We all know about whole body workouts. Exercises for the brain, cranial callisthenics and whole brain gymnastics are part of a new phenomenon in healthy living. With Alzheimers Disease on the rise, along with an ageing population, elderly people are encouraged to exercise their brains. Programs have also been developed for schoolchildren and to boost employee performance in major companies. There are even brain exercises for babies. The efficacy of brain exercise for brain-damaged patients continues to be explored.

The Cross Crawl

Cross Crawls

Derived from kinesiology, the basis of the cross crawl is rhythmic movement. The idea is that babies are born homolateral, with the right brain governing the right side of the body, the left brain the left side. It is claimed that cross crawls for babies help transfer the energies, so that right-brain ” left body and left-brain ” right body connect.

In adults, it is said to help integrate the functioning of the two sides of the brain, speeding communication through the corpus callosum, improving dyslexia and boosting the immune system, amongst other benefits. It involves alternately touching the right hand (standing) or elbow (seated) to the left knee and vice versa, 25 times each or for 2 minutes.

These two exercises are variants of a movement recommended by kinesiologists. Repeated daily, they are said to help with hand-eye co-ordination, improve mood and concentration and lower tension levels, amongst other benefits. With a piece of paper and pen, first with your dominant and then your non-dominant hand, draw sweeping figures of eight (tilted 90% to resemble the infinity sign), for up to two minutes each day.

Lazy Eights (also called the Infinity Sign)

An alternative that doesn’t require pen and paper is Rhythmic Eights. Also derived from kinesiology principles of rhythmic movement, Rhythmic Eights consist of drawing figures of eights in the air for up to a minute daily. This movement is said to balance the two hemispheres of the brain.

Many activities can help stimulate the different areas of the brain. Hook-ups are said to induce emotional calm, while visual tracking co-ordinates brain function. Energy yawns and brain button exercises are said to assist in keeping the brain in top form. Familiar puzzles and brain games like Sudoku help exercise different regions of the brain, and activities like juggling use movement to promote hand-eye co-ordination.

Hook-ups for calming, energy yawns, brain button activation, visual tracking exercises and other activities are promoted as brain boosters. Ordinary activities like juggling may also be good exercise for multiple parts of the brain and a combination of Sudoku, crosswords and other puzzles also contributes to a varied brain workout that will at the very least stave off boredom and pass the time.