Nobody wants to develop dementia, but unfortunately it is difficult to impossible to predict who will or won't contract diseases such as Alzheimer's later in life. That's not to say there aren't measures you can take while you're still young and healthy to help maintain brain function well into old age. Your brain is like a muscle, so exercising it by working out the interest on your Toronto mortgage, reading a book, or doing a daily puzzle can help strengthen it. Here are some fun puzzles you might try.

Crosswords

Several crossword puzzles are included in the daily paper, so why not do one while you're on your coffee break from Aurora dentistry? Crossword clues require you to guess which words fit in which box, developing your vocabulary and memory skills and flexing your brain muscle.

Sudoku

Sudoku is the number version of a crossword puzzle and is becoming increasingly popular among puzzle enthusiasts. Each sudoku consists of a box in which the numbers 1 through 9 must be inserted into each square without duplicating a number within a section or line. Great for improving pattern recognition and math skills.

Cryptoquotes

Also commonly included in the newspaper is the cryptoquote, which is a game like hangman where you must decode a famous quotation using the few clues they give you plus your knowledge of English and the statistical frequencies of each letter's occurrence in written language.

Two Person Puzzles

For people who like to visit with friends in their Mississauga condo, playing a game of chess, Chinese checkers, or trading riddles are a great way to have fun together while also exercising your brain. Switch things up to keep from getting into a rut.

Video Games

Did you know that winning a video game system is better for your brain than if you win a car in Canada? This is because there are many puzzle-based games, such as Mahjong, Tetris, Memory, Brain Teasers, adventure games like Zack and Wiki, and language learning software that can help you get your daily puzzle in a fun way.

Two Minute Mysteries

Another fun way to do a daily puzzle is to buy a book of two minute mysteries. These short short stories used to appear on posters in Toronto. They contain a mystery story which contains all the clues necessary to solve the puzzle. Can you figure it out without looking at the answer?