Thriving Life

• Cognitive agility: Sports like basketball, soccer or tennis require split-second decision-making, spatial awareness, and adaptability, which act like a mental workout.
• The power of connection: Working toward a shared goal triggers the release of oxytocin and dopamine, reducing stress and boosting mood.
• Built-in accountability: Having teammates creates social commitment, making it much easier to stay consistent with your routine.

Sports such as ping-pong, tennis and dancing require rhythm, timing and complex movement patterns that actively engage multiple brain regions simultaneously, which support neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections.

1. Table tennis – This activity reigns supreme. It is a highly aerobic activity that demands coordination, increases blood flow to the brain and boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports the formation of new brain cells (neurogenesis)
2. Racquet sports – Tennis, pickleball and racquetball combine physical activity, strategy, coordination and social interaction, supporting brain health, neuroplasticity and emotional well-being.
3. Basketball – A challenging game of decision-making, focus and quick thinking that requires strong team communication and collaboration, promoting social connection, and engages multiple regions of the brain.

1. Swimming – Rhythmic full-body movement ensures the brain stays engaged while also regulating breathing and promoting calm.
2. Dancing – This exercise set to music improves coordination, social connection, mood, stress management, and cognitive function through the release of serotonin which elevates the mood, and development of new neural connections.
3. Yoga – A mindfulness exercise that calms the mind, improves focus and cognition, reduces anxiety as it soothes overactive basal ganglia, and may help protect against neurodegenerative disease.
4. Strength training – Research indicates that when you build your muscles through strength training, you also strengthen your brain health. According to the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, strength training is associated with numerous mental health benefits, including reduced anxiety in healthy adults, improved cognition among older adults, reduced symptoms of depression in those diagnosed with depression, improved self-esteem and better sleep.