Wealthful Wednesday – One way to stay wealthful is to have a healthy mind. The brain can atrophy just like a muscle can. Take the following suggestions to give your mind a mental workout every day.

Use your brain. There is a lot of knowledge up there, so put it into action. Doing tasks such as thinking through problems or avoiding the calculator for simple arithmetic is one way to exercise your mind.

Crosswords. If you get the newspaper, work the crossword puzzles each day. They usually get progressively more difficult as the week goes on, culminating in the most challenging puzzle on Sunday. If you don’t get the newspaper, you can find many free crossword puzzles online.

Hobbies. Start a new hobby or take up an old, forgotten one to get your creative juices flowing.

Read. Read anything, books, magazines, the back of cereal boxes. Reading keeps your mind pumping, and you learn new things at the same time. It is definitely a bonus if your reading material has some depth to it, though.

News. Keep up with current events. Whether your interest is politics, world news, or your local small-town gossip, staying current with the news stimulates your mind.

Puzzles. While working jigsaw puzzles, you must think about how the shapes and colors match up. The problem-solving skills of working puzzles help keep your mind sharp.