Brain Game: The Best Sports to Boost your Mental Capacity

To be fit, happy, and smart must be the pinnacle of wellness. It’s how we pictured ourselves when we were kids, it’s kind of how we see ourselves in five years, and the main reason that we keep pushing to reach those goals. The problem is, that to be one of these often eliminates one of the other; a smart person is not necessarily happy – and a happy person is not always that fit.

We keep believing, though and have found the top sports to boost your brain power, bring you more joy in life, and hopefully a bit of longevity.

Why fitness and brain power?

Although it should be needless to say that being active has a lot of benefits that goes further than our physical health, the population is ageing and we need a few reminders. Exercising will help you to remember all of this as well, by the way, so get started right away to make the information sink in.

If you’re inactive, the blood flow in your body doesn’t perform as well as it could have. We want this blood flow to reach even the most remote areas of our brain to keep the blood vessels from becoming distorted, which again leads to a greater risk of tiny strokes.

These areas of the brain are home to an amount of cognitive functions we’re not going to explore further in this article, but the evidence speaks for itself; people over 40 who are physically active tend to stay sharp and present for a lot longer than those of the same age who are inactive. A recent study has even found that people who spend as little as thirty minutes every week in the park are less likely to have poor mental health, so get out there right away.

Tennis or Ping Pong

The good old ping pong was rated last year as the number one sport for your brain. All of that stretching and bending is excellent news for your body, while also challenging your hand-eye coordination. While you’re playing, your brain is secretly working out different strategies and planning the next winning shots.

Scientists everywhere seem to agree that table tennis is the ideal brain sport. Read more about it here – and beware the picture of a real human brain.

Outdoor Activities

If you want to get the most out of your exercise routine, feel happier and more energized, and outsmart everyone else while you’re at it, you might be tempted to place a ping pong table in your backyard right away? Luckily, you can enjoy others sports in nature to reap similar benefits.

Mix your activities up a bit with mountain climbing, kayaking, and horse riding. These are the best beginner kayaks, by the way, so you have no excuses for not enjoying the summer outside. Other excellent brain sports include a regular, old-fashioned walk, a heart-pumping run and a hike in nature – notice a pattern here?

Being in nature is pure therapy; it will reduce the stress in your body, help you with feeling more connected and provide you with a bit of mindfulness in the midst of a busy week.

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