A healthy mind is essential to living a vibrant and fulfilling life. But, as we age, we generally lose our mental faculties and in turn, our brain function. Taking care of your brain is vital, as depending on how we use it, it can continuously advance or decline. Our brain needs as much exercise as our bodies. The more we challenge it, the further we can boost and maintain our intelligence and memory. So, to help you keep your mind active and your intelligence up to date, here are 8 simple yet effective exercises and habits anyone can squeeze in their busy schedule to get productive:

1. Knowledge begets knowledge

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Read as much as you can! Intelligence begins with reading and the more you read, the more knowledge you will absorb.

2. Exercise regularly

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Good blood flow and oxygenation in the brain promotes good mental health and exercising regularly is the best way to attain it.

3. Eat a balanced diet

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Your brain needs certain essential nutrients to perform at its optimum level. Consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, vitamins, amino acids and carbohydrates to main healthy brain function.

4. Avoid smoking and drinking a lot

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If you're a smoker, stop it right now as the toxins in cigarettes can impair brain function. Drinking alcohol in moderation, especially when combined with socialising is beneficial for your brain function. But excessive consumption can be counter-productive.

5. Learn meditation

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Meditation has numerous proven beneficial effects on brain function, such as improved concentration, attention span, creativity and alertness.

6. Cultivate friendships with intelligent people

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Make a point of becoming friends with more and more educated people and meet them from time to time. By taking part in challenging intellectual discussions with them, you will be exposed to novel ideas and perspectives.

7. Watch better things on TV

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Rather than watching reruns of your favourite sitcoms that don't add knowledge to your life, watch educational TV programmes like documentaries, factual films and current affair programmes and debates.

8. Play a mentally challenging game

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Play games that challenge your knowledge and force you to increase your brain function, rather than mindlessly killing ducks.

And lucky for you, playing such games can help you make money too! Let me tell you how! Download Brain Baazi on your phones from the Google PlayStore. It is a real-time trivia game show with real cash prizes. A live trivia session takes place every day on Brain Baazi everyday, which is open to all. All you need to do is tune in and answer questions. The catch is that you get only 10 seconds to answer! But people who answer all questions correctly can win cash prizes up to Rs 50,000. You can transfer the money you've won to your PayTM or MobiKwik wallet at any time!

Win win, isn't it?