When is the last time you felt intellectually challenged? Was it today? Was it last week? Was it back in college? If you have to think about the answer to that question for more than a couple of seconds, it’s time to seriously consider whether you’re giving your mind enough stimulation on a daily basis.

Here are some ways to nurture your noggin and boost your brainpower:

• Read the paper. Whether you peruse the news at the kitchen table or on your computer, thinking about current events and learning about happenings and priorities in other cultures is one way to challenge yourself.
• Tackle the crossword or Sudoku. Analytical problem solving tasks like these puzzles will keep your mind sharp, and may equip you with some little known words and facts to bust out at cocktail parties.
• Visit the library. Whether you prefer fiction or nonfiction, fluffy or serious, reading for even a few minutes away will stimulate your brain, improve your communication skills, and probably expand your vocabulary. Go the extra mile by stepping out of your comfort zone with an author or genre you wouldn’t ordinarily read.
• Take a class. Ballet, basket weaving, photography, auto repair, organic chemistry, whatever you want. School’s not just for kids, and you don’t have to pursue a degree to get your learn on. Check out you local college, university, or Learning Annex.
• Sit outside and do nothing. No music, phone, magazine — nothing. Observe your surroundings. See where you mind goes. Think about your day. Solve a problem. Make up stories in your head about passersby. Eavesdrop.
• Write. A letter, a journal, a list, whatever. But write it. With a piece of paper and a pen, not a keyboard and a computer screen. Do it daily. Savor it.

How do you feed your mind?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Back to School, Lively Women Style

Well, I had to tell him my Sudoku book purchase wasn’t for me, but for my son. I’m intrigued by the enormous popularity of Sudoku, which is a shortened form of the Japanese phrase, Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru (”the numbers must be single” or “the numbers must occur only once”). I was surprised to discover that the game didn’t originate in Japan.

According to Wikipedia,

The modern Sudoku was designed anonymously by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old retired architect and freelance puzzle constructor, and first published in 1979. Garns added a third dimension to the traditional Roman practice of Latin Squares … The puzzle was first published in New York by the specialist puzzle publisher Dell Magazines in its magazine Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games, under the title Number Place.

Then Japan’s leading puzzle company, Nikoli, introduced the puzzle form to their fans in 1986 and popularized it by changing the title to Sudoku. It was introduced to Britain in 2004 and the U.S. in 2005 and has become a pop culture phenomenon, known as “The Rubik’s Cube of the 21st century.

Doing daily puzzles can be stimulating for your mind and help keep you mentally sharp as you age.

Post from: Blisstree

Sudoku: The Latest Puzzle Craze