Have Fun While Engaging Your Brain with Wits Fitness Classes
•January 17, 2024•
Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator University of Illinois Extension
Have you ever tried coming up with the name of an animal starting with the letter “a” and going through the whole alphabet?? What about coming up with the names of all the states that do not have the letter “o” in them? Or list the states that share a border with Canada? Do you like trivia questions? Riddles? Finding hidden pictures? If you do, congratulations, you are utilizing your brain in a variety of ways that is very beneficial for cognition! Also, if you do, you would love the Wits Fitness brain health classes that I have been facilitating in Coles and the surrounding counties since 2015! The purpose of these classes has been to educate participants on healthy brain contributors, and to present cognitive or mental challenges to participants in a highly social setting. Participants are not tested for Alzheimer’s Disease, and we make no claims that memory will be regained or that the classes prevent the onset of dementia. Wits Fitness classes simply engage participants in interactive activities that challenge thinking and therefore help them stay mentally active – which can contribute to maintaining and improving brain function.