HOLIDAYS are a great time to relax and wind down after all the hard work you do the rest of the year. Sleep, sleep and some more sleep, then TV and computer/cell phone screens and TV again, chatting, eating and hanging out with friends — these are what the holidays are filled with. And boy, how fun it is!

But do you realise that most of these things don’t require any brain work and not using your brain to its optimum potential means it can become rustic. Just like we need exercise to keep our body fit, we also need to do things that help to exercise the brain as well as give it a power boost. And the more we use our brain, the sharper it gets.

So besides all the other plans you have lined up during the holidays, how about including some simple and easy things in your routine that will make you smarter and sharper.

Turn left to go right

MOST of us use our right hand to do things, and favour the right side of our body. When we have to use our hands, the right hand gets into action first, and when we walk or climb, the right foot takes the first step, thus the right side indulges in more activity than the left. And did you know that that the right side of our body is controlled by the left side of the brain and the left side of our body is controlled by the right side of the brain?

So during a regular day, we get to use the left side of our brain more than our right side, so the right hemisphere of the brain doesn’t get to do much activity. And did you know that the right side of the brain controls creative tasks? Thus to increase creativity, boost activity in your right hemisphere by using your left hand too — even by just clenching and unclenching your left hand you can improve the functions controlled by the right hemisphere.

Lefties too should use their non-dominant hand and using the non-dominant hand in the morning is a good way to stimulate the brain.

Exercise to strengthen the brain

VARIOUS studies have shown that exercise, walking and jogging not only improves and strengthens our body, but also our brain. Exercise increases blood flow, which saturates the brain with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to operate at its best.

One study claims that weight exercises have memory-boosting benefits, while another research presents that resistance exercises can boost the episodic memory, or the long-term memory about specific events. Jogging is considered to increase a person’s ability to multitask.

Meditation magic

MEDITATION boosts the brain in every way — it increases memory and focus, and helps the brain de-stress.

Various studies have been conducted to determine the effect of meditation on the body and brain, and it has been found that meditating on regular basis brings many positive changes that decrease anxiety and help students focus better and concentrate for longer, besides many other benefits.

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LEARNING anything new, even the easiest of things, is a challenge of sorts in the beginning. And each time we give a challenge to our brain, it creates stronger connections between neurons — the basic working units of the brain and specialised cells designed to transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. And this stronger connection means your learning and communicating abilities improves.

So why don’t you learn a new game, maybe chess or hockey, learn to sew or crochet (your mum is going to be very pleased with this!), or you can try your hand at a new language or art form. These are fun activities that will keep you happily occupied in the holidays while sharpening your brain.

Connect with nature

WHENEVER you are tired, upset or hurt, hugging mum or being close to her seems to take away all your worries, doesn’t it? A smile from her and you feel reassured. The same is the effect of Mother Nature on us.

Spending time in a natural setting can lower stress levels and improve the mood, and researchers have even gone as far as to find that some microorganisms in soil can trigger the release of serotonin, a chemical that uplifts the mood.

Gardening is a very healthy hobby and activity; planting something, tending and watching it grow gives such fulfilment and plants will make your home, even the smallest, look pretty and peaceful. And let’s not forget how plants help to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

Drink lots of water

A STUDY in Journal of Nutrition shows that compared to thirsty people, reaction times increased by 14 per cent in a better-hydrated group. Even mild dehydration can suck the resources from your brain. So besides other benefits of drinking water, you are doing your brain a lot of good this way.

A nap to remember

A NAP of just 40 minutes has shown to improve memory during a research by German scientists. They explained that short-term memories are stored in a part of the brain called hippocampus, and are easily lost. Sleeping somehow tends to transfer the new memories to the brain’s neocortex, which stores them more permanently.

Change your routine

DOING the same mental task over and over again, like scanning your Facebook page, or playing the same computer game for hours, reinforce your brain’s synaptic connections related to those activities. But during this time the rest of the brain remains idle and slows down. You need to keep the various parts of your brain active, so making even a slight change in the routine can improve the brain functions.

Do things a little different today — take a different route to a place you frequent a lot, watch a different TV programme, change your usual position in cricket or any game you play regularly or just change the schedule of your regular everyday tasks and see how mentally agile you will feel.

De-stress to improve memory

DO you always forget where you kept your things and what your mother told you to do? Maybe you are stressed, as most short-term memory loss is stress-related.

Multitasking and being constantly stressed puts a lot of pressure on the brain and it can find it difficult to move from one thing to another. So in order to make sure you remember something, you need to concentrate on it more, keeping other thoughts away for a while.

All these things practised during these holidays are sure to make you smarter and are also fun, and you can continue with them too when school reopens to boost your brain power all year though. Happy holidays!