Between the ongoing pandemic, the economic collapse and a whole host of other things, it’s a stressful time to be alive. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the negativity, and according to psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist Daniel Amen, these “unhealthy thinking patterns” could also have detrimental long-term effects.
Dr. Amen, the author of books like Change Your Brain Change Your Life, talks about the concept of ANT’s, or automatic negative thoughts; the kind of thoughts that pop into your mind and throw you off balance. “We call it killing ANTs” Dr. Amen says of his methods for dealing with all of the negativity and keeping your brain sharp. One such method is playing ping pong.
Calling it one of the world’s best brain games, Dr. Amen says ping pong can help your mind stay sharp, citing a recent small study published in the American Academy of Neurology Journal, that found that people with Parkinson’s who played ping pong once a week for six months showed improvement in their Parkinson’s symptoms.
The study’s author, Dr. Ken-ichi Inoue of Fukuoka University in Fukuoka, Japan, added that ping pong has been shown, in the general population, to improve hand-eye coordination, sharpen reflexes and stimulate the brain.
On top of ping pong, Dr. Amen also suggests starting the morning with a positive affirmation; think: “Today is going to be a great day”. He also suggests trying to get as close to 10,000 steps a day as possible.
As I was writing this post my mind went back 65 years. One of our most popular, cool and calm classmates at Robert College was Güngör Kavadarlı; you guessed it; he was an avid ping ponger. I hear that he still is.
That’s my buddy’s picture below.
A fun game for a sharper brain? Do it my friends.
See you all the next time.
