Boost brain health: Best exercises to improve memory, focus, cognitive functions and more

Brain exercises can enhance problem-solving skills, creativity, and mental agility. (Image: Canva)

Brain exercises are crucial for enhancing memory and focus. Regular mental stimulation can improve short-term memory and focus by keeping the brain active and engaged. It also helps in delaying age-related cognitive decline and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Additionally, brain exercises can enhance problem-solving skills, creativity, and mental agility. By incorporating activities that require concentration and critical thinking, individuals can maintain and even improve their cognitive health. Just as physical exercise is vital for physical well-being, brain exercises are essential for maintaining mental sharpness and overall brain health. Therefore, making brain exercises a part of daily routine can lead to improved memory, focus, and cognitive resilience.

Dr Hardik Khurrana, psychologist and mental wellness coach, shares eight easy exercises to increase your memory and focus:

Cross crawl:

• How to do it: Stand or sit. Lift your right knee and touch it with your left elbow, then lift your left knee and touch it with your right elbow. Alternate sides.
• Benefits: Enhances coordination between the brain's hemispheres, improving memory and cognitive function.

• How to do it: Sit or stand. Cross your right ankle over your left. Stretch your arms in front, crossing them so that your right wrist rests on top of your left. Clasp your hands, bend your elbows, and bring your hands up to rest on your chest.
• Benefits: Reduces stress, improves concentration, and facilitates calm thinking.

• How to do it: Draw an infinity symbol (a sideways figure eight) in the air with your finger, following it with your eyes without moving your head.
• Benefits: Enhances hand-eye coordination and visual tracking, boosting reading and writing skills.

• How to do it: Place one hand on your navel. With the thumb and fingers of your other hand, press the indentations just below your collarbone. Rub these points gently for about 30 seconds while breathing deeply.
• Benefits: Stimulates blood flow to the brain, enhancing focus and memory recall.

Double doodle:

• How to do it: Hold a pen in each hand. On a piece of paper, draw with both hands simultaneously, creating mirror images or symmetrical patterns.
• Benefits: Encourages bilateral coordination and stimulates both hemispheres of the brain.

• How to do it: Recite the alphabet in reverse order, starting from Z and going back to A.
• Benefits: Challenges your brain, improving working memory and cognitive flexibility.

• How to do it: Play games that require memory, such as matching pairs of cards, Sudoku, or crossword puzzles.
• Benefits: Strengthens short-term memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

• How to do it: Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Focus on your breath, inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth. Count each breath up to 10, then start over.
• Benefits: Reduces stress, improves focus, and enhances cognitive clarity and memory.