by Jaime Skelton

Created on: October 13, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

Lower your weight. Raise your metabolism. Tone your abs. Wear that new pair of jeans. Every day, we are bombarded with messages from the media, and from advertisers, about improving our body. With not only bodies, but minds and spirits, we need to focus on improving our entire well being, and few try to reach us on our mental health. Luckily, there are many simple ways that you can keep your mind healthy and happy.

One of the first, and best, ways to keep your brain functioning in excellent shape is to get a good night's sleep. You should always budget enough time for sleep that when you wake, you will feel alert and refreshed. Try planning to go to bed at the same time every night to get your body in a sleep routine. Use your bedroom for only rest and sleep; it will train your mind to relax when it's time to go to bed. Great sleep will put your mind in the best state it can be for the coming day.

You can engage your brain by solving puzzles and games. Often called "brain teasers," puzzles stimulate your brain by using your knowledge and thinking power to solve them. Puzzles can improve visual acuity and processing skill, memory, logic and reasoning, and even general knowledge. Just fifteen minutes a day a break or a little bit of your lunch time at work, or just before bed can exercise your brain.

Of course, there are even simpler ways to engage your mind, like reading books, newspapers, magazines, or even watching television. Yes, even the "boob tube" can be used to engage the mind: whether it's something complex, like watching a documentary, or something simple, like watching a crime drama, your brain can actively be engaged in learning and solving puzzles.

Don't feel like staying inside? Go outside, take a walk, and talk with neighbors and strangers. Active conversations not only build our social networks and help us learn about other people, but engage our brain in a variety of brain activity such as memory gain and retrieval, data organization, and creativity.

These are just a few of dozens of options you can look at to begin your own workout regimen for your brain. Whatever you choose, have fun, and remember: think smarter, not harder!

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