Exercise your brain with a good book

Reading is exercise for the brain! Just like when you have legs day or abs day, don’t forget brain day. But you should work out your brain every day. Here are ways that reading benefits your brain:

— Mental stimulation: Use it or lose it. Studies show that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of and reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Activities like reading, jigsaw puzzles and chess give your brain a workout and keep it active.

— Stress reduction: A good book will help reduce your stress level.

— Vocabulary expansion: The more words you are exposed to the larger your vocabulary.

— Memory improvement: Reading slows the rate of memory deterioration and the decline of other key mental capacities. Reading can help you remember where you put your car keys.

— Better sleep: Create a bedtime ritual, such as reading before bed. It helps your body wind down. It needs to be a real paper book! This applies especially to kids. Fifty-four percent of children sleep near a small screen and get an average of  20 minutes less sleep, according to research.

And when you think about it, you’ve never heard anyone complain that reading made them sore or cramp up the next day. So come to the library and exercise your brain with a good book. Remember, lift with your knees, breathe and stay hydrated!