Keeping fit mentally is important as we get older and in the area of
hobbies and interests there are many enjoyable ways of doing so.
What’s more, they can be very cheap if you’re happy to stay at
home and get your mental exercise there.
 Crosswords and jigsaws have always been popular;
both are very good ways to keep the brain active. Sudoko
is now immensely popular, too, and every newspaper has a daily
puzzle in, just as they have a crossword. If you haven’t come
across soduko yet, take a good look at your newspaper. You can
play sudoko, do crosswords and engage in other types of puzzles
by going to
www.thepuzzleplayer.com
There are some excellent computer games for keeping the
mind alert. We’re not talking about the ‘Wham Bam Thank you Ma’m’
type of game but the more cerebral ones that are available.
Chess has always been on computers but there is now a whole
range of games to keep your brain active. Visit Amazon –
www.amazon.com - to see some
of those that are available.
Card and board games also provide brain food. There are
endless board games that you can play, either on your own or
with the family, as there are card games. Card games also come
on the computer, if you can’t be bothered with cards themselves,
and, again, you can use Amazon to see a selection.
 One of the best card games for exercising the grey cells is
Bridge. You can take bridge lessons and then join a club,
play at your golf club or start your own circle. Beware, though
– it can become very competitive if you let it! You can find out
all you need to know about bridge (except how to play it really
well)through the English Bridge Union at
www.ebu.co.uk
Learning a new skill also keeps the brain active, so think about
learning something new in retirement. How about one of the arts
and crafts (see our
Arts and Crafts section), watercolour painting, stained
glass or cooking? Whatever you want to learn, it will stimulate
your mental faculties. You can go away on an activity weekend,
or week, where you can learn some of these skills. Go to
www.timetolearn.org.uk
to see a wide range of activity breaks.
There is a host of other ways to keep you thinking in
retirement. You could get involved with genealogy and trace your
family history or you could do some research work on the history
of your local area. How about doing some adult education courses
like learning a language or improving your IT skills? Remember,
though, that keeping fit mentally doesn’t mean you have to do
academic studies – if you’re exercising your brain in any way,
you’re helping it to keep fit.
To help your thoughts in keeping fit mentally, as well as the
activities mentioned on this page, think about the following:
- Learning a language
- Improving your IT skills
- Attending day or evening classes at your local FE
college
- Starting or joining an investment club and following the
stock market
- Doing amateur dramatics, having to learn lines for your
part
If you have a particular Hobby or Interest and would like to
research and write about it on the web, take a look at our
Associate scheme.
Now, take a look through the other pages and see if anything
takes your fancy – or something might trigger another
inspiration. If you don’t find what you want, however, take a
look at the
Sports and Activities
section, or go to
Amazon where you will be
certain to find a book on the hobby or interest of your choice
Visit our
Pre-retirement Courses
section here on laterlife or our
dedicated Retirement Courses site
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