Workout for a Balanced Brain – Activate Both Sides of the Brain
What are some of the ways to workout for a balanced brain?
You must have heard things like,
“Joe must be right-brained,”
or
“Emily is left-brained.”
So, what makes Joe right-brained and Emily left-brained?
It is dominance on either side of the brain. And this creates a difference in personality, thoughts, and behaviors. And, being dominant on either side comes with its pros.
This means that people who are dominant in the right brain are so good in some things compared to those dominant in the left brain. And, the vice versa is also true.
But that is not the end of it all. You can challenge your brain to achieve an equilibrium. And, trust us, there are simple tests that will help you use both sides of the brain simultaneously.
It will take simple brain exercises to enjoy the benefits of using both sides of the brain, which we discuss here.
Read to the end because we save the best tip for the last.
What Does Science Say about the Left and right Sides of the Brain
In your circle of friends, you know who to go to when you want either of the following:
- a creative idea to make a presentation,
- a logical solution to solving an urgent problem.
And you know it, the creative friend will always ace it in what they do. So does the logical friend.
This just shows how the brain works.
People who are left-brained people are said to be:
- highly-analytical,
- logical,
- fact and detail-oriented,
- numerical,
- likely to think in words.
Right-brained people are said to be more:
- creative and imaginative,
- free-thinking,
- able to see the big picture and think out of the box,
- intuitive,
- likely to visualize more than think in words.
Also, language and verbal communication happen in the right brain. Emotions and non-verbal communications are dominant on the left side.
And this is why people take a left vs. right brain test to see which side is dominant.
Workout for a Balanced Brain: Activities to Balance Right and Left sides of the brain
We want to be creative. At the same time, you want to be imaginative, emotionally intelligent, critical thinker, and logical.
From the dominance of the two hemispheres of the brain, we see that some limitations may arise.
However, our good news is that you can create a personalized workout to sharpen both sides of your brain. And, that is our business here today.
So, we dive right into the details of ways to work out a balanced brain.
Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzles are a great way to sharpen both sides of your brain. It does not matter; it can be a simple 100 piece or a challenging 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
So, how do brain exercises and puzzle games help?
With a puzzle, you have to look at every piece. Then, you have to figure out where they fit. In the process, you employ different cognitive and analysis abilities. (1) It is a superb way to challenge both hemispheres of the brain.
Also, as you play the jigsaw puzzle, you are analyzing and working with small pieces. But, the focus is on the larger picture, which is what you are trying to form with the small pieces. See those benefits for jigsaw puzzles for adults?
There are a lot of puzzle games to sharpen your mind online. You could try those too.
Card Games
Card games are another great way to break brain bias and strengthen both hemispheres of the brain. (2)
There are a lot of card games to improve memory and concentration. Or, you can go with games for focus and concentration.
Card games are known to result in greater brain volume in different regions of the brain. And, with card games, you sharpen your thinking skills too.
Looking for card games to sharpen both sides of your brain? Try out these:
- bridge,
- solitaire,
- poker
- gin rummy,
- hearts,
- crazy eights.
Put that Lazy Limb into Use
Are you right-handed? Then maybe it is time to find exercises for your left hand.
No, it does not have to be anything complicated.
Try simple things such as:
- shifting your mouse to the inactive side(if you are left-handed, bring it to the right and vice versa),
- Using the shift, control keys located on the inactive side,
- kick a ball using the inactive limb,
- practice writing with the inactive link.
So, what are the benefits of using the left hand when you are right-handed? When you are right-handed, your left side of the brain is dominant. The vice versa is true. Therefore, if you use the non-dominant limb, you are exercising the non-dominant side of the brain.
You may start gradually, but you will end up with a more balanced brain.
Learn a New Skill
There is that skill you have wanted to learn for such a long time. And, you have been postponing the start. Well, this is your sign of dropping the excuses and diving right in.
So, what is the psychology of learning a new skill? How does learning a new skill help the brain?
Learning a skill is not only fun and exciting, but it may also help strengthen the connections in your brain. Besides, learning new skills improves memory functions, especially in older adults. Yeah, you need a good memory to remember what you are learning.
For example, if you are learning to play the piano, you will need to exercise your memory. That is just how the brain works.
Learn a New Language
Time to take that French or Arabic class. Or whatever language you have wanted to learn for ages. There are many psychological benefits of learning a second language. The top of them is creating an equilibrium in your brain.
With a new language, you will have to:
- device interesting techniques to master vocabulary,
- compare and analyze the sentence structure of the new language with your mother tongue;
- exercise your memory;
Also, being bilingual improves your visual-spatial skills. It is not just about memory skills. And, juggling from one language to another will be a nice jog for your brain. And, this in the long run improves your ability to shift from one task to another.
Teach Someone a New Skill
One thing about teaching someone a new skill is, you are becoming better at it. It is the same as learning the same thing over and over. This makes it a perfect workout for a balanced brain.
And it does not have to be quantum physics.
Teach someone to play the piano. Teach someone how to use different social media tools. As you teach someone, you allow yourself to analyze the aspect on different and deeper levels. And what does that mean? You become more analytical in the things you do. That right there is a win for the left side of the brain.
Solve Math problems
Do you remember when your math teacher got mad whenever you solved math problems without using their method? Now this is your time to solve mathematics problems, using your method. Your teacher won’t know, and your brain will be happy about it.
Here is how it works. You find different ways to solve a problem. And, the more complex the problem, the better. This helps the two sides to connect, and hence creating an equilibrium.
Try Juggling to balance brain
Juggling is one of the physical exercises that help you create a balanced brain.
How?
To juggle successfully, you need coordination of hand and eye movement. And that’s not it. Your focus and concentration need to be high. Otherwise, the items you are juggling will fall.
The physical movement and the focus are a good way for featuring entertaining exercises for brain balance. It calls for coordination of the two sides of the brain to execute it. It is, thus, a sure way to exercise the two sides of the brain.
We love to think of it as one of the most powerful brain synchronization exercises.
Do the Stroop Test
The Stroop test is another exercise that calls for coordination of the two sides of the brain.
It involves using colored crayons to write down different colors. For instance, using a green crayon or mark pen to write down “red.” Your brain is tasked to read the color written and not the color of the crayon used to write.
It comes up as one of the simple tests. But you will realize how challenging it can be if you take it online.
Enroll in a Dance Class
Yes, enrolling in a dance class is an excellent workout for a balanced brain. It leaves you in an excellent condition physically. But, it will also task your brain.
Learning a dance move improves your brain’s processing speed. You may also have to use your memory in mastering the new moves. Besides, creativity is required in the choreography of new moves. See how dancing and the brain correlate?
And it needs coordination from both sides.
Want dancing ideas that would elevate both sides of your brain? Try these:
- enroll in a contemporary dance class, hip-hop, salsa or tap,
- take a jazz exercise class or Zumba,
- learn fun dance moves from online trending videos,
- learn ballroom dancing with your partner.
Take Tai Chi
It is not a secret that Tai Chi can transform so many aspects of your health. It is not just about your body. Your mental health can benefit tremendously. And most importantly, in this case, you can break brain bias and strengthen the two sides.
Regularly practicing Tai Chi is a top way of biohacking the brain. This is because it helps in:
- reducing stress,
- improving sleep quality,
- enhancing memory.
A long-term practice results in increased brain volume, which is a win for both sides of the brain.
Workout for a Balanced Brain: Use BrainTap
Lastly, but most importantly, invest in braintap. And why do we crown it as the most important? It is because its results are almost instant.
With the above tips, you will need long-term practice. You will need lots of entertaining exercises that separate the left brain from the right, which is worth doing and waiting for.
However, dear readers, using the above tips, then beef it up with a braintap, your brain will never be the same again. And, this is why the braintap headsets are a must-have for anyone who cares about their mental fitness.
Wondering how braintap helps balance the two hemispheres? Let’s help you discover.
Braintap headsets send waves into the brain that help you focus. With that, your attention becomes sharp. This is ideal for helping in meditative mood.
With the flashlights and the audio, the brainwave entrainment synchronizes your mind. With this, you get into more profound relaxation, which is ideal for forming mental images.
In short, sending the wave to your brain will:
- relax your entire brain,
- allow your right side of the brain to form mental images,
- allow the left side of the brain to analyze how the images could transform you,
- relieve stress,
- help biohack sleep.
Simply put, it ensures collaboration between the two sides. And the resultl is; a well-balanced brain.
Final Thoughts To Balance Brain
The benefit of balancing the two sides of your brain is; enjoying the benefits of dominance on both sides. And it is not complicated to achieve it. The techniques above will help you create a collaboration in your mind. Furthermore, the tests will exercise the respective sides of the brain. Therefore, get that dust jacket off your games and start tasking your mind. Your mental capacity would never be the same again.
And to crown it all, invest in a braintap headset. As you take gradual but sure steps there, braintap will ensure you are on the right path.
Workout for a balanced brain — Sources
- Jigsaw Puzzles As Cognitive Enrichment (PACE)
- Special series on “effects of board games on health education and promotion” board games as a promising tool for health promotion: a review of recent literature (nih.gov)