We need to talk about your brain exercises
If you ask the average person over 50 how they are keeping their mind sharp, they will almost universally give you the same answer: “I do the New York Times Crossword,” or “I play Sudoku every morning.”
It feels productive. It feels like “mental exercise.” But I have bad news for you.
If you are good at the crossword, doing the crossword is doing almost zero for your brain health.
You aren’t building a stronger brain; you are just maintaining an efficient retrieval path for information you already have. You are driving down a highway you paved 20 years ago.
In the gym, we know that if you lift a weight that is easy, your muscles don’t grow. The brain is no different. To stop Cognitive Atrophy, you don’t need “fun puzzles.”
You need Cognitive Resistance Training.
The Science: Why Traditional Brain Exercises Fail
The brain is an efficiency machine. Its primary goal is to burn as little energy as possible. Once it masters a task—like driving a car, typing, or solving a specific type of puzzle—it moves that task to “autopilot.”
When you are on autopilot, Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to rewire and grow new connections) shuts off.
To trigger actual growth, your brain requires a specific chemical cocktail, primarily Acetylcholine (for focus) and Norepinephrine (for alertness).
Here is the catch: Your brain only releases these chemicals when you make an error.
That feeling of frustration? That feeling when you try to learn something new and you just can’t get it? That is the exact moment your brain is growing.
If you aren’t frustrated, you aren’t training. You’re just rehearsing.
The Protocol: Hunt the Friction
We lift heavy weights to stop Sarcopenia (muscle loss). We must lift “mental weights” to stop Cognitive Atrophy.
This week, I want you to stop seeking “flow” and start seeking “friction.” Here are three ways to do it.
1. The “Non-Dominant” Drill (Motor Cortex)
We tend to live our physical lives on one side. This causes the neural pathways on the opposite side to wither.
- The Drill: For one hour a day, switch hands. Brush your teeth with your left hand. Eat dinner with your left hand. Open doors with your left hand.
- Why it works: This is maddeningly difficult. That frustration you feel is your motor cortex firing up dormant neurons to build a new map of your body.
2. The “Way-Finder” Reset (Hippocampus)
The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory. It is also one of the first areas to shrink in Alzheimer’s patients. Why? Because we outsourced it to Google Maps.
- The Drill: Turn off the GPS. Look at the map before you leave the house, memorize the route, and drive there using your memory.
- Why it works: You are forcing your brain to build a 3D mental model of the world, physically engaging the hippocampus to keep it dense and active.
3. The “Suck” Rule
If you are good at it, stop doing it for “exercise.”
- The Drill: Pick a skill you are terrible at. It could be a new language, juggling, or a dance step. Practice it for 20 minutes.
- The Goal: The goal isn’t to be good. The goal is to be bad. The struggle is the medicine.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Comfort is a toxin to the aging brain.
If you finish your morning puzzle and feel a sense of easy satisfaction, you haven’t worked out. You’ve just stretched.
Go find something that makes you feel clumsy, slow, and frustrated. That is the feeling of your brain staying young.
