Agility is the quality of speed and reliability related to physical and mental abilities. Agility is not an innate ability, and it is not easy to develop. Here are some ways to improve your physical and mental agility.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Increasing Physical Agility
Step 1. Practice body balance
Do a series of balance exercises to improve your overall abilities. This will not only strengthen your muscles, but also help your activities to focus more on a smaller scale.
- Try standing on one leg, while the other leg is raised in front of the body. Hold this position for 10 seconds, then do the opposite leg position. You can also do this in front of a mirror to make sure that your legs are straight.
- Do a handstand or cartwheel if you think you've mastered beginner's balance. These positions will help improve coordination and balance skills.
- Make sure that your body weight is evenly distributed. You certainly don't want to get injured or hurt certain parts when your whole body is supposed to work together, right?
Step 2. Practice with added weights
There are many types of physical exercise that focus on different muscle areas. After completing the basic exercises, you can do it again with added weights, for example in the form of a barbell, if you feel that you are getting stronger.
- Do squats and lift weights (squats and deadlifts) to strengthen the leg and thigh muscles. You can hold one weight in each hand while squatting or lifting the main weight, although the main weight is usually a barbell. You can also use a barbell while squatting. If you choose this method, place a barbell over your shoulders.
- You can also do weightlifting lying down (benchpress) or other arm exercises. This will increase your arm strength, as well as help with activities that involve throwing and catching.
Step 3. Do a “suicide run”
Start by running for about 6 meters. After arriving at the destination point, turn around and run back to the starting point. Without stopping, turn back and run for about 9 meters, then turn around and run back to the starting point. Then, still without stopping, turn back and run 12 meters, then turn around and run back to the starting point.
- Do this “suicide run” exercise as many as several sets so that you get the best results. You can also increase the running distance, if the distance suggested earlier has become too easy for you.
- This is an excellent way to improve strength, speed, balance, and accuracy. Do it several times each week to get the full benefit.
Step 4. Do the jump exercise with stairs
Using the dexterity ladder, which is about 9 meters long and about 45 centimeters wide, run slowly over each step. With each step, swing your arms high and lift your knees toward your chest, alternating sides of your arms and legs along the ladder. When you reach the end of the stairs, repeat this running and jumping motion back to the starting point, to complete a set of exercises.
- Do a set of 2-4 times back and forth from base to end and back to the base of the ladder again. Increase the repetitions as you become more proficient at it. Similarly, if your abilities have improved, you can increase your speed.
- If you don't have an dexterity ladder, make your own with sticks or string or tape.
- Alternatively, try doing this exercise sideways instead of moving forward. Jump sideways between steps before lifting your legs and arms as in the basic exercise.
Step 5. Do the goal jump exercise
Arrange 5-10 goals that are 15 or 20 centimeters high each with sufficient distance, forming a straight line. Starting at the first goal, jump with the first leg, then pause for a few seconds before dropping the other leg between the first two hurdles. Go back over the first goal, to the starting point. Next, repeat the same movement on the first and second goal, then return to the starting point. Repeat the same pattern until you have completed the jump exercise over the entire goal and returned to the starting point. Repeat with the other leg, turning around and using the other leg to lead the movement.
- Once you get the hang of it, try to increase your speed as you jump over the goal, and stop really after each jump.
- In addition to the goal, you can also use a cone, yoga block, or any object that is about 15 or 20 centimeters high. Just make sure that the shape is easy to jump over and that there's no risk of injury.
- If you're just starting out, try something 15 cm high first. If it still feels too high, try something smaller or just imagine a goal in your imagination. After doing it for a few weeks, you can increase the height.
- The goal of this type of exercise is to improve balance and stride distance. This will help improve your performance in sports such as tennis, football and “football”.
Step 6. Do the clapping exercise
Place a cone in front of you. Lift one leg up high, then lightly tap the top end of the cone with the base of the toe, and return the leg to its original position. Repeat with the other leg. Alternate in three sets of 30 seconds each.
- This exercise strengthens the leg and ankle muscles. It also makes your feet feel lighter and improves foot coordination.
- Try not to let your feet hit the cone. If you hit a cone, slow down your movement until you no longer hit it.
- Once you've mastered this exercise, increase the speed to improve your ability and balance. You can also add repetitions, each of which is 30 seconds long
Method 2 of 2: Improving Mental Agility
Step 1. Eat the right foods for breakfast
Starting each day with a diet full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can boost mental capacity if done continuously. Another added benefit is to improve the immune system and improve health conditions.
- Boiled eggs, which are rich in choline (a type of B vitamin), can improve your verbal and visual performance. Recent research has also shown a link between the consumption of this vitamin with a reduced risk of dementia (senility).
- Eat foods rich in zinc, such as whole-grain cereals. Zinc plays an important role in cognitive stability and memory formation. As a bonus, zinc also improves your skin tone.
- Eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants. These foods provide nutrients needed by the brain, which are not available from other types of food. These foods improve mental capacity and memory.
- A little caffeine in the morning in the form of a cup of coffee or caffeinated tea can help improve mental performance and memory, as well as improve your concentration power.
Step 2. Exercise while doing your daily activities
You data exercise briefly any time of your day, to improve performance. Exercise will also help improve mental health and agility, by lowering stress levels, increasing mood-boosting hormones in the brain, relieving anxiety, and increasing creativity.
- Doing aerobic exercise releases the most important conductive nerves that increase concentration and brain power, while increasing your ability to focus. Cardio exercise can also increase the production of brain cells in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that functions in learning and memory.
- You can also do walking, jogging, or running, if you like outdoor activities. If you prefer to be indoors or the weather conditions are unfavorable, use a stationary bike or a treadmill. Do this exercise for 45-60 minutes, four days each week. This will not only help improve your mental abilities, but also your physical agility.
Step 3. Read more
Whether it's a suspense story, a classic novel, or your favorite magazine, reading engages many parts of the brain involved with memory, cognition, and imagination functions. Your brain will imagine situations, people, and pronounce the words that appear in the conversation it reads. Even though the sentences may be simple, your brain still has to recognize the meaning of each word and concept, and this will encourage brain development. Reading also improves your mood and makes you more relaxed.
Choose the reading material that interests you the most. As long as you can dissolve and enjoy it, your mind will experience the benefits
Step 4. Play
Whether it's a video game or a traditional guessing game, each game will test different abilities and unlock the brain's neural pathways. Choose games that require certain abilities and varying levels of thinking, so that they can help improve your focus and memory. Play several times each week, to keep your mind active and your cognitive power to increase.
- You can complete Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or other games that test your thinking skills, to keep your mental agility up. Also try games that seem trivial, to build brain power and develop your memory power.
- Even though you may be an adult and inexperienced in playing, just choose a video game that you might enjoy, for example, driving a car or guessing games. This kind of game will provide entertainment as well as develop your mental capacity at the same time.
- There are also websites like Lumosity.com that provide a variety of games that can improve mental agility. The games on Lumosity are based on scientific research and are specifically designed to develop specific areas of the brain according to your needs.
Step 5. Learn new things
Learn new ways to complete your daily routine tasks. Or, you can also learn to play a new instrument, learn a new foreign language, visit a new place, or even taste a new food. New things like this help create new neural pathways in your brain.
Difficult new things will improve brain function and memory. These things will make the brain work in new ways and reach mental areas that have not been used much before
Step 6. Cooperate with others
Whether at work or at home, try to collaborate with other people on various projects. This will help you break out of your usual mindset and force you to work with other people in mind. Try to look at the project from someone else's point of view and accept their ideas for yourself. This will encourage you to look at things in a new way and approach things from a different angle, which will keep your brain working at a speed.
Tips
- Do not give too long pauses between each physical activity. Pausing for too long will allow your body to readjust and your heart rate to return to normal. Your heart rate should stay above normal levels for you to get the best results.
- Always do the most difficult exercises first. Your body won't get too tired from it, and you can focus on the shape of the movement, and not run the risk of injury.
- You need to rest for 48 hours between each high-intensity exercise. This time off will allow your body and central nervous system to recover, allowing new abilities to kick in. Do low-intensity or less vigorous exercise during these 48 hours to keep yourself exercising but not risk long-term fatigue.
- Do physical agility training and mental agility training at the same time every day, so you get the best results.
