Friends of ASCCA: Windsor Shares About National Train Your Brain Day

Do you know October 13 is National Train Your Brain Day? It is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the power of the mind and the benefits of positive mental training. Thanks to certain technology we have, there are many ways to achieve those goals. I always start and end my day with fun games for my brain to test my limits. Simple tasks, brain training websites and everyday games are the best ways to have a strong brain.

Back in June of 2013, I discovered Lumosity as I was searching for ways to improve my brain after my brain surgery of 2011. Lumosity games focus on your memory, attention, problem-solving, flexibility and speed along with language and math. It is fascinating to think Lumosity was created by expert scientists and psychologists to make this possible. As I was signing up, it asked me what needed improving and if I wanted to have it cheer me on or not. At the time I specified memory, speed and flexibility and clicked on “Yes” to cheer me on.

Now, 10 years later, my favorite games from Lumosity are “Lost in Migration,” “Color Match,” “Pirate Passage” and “Ebb and Flow,” just to name a few. That is just the tip of the iceberg of all the games I like to play at Lumosity. Lumosity has an app in addition to the website, so you have two ways of trying it for yourself.

Lumosity’s game designers have ensured that the games are fun and learning experiences for your brain to grow strong in ways you may not notice. For example, when I played the game “Bird’s Eye View,” I was not aware that I would use it in a real-life scenario. I remember during eye therapy at my eye specialist’s office, he got out the light board to test another aspect of my eyesight. He was so impressed by how fast I was touching the lights before they went out. In fact, he said my starting score was the goal for many of his patients! He asked how was I able to do it so fast, and I told him about Lumosity. He then told me he was going to recommend Lumosity to his patients from then on, which made me feel honored.

However, if you do not own a computer or a cell phone, you can do everyday activities to train your brain. Simple small activities like working on a 100-piece puzzle and solving a few brain teasers are good ways to test problem-solving skills. To increase your memory skills, you can buy memory card games. You could also ask your parents to give you some mazes or riddles for you to solve. Another good way is to read a book with an easy reading level. You can also write a story or a poem.

There is even a TV show called “Brain Games” that features different kinds of test and turns them into games to prove the fact behind the tests. The show mainly focuses on cognitive skill and psychological experiments along with counterintuitive thinking. You can find this show on National Geographic. I have fond memories watching “Brain Games” with my mom, and we both participated in some of their interactive experiments and listened to the person who explained the science behind them. The show aired from 2011 to 2022, and thanks to the show and the Lumosity app, I learned so much about my brain.

It is very important to train your brain because your cognitive skills will wane over time, and your thinking and memory will be more challenged as you grow older. Therefore, training your brain will be important for later in life. I always like to see how much can I help my brain get strong again after the surgery I had 13 years ago. I am so glad we have access to many things and ways to train and strengthen our brains for a healthy life.