Mental Fitness: Have You Tried the Latest Game?
We all know it is important to keep the mind active throughout our lives. Trying new things and exercising the brain is key to good health. Now there's a new game - similar to a crossword puzzle - that might challenge your brain in new ways.
Have you tried a Sudoku puzzle?
In this game of logic you fill in numbers instead of words. Sudoku is pronounced "suh-DOE-coo" or "SOO-doe-coo." The purpose of a Sudoku puzzle is to enter a number from 1 to 9 in each cell of a 9 x 9 grid, which is made up of 3 x 3 subgrids (called regions). The random numbers already given in some blocks are your clues. The goal is to fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.
The origins of Sudoku are uncertain, but many believe it was originally invented in Japan in the late 1700s and called "magic squares." In the 1970s, a Tokyo publisher spotted the game, re-named it Su doku, meaning "solitary number", and made it popular in Japan by creating a Sudoku magazine. Wayne Gould, an American lawyer and judge working and living in Japan, first learned of Sudoku in 1997 and after returning to the states began publishing puzzles in a New Hampshire newspaper.
Since then, you may find Sudoku puzzles in your newspaper. If not, there are Sudoku puzzle books in most bookstores, drugstores and other retail outlets.
Why try Sudoku?
First, it might be fun to challenge yourself in a new way. Then, you might enjoy doing the puzzles together with your spouse, grandchildren or friends. Plus, there's that bonus of improving your health by exercising your mind.
Researchers at Stanford University found that memory loss can be improved by 30 to 50 per cent simply by doing mental exercises. The brain is like a muscle - if you don't give it regular workouts, its functions will decline. Suggestions include:
- Keep up your social life and engage in plenty of stimulating conversations.
- Read newspapers, magazines and books.
- Play 'thinking' games like Scrabble, cards and Trivial Pursuit.
- Take a course on a subject that interests you.
- Cultivate a new hobby.
- Learn a language.
- Do crossword puzzles and word games.
- Play games that challenge the intellect and memory, such as chess and bridge.
- Watch 'question and answer' game shows on television, and play along with the contestants.
- Keep stress under control with meditation and regular relaxation.
As the body changes with age, getting older and losing mental abilities are two changes in life that have always been linked together. But studies have shown that there's a lot you can do to keep your mind active and healthy as you grow older.
Maintaining good physical health plays a big role in how well your brain functions. Other health tips to help keep your mind active and your body in good shape:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes every day to deliver oxygen to the brain which can improve your brain's memory, reasoning abilities, and reaction times.
- Avoid smoking and drinking to excess.
- Maintain a healthy weight to avoid obesity complications like diabetes and heart disease, which can lead to brain impairments, such as stroke.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Check with your doctor to make sure any mental changes, like memory loss, are NOT associated with any of your prescribed medications.
Sudoku Puzzle
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