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Neuroplasticity refers to the human brain’s ability to adapt and change, both structurally and functionally, in response to experiences and learning.

According to  Matt Puderbaugh and Prabhu D. Emmady, neuroplasticity "is a process that involves adaptive structural and functional changes to the brain." Or, in other words, it is "the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli." The central nervous system achieves this by reorganizing its structures, functions, and connections.

Neuroplasticity is most often explored in clinical contexts, such as in the case of traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, or mental illnesses. It can be incredibly helpful for these patients. However, neuroplasticity is actually part of everyday life as well; a very important part, we might add. When you learn a new habit or skill, you're actually building new neural pathways thanks to your brain's neuroplasticity.

As we age, maintaining neuroplasticity becomes crucial for preserving and improving cognitive function. Research suggests that practice can optimize adult brain plasticity and even induce structural changes in the brain.

8 Must-Try Neuroplasticity Exercises

So, are you ready to literally change your brain? In the following sections, we'll discuss some exercises and activities that foster neuroplasticity! But remember, the secret lies in consistency, so don't give up if you don't notice changes within the first few days!

1. Physical Exercises to Improve Brain Plasticity

Regular physical exercise is one of the most powerful triggers of changes in the brain. Physical activities like running, swimming, and cycling have been shown to increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that promotes cell growth and function. Higher levels of BDNF can support cognitive fitness, prevent cognitive decline, enhance memory retention, and boost learning abilities.

Moreover, physical therapy that includes exercises requiring coordination, such as dancing or martial arts, can also strengthen motor control.

It is recommended to do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for cognitive health. You can also combine various types of physical exercises (such as aerobic exercise and strength training or resistance training) for greater benefits for brain health and neuroplasticity. Here are some examples:

• Go for a brisk 30-minute walk outdoors, noticing the environment around you (sounds, scents, sights).

• Try juggling with balls to challenge hand-eye coordination.

• Join a beginner salsa or ballroom dancing class to combine cardio with complex motor learning.

2. Cognitive Training for Brain Function

Is there a better way to boost neuroplasticity if not through mental workouts and brain games? Puzzles, memory games, chess, strategy board games, and even solving the Rubik's Cube mystery - all of these can stimulate regions of the brain involved in executive function.

Even learning how to play a musical instrument can encourage the growth of new connections within the brain! All these activities engage different brain areas, forcing them to adapt and reorganize with learning.

3. Sensory Stimulation Activities

The brain thrives on novel sensory input. Therefore, activities that stimulate your senses can enhance your brain's ability to process and distinguish different sensory inputs, promoting overall cognitive function.

Here's what you can try:

• Savor a piece of dark chocolate slowly, paying close attention to its texture, taste, and aroma.

• Explore a playlist of traditional music from another culture or a genre you've never heard before. Try to notice how different instruments sound.

• Spend 10-15 minutes shaping clay or playdough with your hands to engage tactile senses and spark your creativity.

• Follow a beginner video tutorial of a new dance style, focusing on the feeling of movement and coordination.

4. Speech and Language Training

Did you know that studies reveal that multilingual individuals have denser gray matter in regions linked to language processing, memory, and attention? Language is one of the most complex cognitive skills. Training it can significantly stimulate neuroplasticity.

Don't know where to start? Try these activities:

• Record yourself reading challenging tongue twisters aloud and replay to notice improvements.

• Use an app that has a “word of the day” feature and try to use that word in conversation or writing each day.

• Choose a short story or poem and read it aloud slowly, emphasizing expression and clarity.

• Find language exchange partners to practice a new language via video or chat; this challenges comprehension and speaking skills.

5. Mindfulness and Meditation Practices

Research has shown that consistent mindfulness meditation and other meditation practices can promote neuroplasticity.

In addition, Lazar et al. argue that meditation can increase cortical thickness in different brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, which controls cognitive performance and executive function.

Last but not least, mindfulness lowers stress hormones, which, when elevated, can impair neuroplasticity.

Here are some mindfulness and meditation practices you can try to promote neuroplasticity:

• Guided meditation: use apps like Calm or Headspace for 5-10 minutes of focused breathing or body scanning sessions.

• Yoga meditation: attend a gentle yoga class focusing on breath awareness and slow movements.

• Movement meditation: try walking meditation by focusing fully on the sensation of each step and breath.

• Five senses exercise: spend 2 minutes noticing something you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste right now.

• Visualization meditation: imagine yourself successfully learning a new skill or overcoming a challenge vividly and with detail.

6. Mendi Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a science-backed way that directly trains your brain's neuroplasticity. In short, it is a brain fitness regimen backed by decades of research! It does so by monitoring brain activity and providing you with real-time feedback on how it performs. Why does it work? Because we're wired to repeat behaviors associated with positive feedback!

Mendi, for example, uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure blood flow in your prefrontal cortex. At the same time, you should play a game in our app, where you receive real-time feedback on your brain's activity. When your prefrontal cortex activity increases, you receive positive feedback. When your prefrontal cortex activity decreases, that positive feedback is taken away.

Over time, this feedback loop reinforces behaviors associated with the positive feedback, which supports the formation of new pathways associated with prefrontal cortex activity.

7. Learning New Skills

Learning is one of the most potent drivers of neuroplasticity. Whether it’s picking up photography, cooking a new recipe, or mastering a new sport, each skill acquisition builds new neural pathways.

Importantly, skills that combine physical, cognitive, and sensory elements, such as playing a musical instrument or practicing a new dance style, have especially strong effects on neuroplasticity.

Neuroscientists have demonstrated that even adults retain the capacity to reorganize their brains in response to learning, countering the outdated belief that plasticity is limited to childhood.

8. Using the Non-Dominant Hand

Simple lifestyle changes, like using the non-dominant hand for tasks such as brushing teeth, writing, or eating, can stimulate underused areas of the brain.

Although initially frustrating, consistent practice improves dexterity and enhances flexibility in neural connections, demonstrating that even small, everyday challenges can increase neuroplasticity.

Lifestyle Factors and Their Impact on Neuroplasticity

While neuroplasticity is shaped by targeted exercises, your everyday lifestyle choices provide the foundation for whether your brain thrives or struggles to adapt. These factors often work synergistically, meaning your overall lifestyle environment is just as important as your mental workouts.

Sleep

During deep sleep, the brain processes information, clears out toxins, and strengthens useful neural connections (consolidation), streamlining pathways for long-term learning and memory.

Therefore, aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep, with consistency in sleep-wake cycles.

Stress Management

It has been scientifically proven that chronic stress can affect neuroplasticity. And, ultimately, we don't really need science to confirm this. When we're stressed, we can't really learn new things, build new habits, or change our routines, because we have neither the physical nor the mental energy to do this.

Therefore, it's extremely important to manage stress levels. You can do this through mindful breathing, journaling, progressive muscle relaxation, neurofeedback sessions, and spending time in nature.

Nutrition

It goes without saying that what we eat influences the way our bodies (and brains implicitly) function. Therefore, adjust your diet so it's rich in:

• Omega-3 fatty acids (fish, walnuts, flaxseed)

• Antioxidants (berries, leafy greens, turmeric, green tea)

• Polyphenols (dark chocolate, olives, grapes)

Hydration is equally important. Did you know that dehydration can actually shrink brain tissue and impair cognitive performance?

Neuroplasticity Exercises for Different Goals

Neuroplasticity exercises can be customized depending on what you aim to achieve. Is it enhancing cognitive performance, supporting recovery from injury, managing stress, or maintaining brain health with age? If you don't know where to start, here are a few ideas!

Enhancing Cognitive Performance and Focus

• Brain training games: use apps or puzzles that challenge working memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

• Mindfulness and meditation: schedule regular mindfulness and meditation sessions, as these can improve sustained attention, promote mental clarity, and foster better cognitive control; athletes, for example, often rely on mental imagery as well to achieve peak performance

• Physical exercise with coordination: try sports like tennis or dance, which combine motor planning with focus, reinforcing multiple neural networks simultaneously and helping you achieve peak performance.

Managing Stress and Emotional Regulation

• Guided breathing and relaxation: try deep breathing exercises and pair with Mendi neurofeedback; this can help reduce cortisol and increase prefrontal cortex control over the amygdala, supporting overall mental health.

• Yoga and Tai Chi: these activities promote mind-body awareness, balance, and emotional calm through coordinated movements and breath focus.

• Cognitive behavioral practices: journal your thoughts to identify and change negative patterns; this supports plasticity in emotional regulation circuits.

Maintaining and Improving Brain Health in Aging

• Learning new skills: pick up new hobbies like playing a musical instrument, painting, or learning a language to challenge multiple brain areas and build cognitive reserve.

• Social engagement: find a social group you're comfortable with and participate in different activities; this stimulates cognitive and emotional processing centers for older adults.

• Aerobic and balance exercises: go for a walk or swim, or try a dance class; these activities improve cerebral blood flow and reduce fall risk while fostering plasticity in motor and cognitive domains.

Neuroplasticity Routine: An Example

Trying to build a daily or weekly cognitive fitness routine? We're here to help! We've prepared an example of a neural plasticity routine that combines multiple practices for long-lasting brain change!

Morning (20-30 min)

• Aerobic exercise (jogging, cycling, brisk walking) → boosts BDNF and primes the brain for learning.

• Mindful breathing, a short meditation session, or a 3-minute Mendi neurofeedback session (3-10 min) → calms stress hormones, sets attention.

Midday (15-30 min)

• Skill learning practice (musical instrument, new language, photography, chess)

• Alternate with cognitive challenges (puzzle, memory exercises) 2-3 times/week

Afternoon / Evening (10-20 min)

• Non-dominant hand tasks (brush teeth, doodle, write short notes) to stimulate underused networks

• Sensory novelty (listen to new music genres, try new foods, or engage in tactile art like sculpting)

Night / Wind Down (20-30 min)

• Social engagement (phone call, dinner conversation, group activity) → strengthens emotional-cognitive networks

• Reflection journaling or gratitude journaling → consolidates positive memory pathways

• Consistent sleep hygiene → aim for 7-9 hours in a dark, cool environment

Weekly Extras

• Nature immersion (hike, forest walk) has been shown to lower stress biomarkers and restore mental energy

• Creative pursuits (painting, dancing, cooking something new)

Final Thoughts

Neuroplasticity is the silent force behind every choice you make, shaping who you are and who you become. That means you are already training your brain every single day. The question is: are you doing it intentionally, in ways that help you grow?

The most powerful shifts come not just from reading about neuroplasticity. They also come from practicing it consistently and actively sculpting the architecture of your mind.

If you want to take your training to the next level, you can do so with Mendi, which gives you a scientific edge by showing your brain in action and guiding it toward better performance. It’s like having a personal trainer for your brain!

Ready to start building a sharper, more resilient brain? Get your Mendi today and join thousands of users who are already benefitting from neurofeedback!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best exercise for neuroplasticity?

Aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, running, or cycling, is the best for enhancing neuroplasticity and maintaining a healthy brain, because it increases blood flow and releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Neurofeedback training is also an excellent tool for promoting neuroplasticity.

How to trigger neuroplasticity?

You can trigger neuroplasticity by engaging in challenging, novel activities such as learning a new language, practicing mindfulness, or developing a new skill.

What destroys neuroplasticity?

Chronic stress, poor sleep, and excessive alcohol or drug use can damage neural connections and reduce neuroplasticity. A sedentary lifestyle and lack of mental stimulation also weaken the brain’s ability to adapt.

How many days to rewire your brain for neuroplasticity?

Rewiring the brain depends on the complexity of the habit, but research suggests it often takes about 30–90 days of consistent practice to form strong new neural pathways. Other studies suggest it can take anywhere between 18 and 254 days to learn a new habit. This depends on multiple factors.

Can diet and nutrition promote brain health?

A Mediterranean or MIND diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, can promote brain health and lower the risk of cognitive decline.

What role does mindfulness meditation play in neuroplasticity?

Mindfulness meditation significantly contributes to neuroplasticity by promoting structural and functional changes in the brain, which enhances cognitive abilities and facilitates the growth of new brain cells and connections.