Mental Fitness: Keys to Improve Your Wellbeing

Focusing on physical wellbeing has been a growing priority since the 1980s, with the popularization of aerobics, pilates and other fitness videos. However, a fundamental aspect of wellbeing that is often overlooked is mental fitness. This holistic approach not only addresses our physical condition, but also seeks to improve our cognitive and emotional abilities.

Mental fitness refers to cognitive and emotional stimulation through both physical and mental exercises. This type of training is accessible to people of all ages and can have profound and lasting effects on the brain.

Regular mental fitness practice offers a wide range of benefits, including:

• Preventing neurodegenerative diseases: Keeping your mind active can reduce the risk of conditions like Alzheimer's.
• Improving cognitive abilities: Specific exercises can help improve memory, attention and other cognitive functions.
• Mood improvement: Mental fitness can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, promoting a more positive mood.
• Social relationships: Being mentally active can improve social skills and empathy.
• Increased self-esteem: Overcoming mental challenges can contribute to increased self-confidence.
• Productivity: A trained mind is more efficient and better able to manage daily tasks and projects.
• Sleep quality: Practicing mental fitness can help regulate sleep patterns, combating disorders such as insomnia.

There are many exercises you can incorporate into your routine to improve your mental fitness. Some of the most effective ones are:

• Chess: This classic game stimulates multiple areas of the brain, including logic, reasoning and creativity.
• Theatre: Participating in theatre activities can improve memory, language and perception.
• Strategic games like Go or Backgammon: These games train attention, concentration and problem solving.
• Yoga: This practice not only benefits the body, but also helps achieve greater union between mind and spirit.
• Mindfulness: Meditation and relaxation techniques help develop full awareness and control breathing.
• Mathematical laboratory: Fun activities that pose mathematical challenges and problems to be solved using logic and calculation.
• Maintenance gymnastics: Exercises adapted to each person, designed to maintain physical fitness without the need for great effort.
• Memory exercises and cognitive stimulation: Games and visual tools designed for different ages.

You don't need to go to a specialized gym to start with mental fitness. At home, you can do some simple exercises, for example:

• Hands raised at chest height: Alternately close and open one hand and the other.
• Fist sequence: Close both fists, open one, remove the thumb from the other, and repeat with the other hand.
• Index fingers and thumb: With your palms open, alternate separating your index fingers and thumb.
• Touch nose and ear: With your palms at chest level, touch your nose with one hand and the opposite ear with the other, then reverse.
• Set aside time daily: Dedicate 15-20 minutes a day to mental fitness exercises.
• Find a quiet place: Choose a place where you can concentrate without distractions.
• Encourage positive thinking: Work on changing your thought patterns towards the positive.
• Learn new things: Keep your mind active with reading, logic games like sudoku or crossword puzzles.