly less than a 90°angle. Cup your hands gently. Swing arms front to back (not side to side - arms should not cross your body). Do not swing elbows higher than your breast bone. Swing your arms faster and your feet will follow.

4. Tighten your abs and buttocks. Flatten your back and tilt your pelvis slightly forward.

5. Pretend you are walking along a straight line. Resist the urge to elongate your steps. To go faster take smaller, faster steps.

6. Push off with your toes. Concentrate on landing on your heel, rolling through the step and pushing off with your toes. Use the natural spring of your calf muscles to propel you forward.

7. Breathe naturally. As you walk, take deep, rhythmic breaths to get the maximum amount of oxygen through your system. Walk fast enough that your breathing is increased yet you are not out of breath.

THREE WALKING DON'TS

1. Do not over-stride.

2. Do not use too vigorous arm movements.

3. Do not carry hand weights or place weights on your ankles.

source: homedailynews