When it comes to active aging, there may not be a more wide-reaching source of wellbeing than focusing on our intellectual health. When we give our brain a boost, the whole body benefits. It is never too late to focus on our mental health, especially considering how many fun ways there are to engage the mind.
Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy
- Do a variety of puzzles and brain teasers
- Take a new class or learn a new skill
- Break out of your routine and do something new
- Socialize with others and ask thought-provoking questions
- Stay physically active with 30 minutes of exercise per day
- Get plenty of sleep and drink water
There are countless ways to engage the mind, but one of the most enjoyable ways to boost brain health is to focus on the power of creative engagement. Whether you’re 18 or 80, there are countless activities to improve your brain health today through creative engagement:
- Write a poem
- Take a photograph
- Cook a recipe you’ve never attempted. You can RSVP for the upcoming life class on cooking Vegan Stew along with Chef Nino in this Kitchen Creations online class at humananeighborhoodcenter.com
- Sketch something in your house
- Play an instrument
- Craft something new, like learning to craft paper roll pumpkins at HumanaNeighborhoodCenter.com
- Dance to your favorite song
If you’re looking to improve your intellectual health, but fear you’ve neglected your creative spirit, it’s not too late to make a change. There are countless individuals who learned to harness the power of creative expression in their later years, including:
Quin Bommelje
Despite never dancing a step in her life, Quin Bommelje decided to take dance lessons in her 60s. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with dance, but she had no idea it would make her famous. At the age of 71, Bommelje made it to the semifinals of the hit NBC TV Show “America’s Got Talent,” proving to the world that you are never too old to spread your creative wings.
Nadeem Khan
For Nadeem Khan, nothing stimulates his mind quite like the car culture. He became enamored with classic automobiles from a young age, and now in his 60s, owns a garage where he collects and restores cars from all over the world. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something new,” Khan says. “I’m an open book as far as gaining knowledge. I want to know more, and as you get older, you’re going to know more.”
The key is to keep your mind active. You don’t have to be gifted; you just have to try. Creativity often isn’t a lightning strike of ingenuity. It’s simply the by-product of fearlessness and persistence. It’s looking at a challenge from multiple perspectives until “suddenly” a solution appears. It’s a process that anyone can benefit from when they embrace active aging.
Humana and the ICAA are dedicated to helping you on your journey to whole-person health. Click here to download our complimentary Playbook for Active Aging: 7 Keys for Whole Person Health. Inside, you’ll find a Brain Boot Camp full of puzzles and brain teasers, and a printable Live Boldly Coloring Book page to kick start your journey on creative engagement.
