Many men are devoted to exercise to bulk up their bodies, but the phrase “use it or lose it” applies to more than just the muscles in our bodies -- it also applies to the neural pathways and connections in our brains. There are a variety of exercises and activities that can successfully work each of the brain’s five major cognitive functions on a daily basis. In addition to the tasks you can perform daily, you can also train your brain with HAPPYneuron online brain games and a personalized brain fitness program.

    Our minds consist of five main cognitive functions:

    * memory,
    * attention,
    * language,
    * visual-spatial skills,
    * and executive function.

    It’s important to challenge, stimulate and effectively exercise all five areas to stay mentally sharp as our brains age. Here are 5 daily brain exercises that can help you do this.

    1- Memory

    Memory plays a crucial role in all cognitive activities, including reading, reasoning and mental calculation. There are several types of memory at work in the brain. Taken together, these are the cognitive skills we may notice most when they begin to fail. To maintain a good memory, you need to train for it, which can be easier than you think. Listening to music is not only enjoyable, but by choosing a song you don’t know and memorizing the lyrics, you boost the level of acetylcholine, the chemical that helps build your brain, and improve your memory skills. Challenge yourself even more by showering or getting dressed in the dark or using your opposite hand to brush your teeth. These challenges help build new associations between different neural connections of the brain.

    2- Attention

    Attention is necessary in nearly all daily tasks. Good attention enables you to maintain concentration despite noise and distractions and to focus on several activities at once. We can improve our attention by simply changing our routines. Change your route to work or reorganize your desk -- both will force your brain to wake up from habits and pay attention again. As we age, our attention span can decrease, making us more susceptible to distraction and less efficient at multitasking. By combining activities like listening to an audio book with jogging or doing math in your head while you drive forces your brain to work at doing more in the same amount of time

    3- Language

    Language activities will challenge our ability to recognize, remember and understand words. They also exercise our fluency, grammatical skills and vocabulary. With regular practice, you can expand your knowledge of new words and much more easily retrieve words that are familiar. For example, if you usually only thoroughly read the sports section, try reading a few in-depth Business articles. You’ll be exposed to new words, which are easier to understand when read in context or easier to look up on a dictionary site if you are reading the news online. Take time to understand the word in its context, which will help you build your language skills and retrieve the word more readily in front of your boss in the future.

    4- Visual-Spatial

    We live in a colorful, three-dimensional world. Analyzing visual information is necessary to be able to act within your environment. To work this cognitive function, try walking into a room and picking out five items and their locations. When you exit the room, try to recall all five items and where they were located. Too easy? Wait two hours and try to remember those items and their locations. The next time you’re waiting on your coworker or friend to arrive, try this mental exercise. Look straight ahead and note everything you can see both in front of you and in your peripheral vision. Challenge yourself to recall everything and write it down. This will force you to use your memory and train your brain to focus on your surroundings.

    5- Executive Function

    Without even realizing it, you use your logic and reasoning skills on a daily basis to make decisions, build up hypotheses and consider the possible consequences of your actions. Activities in which you must define a strategy to reach a desired outcome and calculate the right moves to reach the solution in the shortest possible time are actually fun activities you do daily -- like social interaction and, yes, video games. Engaging in a brief visit with a friend boosts your intellectual performance by requiring you to consider possible responses and desired outcomes. Video games require strategy and problem-solving to reach a desired outcome -- like making it to the final level. “It’s not just Halo, honey; I’m exercising my executive brain functions!”

    cerebral workout

    As we age, it’s important to flex our mental muscles as well as our physiques. Now that you’re aware of the five main cognitive functions and how to exercise them, it will be easy to find daily activities that will help you break a mental sweat and keep your brain in shape. If you need a little structured help, HAPPYneuron has fun and challenging games to work the brain in all five areas, as well as a virtual coach to serve as a personal trainer and ensure you get the most optimal brain workout for you.

    xuduorenzhiliyuxunlianqiangzhuangtamendeshenti
，danshiduanyushiyonghuozheshiqutagengduodeyingyongyuwomendeshentijirou，tayeyingyongtianwomendedanaoshenjingxitongyulianjie。youyizhongxunlianyuhuodongnenghenchenggongdezuoyongyurennaodeyigerichangjibenrenzhigongneng。chulenirichangwanchengderenwu
，niyekeyiyongkuaileshenjingxitongzaixiandanaoyundonglaixunliannidedanaojiyingyongyigegerenhuadedanaoshiyingjihua。

    我們的思想由五個主要的認知功能組成：

    記憶，注意力，語言，視覺空間技能及執行功能。

    挑戰，刺激和有效訓練所有五個區域來保持我們大腦的心理年齡是很重要的.以下有五個日常大腦訓練來幫助你做到這些。

    1--記憶  jiyizaisuoyourenzhihuodongzhongbanyanzhezhongyaojiaose，baokuoyuedu，tuilihedanaocesuan。youjizhongxingshidejiyizaidanaozhongfahuizuoyong。zongheqilai，zhexierenzhijiqiaoyexushiwomenzuiyinggaizhuyidaodedangtamenshiquzuoyongshi。weilebaochiyigehaodejiyi，nixuyaoweicizuochuxunlian，zhegebinixiangxiangdaodegengrongyi。tingyinlebujinrangrenyuyue，danshitongguoxuanzeyishounibuzhidaodegehejiyigeci，nengcujinyixiandanjiandeshuiping

，jibangzhujianlinidedanaodehuaxuechengfen
，tigaonidejiyijiqiao。tongguozaiheianzhongchuanyifujifanshoushuayanikeyitiaozhanziji。zhexietiaozhanyouzhuyujianlibutongdedanaoshenjinglianjiejixindelianjie。

    2注意力

    在zai幾ji乎hu所suo有you的de日ri常chang任ren務wu中zhong記ji憶yi是shi必bi需xu的de。好hao的de注zhu意yi力li可ke以yi使shi你ni保bao持chi高gao度du集ji中zhong除chu了le噪zao聲sheng與yu打da擾rao外wai
，你ni可ke以yi立li刻ke集ji中zhong精jing力li於yu幾ji個ge活huo動dong中zhong。我wo們men可ke以yi簡jian單dan的de通tong過guo改gai變bian我wo們men的de路lu徑jing來lai提ti高gao我wo們men的de注zhu意yi力li。改gai變bian你ni的de工gong作zuo路lu線xian或huo者zhe重zhong組zu你ni的de硬ying盤pan
，也ye包bao括kuo使shi你ni的de大da腦nao從cong習xi慣guan中zhong醒xing過guo來lai又you開kai始shi集ji中zhong注zhu意yi力li。隨sui著zhe年nian齡ling的de增zeng長chang


，我wo們men的de注zhu意yi範fan圍wei會hui下xia降jiang，在zai執zhi行xing多duo個ge任ren務wu時shi我wo們men更geng易yi分fen心xin。效xiao率lv更geng低di。通tong過guo聽ting慢man跑pao時shi聽ting音yin頻pin文wen件jian或huo者zhe心xin算suan數shu學xue題ti你ni會hui迫po使shi你ni的de大da腦nao在zai同tong樣yang的de時shi間jian裏li做zuo更geng多duo的de工gong作zuo。

    3語言  語yu言yan活huo動dong會hui挑tiao戰zhan我wo們men的de認ren知zhi能neng力li
，記ji憶yi理li解jie單dan詞ci的de能neng力li。他ta們men也ye可ke以yi訓xun練lian我wo們men的de流liu暢chang性xing
，語yu法fa技ji巧qiao和he詞ci彙hui。有you著zhe正zheng常chang的de訓xun練lian
，你ni能neng拓tuo展zhan你ni的de新xin詞ci知zhi識shi更geng容rong易yi的de找zhao回hui你ni熟shu悉xi的de單dan詞ci。舉ju例li來lai說shuo，如ru果guo你ni經jing常chang隻zhi是shi通tong過guo閱yue讀du體ti育yu部bu分fen來lai試shi著zhe閱yue讀du更geng深shen的de商shang業ye文wen章zhang。你ni可ke能neng會hui能neng那na些xie新xin單dan詞ci更geng容rong易yi來lai理li解jie並bing且qie更geng容rong易yi去qu翻fan閱yue詞ci典dian當dang你ni通tong過guo上shang下xia文wen當dang你ni閱yue讀du在zai線xian新xin聞wen時shi你ni能neng更geng容rong易yi的de查zha到dao字zi典dian。花hua時shi間jian去qu理li解jie上shang下xia文wen的de單dan詞ci含han義yi有you助zhu於yu你ni建jian立li你ni的de語yu言yan技ji巧qiao和he更geng容rong易yi的de在zai你ni未wei來lai的de老lao板ban麵mian前qian找zhao到dao新xin單dan詞ci。

    4視覺空間

    我wo們men居ju住zhu在zai一yi個ge豐feng富fu多duo采cai的de三san維wei立li體ti世shi界jie裏li。分fen析xi視shi覺jiao是shi必bi需xu的de它ta可ke以yi在zai你ni的de環huan境jing裏li有you所suo動dong作zuo。為wei了le使shi這zhe種zhong認ren知zhi功gong能neng有you效xiao。試shi著zhe進jin入ru一yi個ge房fang間jian找zhao出chu五wu個ge項xiang目mu及ji它ta們men的de定ding位wei

，當dang你ni退tui出chu房fang間jian時shi，盡jin量liang回hui憶yi起qi所suo有you這zhe五wu個ge項xiang目mu及ji它ta們men所suo處chu的de位wei置zhi。很hen容rong易yi？等deng兩liang個ge小xiao時shi並bing盡jin量liang的de記ji得de這zhe些xie個ge項xiang目mu及ji他ta們men所suo處chu的de位wei置zhi。下xia次ci你ni就jiu等deng著zhe你ni的de同tong事shi及ji朋peng友you到dao來lai，試shi試shi這zhe個ge心xin裏li測ce試shi。看kan著zhe前qian方fang注zhu意yi你ni麵mian前qian的de每mei一yi件jian事shi你ni能neng看kan到dao你ni前qian麵mian和he你ni的de周zhou圍wei視shi野ye。挑tiao戰zhan你ni自zi己ji來lai回hui憶yi每mei一yi件jian事shi並bing把ba它ta們men記ji下xia來lai。這zhe個ge會hui使shi你ni使shi用yong自zi己ji的de記ji憶yi及ji訓xun練lian你ni的de大da腦nao來lai注zhu意yi你ni的de環huan境jing。

    5--執行功能

    niyongnideluojijituilijiqiaozairichangjichuzhongzuojueding，jianliyigejiasheyongkaolvyigenixingdongdekenengcixu。zaiyigenibixudingyiyigecelvelaidadaoxiangyaodeshourudehuodongliniyaojisuanchuyigezhengquedebuzhoulaidadaozuishaokenengdeshijianlijiejuewenti，zhexieshijishangshinirichangshenghuozhonghenyouqudehuodong
，jiuxiangyixieshehuizuoyongheshipinyouxi。yupengyoucongshiyigejianduandefangwenhuicujinnidezhilihuodongtongguoyaoqiunikaolvkenengdefanyinghexiwangdeshouru。shipinyouxiyaoqiucelvehejiejuewentilaidadaoyigexiwangdeshouru。xiangshitadadaozuihoudeshuiping。tabingbujinjinshiyigeguanghuan，wozhengzaixunlianwodedanaozhixinggongneng。

    大腦訓練

    隨(sui)著(zhe)年(nian)齡(ling)的(de)增(zeng)長(chang)，彎(wan)曲(qu)我(wo)們(men)的(de)體(ti)格(ge)肌(ji)肉(rou)就(jiu)像(xiang)我(wo)們(men)的(de)體(ti)格(ge)一(yi)樣(yang)重(zhong)要(yao)。現(xian)在(zai)你(ni)意(yi)識(shi)到(dao)了(le)五(wu)個(ge)主(zhu)要(yao)的(de)認(ren)知(zhi)功(gong)能(neng)及(ji)怎(zen)麼(me)訓(xun)練(lian)他(ta)們(men)
，就(jiu)會(hui)很(hen)容(rong)易(yi)的(de)發(fa)現(xian)日(ri)常(chang)的(de)活(huo)動(dong)能(neng)有(you)助(zhu)於(yu)你(ni)打(da)破(po)心(xin)裏(li)上(shang)的(de)障(zhang)礙(ai)使(shi)你(ni)的(de)大(da)腦(nao)保(bao)持(chi)成(cheng)形(xing)。如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)需(xu)要(yao)一(yi)點(dian)建(jian)設(she)中(zhong)的(de)幫(bang)助(zhu)，快(kuai)樂(le)神(shen)經(jing)係(xi)統(tong)有(you)有(you)趣(qu)和(he)挑(tiao)戰(zhan)性(xing)的(de)遊(you)戲(xi)來(lai)使(shi)大(da)腦(nao)在(zai)五(wu)個(ge)區(qu)域(yu)工(gong)作(zuo)，就(jiu)像(xiang)一(yi)個(ge)實(shi)際(ji)上(shang)的(de)教(jiao)練(lian)來(lai)服(fu)務(wu)於(yu)一(yi)個(ge)個(ge)人(ren)的(de)訓(xun)練(lian)者(zhe)來(lai)確(que)保(bao)你(ni)能(neng)得(de)到(dao)最(zui)理(li)想(xiang)的(de)大(da)腦(nao)訓(xun)練(lian)。