10 Brain Exercises
For when you can't move your body
We all know how important it is to keep our brain active - it’s just as important to do mental exercise as it is to do physical exercise, in our quest to stay healthy and independent. Sometimes though it’s not easy to get out of bed and use our brains in the usual way, so we need to think of ways that we can exercise our brains when we can’t move our bodies. Try these exercises below that you can do while you’re lying in bed, waiting for the bus, or sitting in the park.
Exercise #1: Word dominoes
Pick a word, eg. START. Using the last letter of that word, T, think of another word that starts with that letter, eg. TRUCK. Think of another new word that starts with the last letter of the previous word, K, eg. KNUCKLE. See how many words you can string together.
Exercise #2: Create word pictures
Pick a word and visualise the spelling of it in your head. Try to think of other words that start with the same two letters, or finish with the same two letters.
Exercise #3: Visualise a road trip
Think of somewhere that you’ve driven to before, but not too often. In your mind, jump in your car and visualise the roads, the turns, the signs, and drive yourself to the destination. Try and remember the road names as you drive onto each one.
Exercise #4: Play the alphabet game
Think of a movie starting with the letter ‘A’ like A Night to Remember or Ace in the Hole. Then think of a movie starting with ‘B’ like Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Work your way through the whole alphabet. Do the same with suburbs, cities, countries, song titles, or celebrities.
Bonus points if you can get two words starting with the same letter, like Marilyn Monroe for ‘M’!
Exercise #5: Counting leaps
Pick a number between 1 and 10. Start from 1 and count up by that same number each time. Eg. if you choose 7, count 1 +7 = 8, +7 = 15, +7 = 22, +7 = 29. Try and get to 100. Do the same with a number between 10 and 20 and try and count up to 200.
Exercise #1: Word dominoes
Pick a word, eg. START. Using the last letter of that word, T, think of another word that starts with that letter, eg. TRUCK. Think of another new word that starts with the last letter of the previous word, K, eg. KNUCKLE. See how many words you can string together.
Exercise #2: Create word pictures
Pick a word and visualise the spelling of it in your head. Try to think of other words that start with the same two letters, or finish with the same two letters.
Exercise #3: Visualise a road trip
Think of somewhere that you’ve driven to before, but not too often. In your mind, jump in your car and visualise the roads, the turns, the signs, and drive yourself to the destination. Try and remember the road names as you drive onto each one.
Exercise #4: Play the alphabet game
Think of a movie starting with the letter ‘A’ like A Night to Remember or Ace in the Hole. Then think of a movie starting with ‘B’ like Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Work your way through the whole alphabet. Do the same with suburbs, cities, countries, song titles, or celebrities.
Bonus points if you can get two words starting with the same letter, like Marilyn Monroe for ‘M’!
Exercise #5: Counting leaps
Pick a number between 1 and 10. Start from 1 and count up by that same number each time. Eg. if you choose 7, count 1 +7 = 8, +7 = 15, +7 = 22, +7 = 29. Try and get to 100. Do the same with a number between 10 and 20 and try and count up to 200.
If you are feeling like moving the body as well as working the brain, have you tried one of our home workout DVDs?
Choose from high intensity, seated, mobility, cardio, strength and low intensity exercises, across our Agility, Mobility Masters, and Mobility Freestyle DVD ranges!
Exercise #6: Mental division
Think of a number between 50 and 100. Pick another number between 2 and 9. Now try and work how how many times the smaller number fits into the bigger number.
Exercise #7: Reminiscent visualisations
Think back to a favourite Christmas meal, birthday celebration, wedding, or social gathering. Visualise it in your mind with as much detail as possible. Turn around the room and think about what was in each corner, what colour the walls were, what the decorations there were, what music was playing, who was there, what they were wearing, what food was served, and all the things you felt when you were there.
Exercise #8: Mental shopping
Write your shopping list on a piece of paper or in your mind. Now imagine grabbing your trolley and walking down each aisle in the supermarket. What items come first? Where do you find the lettuce? Is the peanut butter down on a low shelf or up high? What items are next to it? How much are the tea bags when they’re on special?
Exercise #9: Add 3 minus 7
Pick a three digit number like 153. Add 3, three times. Eg. 153+3 =156, +3 =159, +3 =162. Now minus 7 from the new number 7 times. Eg. 162-7 =155, -7 =148, -7 =141, -7 =134, -7 =127, -7 =120, -7 =113. Now pick a new three digit number and try it again.
Exercise #10: Sleep!
While technically not an exercise, sleeping is one of the best ways to improve your brain function. We should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night to give our brains enough time to process all the information they’ve taken in that day, as well as rest and prepare for the next day coming. If you find it hard to sleep, make sure you aren’t napping during the day, drinking too much at night, or staring at a screen for too long before you turn off the light.
Think of a number between 50 and 100. Pick another number between 2 and 9. Now try and work how how many times the smaller number fits into the bigger number.
Exercise #7: Reminiscent visualisations
Think back to a favourite Christmas meal, birthday celebration, wedding, or social gathering. Visualise it in your mind with as much detail as possible. Turn around the room and think about what was in each corner, what colour the walls were, what the decorations there were, what music was playing, who was there, what they were wearing, what food was served, and all the things you felt when you were there.
Exercise #8: Mental shopping
Write your shopping list on a piece of paper or in your mind. Now imagine grabbing your trolley and walking down each aisle in the supermarket. What items come first? Where do you find the lettuce? Is the peanut butter down on a low shelf or up high? What items are next to it? How much are the tea bags when they’re on special?
Exercise #9: Add 3 minus 7
Pick a three digit number like 153. Add 3, three times. Eg. 153+3 =156, +3 =159, +3 =162. Now minus 7 from the new number 7 times. Eg. 162-7 =155, -7 =148, -7 =141, -7 =134, -7 =127, -7 =120, -7 =113. Now pick a new three digit number and try it again.
Exercise #10: Sleep!
While technically not an exercise, sleeping is one of the best ways to improve your brain function. We should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night to give our brains enough time to process all the information they’ve taken in that day, as well as rest and prepare for the next day coming. If you find it hard to sleep, make sure you aren’t napping during the day, drinking too much at night, or staring at a screen for too long before you turn off the light.
When you're ready, sign up to our online exercise program
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Older Adults - TOTAL Agility Membership
BundleHuge on-demand library of standing, seated, and floor workouts, to do anywhere, anytime. Includes aerobics, dumbbell, balance, band, core, ball, cardio, dance, resources and challenges to keep you motivated.
$22 / month
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Older Adults - Mobility Membership
BundleFind all your favourite mobility classes for older adults and seniors in one spot - whether you're in the mood for seated exercises using spoons, bands, balls, weights or scarves, we've got the home workout for you here!
$22 / month
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30 Day Toothbrush Challenge
Course5.0 average rating (1 review)Do you brush your teeth every day? Get even more health benefits by adding in a strength, balance or mobility exercise while you're there! Join Carol for a fun and challenging 30 days combining a toothbrush and exercise, for older adults & seniors!
$10