You eat right, you exercise regularly, and you see your doctor every year, but how many people actually give their brains a work out? The brain is like any other muscle and will become stronger as you use it. There are two things that can really put a drain on the power of your brain: stress and routine.

Experts are beginning to suspect that your brain will actually start to slow down in your mid thirties. The good news is that there are things you can do to help keep your brain to continue to learn and grow strong.

There was a study done with two groups of 30 healthy adults. Every day, for five minutes a day, one group imagined using the tiny muscles in their pinky fingers while the control group did no imaginary exercises. At the end of the study, the group who did the imaginary exercises showed a 35% increase in the muscle of their pinky fingers than the control group! Brain scans also showed that there was more activity in the prefrontal cortex.

Here are a few easy exercises you can do almost anywhere.

Try to create a song. It can be about something your thinking about, a problem you are facing or even the person in the next car. This exercise will actually use your right side of the brain and will help you to become a better problem solver. You will be amazed at how easy it is to rhyme while you are singing. The reason is because your right side of the brain is much more adept at pattern recognition.

The next time you are performing an activity – writing, using your computer mouse, or even brushing your teeth – trying using the opposite hand you normally would use. Your brain will actually begin to learn a new skill as you muddle your way through the task.

The next time you have some free time, Google “brain exercises” to find a host of different online activities you can perform to help increase your brain power. Games include math problems, reflex timing, logic problems, and other similar games that require you to think outside the box.

Try to perform everyday activities with your eyes closed like getting dressed or washing your hair. You could also try eating a meal with someone and communicate only by nonverbal means. Combining activities that require you to utilize two senses are also great ways to exercise your neurons. Try listening to music and smelling the flowers in your garden.

Remember: reduce your stress and change your routine to keep those neurons firing!