Wednesday 3 February 2016

Popular brain games - which one is right for you?

Popular brain games - which one is right for you?

The focus this month through the Fitness center at work and the wellness committee is Brain Health so with the triFit focus this month being on brain health we decided to highlight some brain training options. After watching a miniseries on brain health, Redesign My Brain, and the focus on improvement of brain health I decided to give brain games and training a try, both for the benefits of neuroplasticity and overall brain health. I tried dozens of brain games and websites.


Each of my top three picks have a free option with limited access; sometimes there is also a time limit on the free access.


Here are my top three brain game picks.



Peak
This is my top pick and the only one that I unlocked for a year of unlimited access of the pro plan.
Pros and cons:

  • Four free games a day with the free membership and six games a day with the pro plan. 
  • A new game is added into the mix every month
  • You can create specific training plans for goals such as improved creativity, memory etc.
  • It's only available as a mobile app.


Lumosity
Pros and cons

  • It's available on the Web or as a mobile app.
  • There's a good mix of  games and training
  • The cost is reasonable for the pro plan. 
  • There's unlimited use of th free plan
  • The user interface is slower than other games'

Fit Brains - by Rosetta Stone
Pros and cons
  • It's available on the Web or as a mobile app Nice clean crisp interface
  • It's very pricey 
  • The free trial is only available for a limited time

I used each of the above three months I made the leap and bought a 1 year subscription for Peak. And I think it is fantastic. Inside the Peak application there are also a number of advance training plans currently available:

Memory Training
Attention Training
Emotional Management
Creative Thinking
Empathy
Working Memory Part 1
Working Memory Part 2
Sports Cognition Training

I have purchased a number of these advanced plans and do not regret it. When I started using these applications about 10 months ago my brain score was in the low 400's. This is today's score. Below that a comparison to the average for my age range. And finally a Sample of today's workout.





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