Ever since my days of studying I’ve been aware of how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle to stay ahead. This includes training your brain, exercising and eating well. Now that I’m out of education this is no different. I need to stay alert and active to be successful in my work. A couple of months ago I was invited by Ladbrokes to take part in a test to find out more about my brain (lateral and logical thinking habits) and how I can train it.
According to my test I’m 42% Left Brain and 58% Right Brain. I was told that the right and left hemisphere of my brain work together to create a unique and well-balanced “me”. The results said my spontaneous, impulsive and free-flowing right brain creates an exciting and adventurous world, while the left brain helps me make sense of it and keep track of everything. I was quite pleased with this. I was then sent a brain training kit (thank you Ladbrokes) which contained a selection of vitamins, snacks and games to stimulate the brain in various ways and boost my cognitive performance.
In my goodie box was a Rubick’s Cube (up there in the header image). I’m sure most of you are familiar with these, I’ve been aware of them my whole life but never actually used or owned one. Working on solving the Rubick’s Cube tests your memory. If I don’t get ’round to figuring it out myself then I’ll be more than happy to learn via a video like this. I think that finding the time to learn and understand how to solve a Rubick’s Cube is still fun and requires a lot of patience.
Next in the box I found a selection of wooden Brain Busting puzzles. First off, I love how these look. They’ve got a real retro vibe to them and would be ideal for a fun gift. With these you simply separate the pieces (no cheating) and then rebuild the puzzles. There’s even a little video to guide you through your first one. I think these are nice to keep around the house to have a play with every now and then. You could even turn it into a little competition when friends are over (the addition of gin is optional).
I also found a few packs of nuts and seeds tucked away in the brain training kit. I’m already quite good at eating things like this, if you’re not so keen then I suggest making up a batch of energy balls with your favourite seeds, nuts and nut butter.
Finally there was a pack of Ginkyo Mind & Memory tablets. A good few years ago I used to work in Holland and Barrett and these were very popular. Ginkyo is said to help maintain concentration and short-term memory. They’re also said to support healthy circulation to the brain. I haven’t been using these long enough to comment on the benefits but I will report back.
I still have a couple of games left in my brain training kit. I’m saving these for my next train journey because they’re easy to transport. I’ll be sure to let you know how I get on with them over on Twitter.
If you’re keen to explore the topic more then Ladbrokes have put together some information about brain training.
Have you ever completed a Rubick’s Cube?