The human brain is a quite remarkable instrument. The workings of the human brain have been subjected to study after intense study by some of the world's greatest intellects and still we know relatively little about how it works. However, there is one fact that all experts can come to an agreement upon and that is that the human brain benefits from regular exercise just as your muscles do. In fact, your brain not only benefits exercise, it thrives on it. What exercises does your brain enjoy? Deductive reasoning, creative thinking, and puzzle solving are what give your brain a boost and improve your fluid intelligence.

There are two types of intelligence: crystallized and fluid. Crystallized intelligence is when your brain falls back upon knowledge or existing skills to solve a problem, IE your memory. Something worked once before so it will work again. Fluid intelligence relies on your brain's ability to analyze and understand the relationships and analogies between various artifacts or concepts when solving problems. Fluid intelligence is independent upon prior experience, knowledge, or skill. As IQ is your capacity to learn "new" things, by training your brain in how to learn them, IE exercizing you are boosting your IQ.

Puzzles like Sudoku and games like chess can improve your mental age by up to 14 years and stave off the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's. Solving a Rubik's cube can also help to increase the cognitive comprehension aspect of your IQ. The puzzle itself happens to be one of the most misspelled words in the English language, along with the word misspelled. Rubik's Cube was invented in the 70's by an architect of Hungarian descent. It is said to be the most amongst the most popular sold toy in the world! It also serves to stimulate that grey matter and get in going. If you can't find one in your local toy store, then you're bound to know an individual who has one stored away in a deep dark box stored up in their attic, or thrown behind the sofa in a moment of weighty frustration. If not, grab one up at your local goodwill store for pennies and get shuffling and stimulating that grey matter.

Lastly and on a less stressful note, you can put yourself more in the moment with mindfulness exercises and you'll give yourself more brain power. These unique exercises put you in a state of awareness, and allow you let go of distractions. Done regularly, these exercises let you think more clearly and help you to concentrate. The most basic mindfulness exercise begins with simply relaxing and breathing deeply. Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing. After a short time, move your focus to your body, a part at a time, noticing any sensations or anything you can identify. After a few minutes of attention on your body, start listening to the sounds of the room, without judging or criticizing or even thinking about them. Just listen. Your brain just like a muscle needs time to rest.