The holidays are over and a 2019 is here.  What better way to start the new year than to exercise every day!  Physical exercise is great, but exercising your brain and strengthening your memory is just as important.  Research has shown that a dexterous brain makes for happier, healthier, people in general. Doing some type of mental exercise, in the form of brain teasers or word and number games can:

• Boost overall brain activity
• Increase your memory power
• Reduce the risk, and slow the decline, of dementia
• Improve memory and brain processing speed
• Reduce boredom
• Improve concentration

And, sorry to inform you Sudoku addicts, but you need to mix it up a bit. Your brain is best exercised by a variety of brain workouts, including crosswords, the common puzzle, and other logic and brain exercises.

Let’s warm up with the following challenges.

Recalling Jingles from Yesteryear

 See how many you can recall by filling in the blanks:

1.  The incredible, edible, _____________________.
2.  The best part of waking up, _____________________________.
3.  I’d like to teach the world to sing,  _______________________________.
4.  My bologna has a first name, _____________________________.
5.  N-E-S-T-L-E-S, ____________________________________________.
6.  Two all beef patties, special sauce,___________________________________________.
7.  Rice-A-Roni, __________________________________________________.
8.  Winston tastes good, ______________________________________________.
9.  Like a good neighbor, ____________________________________________.
10.  Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, _____________________________________________.

Rhyme Time Playing Stinky Pinky

We have twentieth -century humorist George S. Kaufman to thank for this game (and for its unusual title).  Each Stinky Pinky answer contains two words that rhyme – but you have to figure out what that answer is from an offbeat definition.  Here’s an example:

Mrs. Onassis’s tan pants  Jackie’s khakis

1.  An introverted insect ________________
2.  Inebriated animal that emits a bad smell _______________________________
3.  Former President Clinton’s medicine _________________________________
4.  Blouse made of soil _________________________________________

1.  An adorable orange or banana ___________________________
2.  An ailing baby bird _______________________________
3.  A flounder’s hope ________________________________
4.  An intelligent painting ___________________________
5.  A peculiar looking goatee ________________________
6. Stupid Wrigley’s or Beechnut _____________________

For more on brain exercises click on the following links:

http://www.daisybrains.com

https://www.thoughtco.com/stinky-pinky-word-play-1691991

https://games.aarp.org/games/daily-crossword-new

For more content from Virginia Tortorici, please click here.