Mental exercises can slow down, halt, or even help to reverse the early signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Unfortunately, normal day to day living usually doesn't give the neuron sharpening exercise you need.

The good news is that you're never too old to start boosting your brainpower, and it can be fun.

The fact that mental exercises can bolster your brain has even been discovered by the press. The Daily Mail in England reports that volunteers aged 65 and over who did just ten hours of training their memory, problem solving and reaction times had mental abilities similar to people seven to fourteen years younger who hadn't done such exercises.

Studies show that staying mentally active can slash the chance of getting Alzheimer's by fifty percent. Even the schoolwork that you did when you were young has an effect. A study carried out in China showed that those with no schooling were five times more likely to get Alzheimer's disease than those who graduated from high school. A Swedish study showed that those with schooling below grade eight were two and a half times more likely to get AD.

So just what sort of mental exercises tunes up the brain and gets it firing on all cylinders?

Luckily you don't have to do the mental equivalent of sit-ups and push-ups. Mental exercises for Alzheimer's can be fun and enjoyable. You can even play games to fire up the neurons. Here are some ideas to get you started.

- Playing cards is good mental exercise, and bridge is often touted as an exceptionally good card game to get you thinking.

- Sudoku is a Japanese number game that takes concentration. The local newspaper will often have a game of Sudoku in it near the crossword puzzle, and books of games are easy to find in shops.

- Scrabble, crossword puzzles and jigsaws are all good for the grey matter.

- The solitaire games of FreeCell and Spider are good too, and you can play them on your computer.

- Keep learning! If you're still working then continuing education not only helps keep Alzheimer's at bay, it's a good way to keep at the top in your job or profession.

- Learning new computer programs can be good mental exercise, and there lots to choose from. Go to your favorite computer store and check out the titles. You could learn a photo editing program and turn your snapshots into masterpieces, or get a genealogy program and research your family tree for example.

- Learn a challenging computer game. Once again there are lots to try out. You can become an entrepreneur running your own virtual reality railway, airline, zoo or much more. You can learn to fly with a flight simulator and fly almost anywhere in the world right in your own lounge room. You can battle anything from the ancient Romans to intergalactic warriors. There are lots of online games too, where you can compete against other players anywhere in the world any time of the night or day.

- Build your own website. Share your hobbies, interests or expertise with the rest of the world. You can even make money with this one. Click on over to my website and I'll tell you the best place to get started, even for complete website building newbies.

- Do a course. Have you ever wanted to learn something but just haven't done it yet? It could be photography, cooking or advanced calculus. Academic courses will really get your brain working. You'll feel as though you're cleaning all the rust off your brain, bit by bit getting it operating more freely until finally it's running smoothly again.

- Here's something to do less of. Don't watch too much television unless it's something mentally stimulating. Passively watching sitcoms and soapies dulls the brain you're trying to sharpen.

Mental exercises can make a big difference to your life, whether you're trying to prevent Alzheimer's or already have it. You can gain years of life that could otherwise be lost. Get started now, and keep challenging your brain. It's worth the effort. And remember that there are a lot more things you can do to fight this terrible disease. Of course, if you suspect you have Alzheimer's, see your doctor!