The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) published a review of creative tools used for maintaining cognitive health. The review stresses the importance of viewing cognitive health in similar ways that physical health is viewed; that lifestyle choices and everyday living habits drive the cognitive capacities of individuals.
Research on brain development demonstrates that it has the ability to grow and change throughout life, developing new neurons and connections between them based on what one does. These new connections are most likely to occur when one encounters something new or different—when the brain is most active.
The mission for brain fitness then is to remain actively engaged mentally, and the best way to do this is to challenge oneself to break out of routines and try something new. The smallest change can even be a challenge: changing a commute route to work, different brands bought at the supermarket, types of food eaten, etc.
To help promote brain fitness, the ICAA listed a variety of creative activities that can be viewed at http://www.icaa.cc/FunctionalU/FunctionalUhome.htm.