The brain is like a muscle, the more you train it the stronger it becomes. But, if you strech it too far it will strain. Using your mental ability too much is usually not so much of a problem as is pulling muscles, but I imagine the results would be things such as stress and irritation. The purpose of this article is to cover some simple yet effective exercises you can do to train your brain and ultimately improve your IQ.

 

1) Here's a little bit of an odd one. Brush your teeth with your other hand for a change. A simple task it may seem, but it really ain't that easy at first, just try it and you'll see. This exercise stimulates the opposite parts of the brain than are usually used for this process. For example, if you're left handed, brushing your teeth with your right hand will stimulate parts of the left side of the brain as opposed to the right side (just so you know, the right side of your brain controls the left side of the body and the left side controls the right), and vice versa. It certainly feels odd but can really be effective if you try this on a regular basis.

2) Similar to my first exercise, try writing with your opposite hand on suitable occasions. This is a fair bit harder than brushing your teeth with the opposite hand but it does show more effective results. If you practice this enough you may become ambidextrous which in my opinion is a very impressive skill. I would only reccomend this exercise for when handwriting really doesn't matter, it's best just to try jot something down with your other hand once in a while rather than writing an english exam or something important like that, as using the opposite hand often produces barely readble writing.

3) Take a different route to work, or school, or wherever you go every day. The brain responds well to new environments. Taking a new route will also make your brain have to work harder to figure out which way to go so as to ensure you arrive at your intended destination. Don't get lost though.

4) Try reading upside down every now and then. This can be a bit of a challenge, and again I would not advise doing this for something important such as research or whatever. Rather, it's just something to try maybe when bored, turn your book upside down and see how well you can still read it. As with all these exercises try it out when it fits in best.

Such exercises are simple yet are often proved to be very effective in improving brain power. Even if you only try a couple at a time, it's well worth your while and you don't even need to make extra time for any of them. Brain training can't get any easier!