Taking steps to challenge your mind may help you maintain brain health as you age. 

"CBS Mornings" is partnering with our sponsor the Alzheimer's Association for a three-part series, "Brain Health: From Awareness to Action," to explore the brain-healthy habits people can establish that may help lower the risk of dementia later in life. 

"What we've learned even in the past couple of years is that simple actions that you can take, whether nutrition, physical activity or challenging your mind, can impact your brain health," said Alzheimer's Association CEO and president Joanne Pike. 

Mental exercises are one focus of the organization's new "6-Step Challenge," which offers guidance on science-backed lifestyle changes that may support long-term cognition.

"Challenging your mind as part of that is a great way of stimulating your brain and learning new things," Pike said. "It builds a cognitive reserve, so that when you are aging, you have a bank of brain health to rely on."

Activities to challenge the mind

The best activities to sharpen the mind are those that introduce it to something it hasn't experienced before, Pike explained. She said "strategy games," like chess, may be more helpful than crossword puzzles or Sudoku, which rely more on "routine or rote" memorization. 

"We want to do things that you have to learn something new or engage in that in a new way," said Pike, adding, "There are multiple ways that you can think about it. The key step is to learn and for it to be novel or new."

Along with a game like chess, in which players must respond to a competitor's moves, Pike also recommended options like picking up a new musical instrument, learning a language, or reading about a previously unfamiliar topic.

She also stressed the importance of maintaining social connections.

"We know, based on science, that individuals who are isolated have a 70% greater risk of cognitive decline," Pike said, making it an important aspect of "brain activation."

More information about the Alzheimer's Association's "(re)think your brain" initiative and "6-Step Challenge" is available online at rethinkyourbrain.org. Users can sign up for the challenge there, and elect to receive daily action steps and guidance via text or email.