To keep your body in good shape you can do boring things such as running to nowhere on a treadmill. You can also do fun things like having sex. Likewise, there are both boring and fun things to keep your mind in shape.

First, there are games. Games are to the mind what sports are to the body – fun ways to stay in shape. According to an article from the Ririan Project, physical games such as golf and pool can require a great deal of strategy. Honestly, any sport that you have a desire to excel at will require you to do more than work up a sweat.

Challenging a friend to a board game flexes your social and strategic skills. Board games such as Chess and Go are very mentally intense and require a great deal of thinking. Board games like Risk have not only a strong strategic element but require social engineering as well. And don’t forget Candy Land. Video games, despite what old-timers might say, are not at all a bad way to engage your mind. Going on a senseless killing spree in Grand Theft Auto will make you feel all the more smarter.

Your mind and body depend on each other so keeping your body in shape will keep your mind in shape. Running, swimming, or anything that gets you to work up a sweat will increase the levels of oxygen in your brain and will make you feel more energized and thus more inclined to think better. Running and swimming may not be the funnest things to do so do whatever it is that you enjoy. I should mention yoga as well. It is another example of a physical task that can really bring clarity into your mind. According to new research (sarcasm), your mind works better when it is not stressed.

Read books. True, ‘Transformers the Movie’ has neat visuals but do not underestimate your mind’s imagination when reading fantasy. Reading informative books will teach you a new thing or two. Speaking of teaching: if you live by a a college why not try sitting in on classes. In a big college classroom, you’ll blend right in and get educated for free.

Create. It’s part of the word creative! Build something, draw something, design something, make music – make your self heard. Speaking of being heard, why not have a debate? Having a debate with somebody that you respect can really be fun. I’ve had some of my best thoughts while going back and forth with intelligent friends. Each side of a good debate will undoubtedly learn a thing or two and put to use the creative side of their brain.