07 Jun Keep the Mind Young: Take Up a Hobby to Help Prevent Memory Loss

For years, people have long considered brain games as a way to keep the brain sharp. Brain games have become big business, and the popularity of games like Sudoku and Crossword has exploded. Years and years people have touted the notion that these games help to improve and maintain the brain’s abilities, and it’s still considered one of the best and most simple ways to engage the mind. But recent studies suggest that people who wish to challenge their brain, or who wish to ward off memory loss, should pick up a new hobby.

The best activities were those that challenged the brain. For seniors, these activities could be as simple as learning new technology. Seniors who participated in skill-oriented activities made the biggest gains—One such activity noted in the study was photography and the post-processing of photographic images in Photoshop. The researchers determined that photography and post-image-processing were most beneficial because they were inherently difficult.

Also, people who remained socially active and were involved in a skill activity had the biggest gains. Billings Adult Community Education can offer both! The programs offered are incredibly varied, some of them even tiered so that participants can learn a new skill in steps representative of their level of ability.

Exercise and the Brain

According to the same study, exercise was found to be an important component to keeping the brain healthy and sharp. Exercise will increase the volume of the brain! And the increases happen regardless if a person has been sedentary or active; it’s a beneficial condition reflective of a person’s current state. Which means that someone can take a course—dancing, for example—and they can both learn the new skill, stay socially active, and they can get some exercise in the process.

If you have any questions about the programs offered at the Billings Community Adult Education, call the office today. Or pull up the catalog and look through the courses; you will find the catalog is chock full of diverse course offerings.