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Can Playing Brain Games Really Keep Your Mind Fit? Brain Experts Set the Record Straight

Woman, thinking with a brain thought bubble.

Real Simple

Karen Asp

You know you need to keep your body fit with physical activity. But don't forget about your brain. While improving your physical fitness aids your brain, so too does improving mental fitness, and experts say it's never too early—or late—to start a brain fitness regimen to stay sharp into old age.Brain health is something that needs to be on everybody's radar, because while your brain is technically an organ, it's similar to the other muscles in your body: If you don't use it, you'll lose it.What the Brain Needs Most: Something New Every DayOne reason these games don't always prove effective in studies is many don't challenge the brain enough. "Many lack the complexity and level of engagement that charges the brain forward," says Stacy Vernon, M.S., LPC, a clinician with the Brain Performance Institute and The BrainHealth Project at the University of Texas at Dallas.Read more in REAL SIMPLE

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Stacy Vernon, MS, LPC

Program Manager, Head of Adult Assessment

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