from True Love
Image: True Love

1. Use both sides
Our brains are divided into two halves, and while most of us do use both halves, we tend to favour one side over the other.

We need to develop our right-brained modes of thinking, such as feeling, emotions, music, creativity and visualisation, as well as the left-brained modes of verbal and written communication, organisational and rational abilities and then start putting the two sides together. To do this: if you're all about numbers, science and rationality, take up something creative.

If you're the artistic one in your family, challenge your brain with a night class in maths. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes to your everyday thought processes.

2. Practice, practice, practice!
Actively using your brain will increase your mental sharpness. By exercising your brain, and doing mental exercises such as crosswords or puzzles like Sudoku, you can become sharper. Do something that you really enjoy, but that also challenges you at the same time.

3. Cultivate creativity
The world is not really conducive to creative thought, and most people get stuck on problems instead of being creative about solutions. In fact a lot of our thought is regulated by our places of work, and creative solutions are often rejected in the workplace because other people can't see the possibilities. But that doesn't mean you should stop thinking creatively – it's very good for your brainpower to think 'out of the box'.

4. Healthy body, healthy mind
There's no substitute for a balanced diet, plenty of exercise and enough sleep. Most of us are chronically sleep deprived, and don't pay enough attention to our health and well-being.

This doesn't just have implications for 'lifestyle diseases' such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease; it also plays havoc with our ability to function well mentally. Start by getting some shut-eye – at least seven to eight hours a night – and move on from there.

5. Don't forget the good fats
The Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, is found in large amounts in the brain and is important for the growth and development of the foetal central nervous system.

The recommended intake of Omega-3 fatty acids means eating at least two to three meals containing fish every week, such as salmon, mackerel, herring and anchovies in oil every week. But fish alone will not do the trick – the rest of your diet needs to be healthy and balanced too.

6. Get a mental workout daily
To keep your brain sharp, you need to exercise it daily. Here are some ways to build brain workouts into your everyday routine: