Have you noticed that using public restrooms has gotten complicated? There are a dozen varieties of towel dispensers and faucets. Some towel machines require you to wave your hands in front of them, others use a knob and then others you just pull out the bottom the old-fashioned way. As for the faucets, some are triggered by waving your hands under them. Others require you to punch the top and then there is the traditional turn the knob faucets.

Going to the bathroom has become an intellectual exercise. Sometimes I find myself waving my hands in front of towel dispensers and under faucets only to find out that it is the old-fashioned towel and faucet combo. I have spoken to my friends and I am not alone. Instead of feeling like a complete fool, I have decided to treat it as a brain game.

The brain is our most precious organ. It is important to keep it as healthy as possible. We know that it shrinks as we age making multitasking difficult. There are many things that we can do to improve neural connections and function.

Exercising, keeping blood pressure down, lowering elevated cholesterol, and maintaining a healthy weight are all important. Exercising the brain is crucial. If you don’t use it you can lose it. To keep the brain active it is important to learn new things. You can challenge yourself such as trying things left handed if you are right handed and performing intellectual exercises.

Now I have added one more, the bathroom challenge. Try and figure out what type of towel dispenser and faucet are in front of you. The next time you catch yourself waving at the towel dispenser or placing your hands under the faucet and you guessed wrong, just smile and say to those around you that you are just playing the brain game!