Lumosity Review
Lumosity Review by Hope Wynns, March 2008
| Lumosity
is an online brain training program specifically designed for training
your aging brain if you are over 30! This review is purely about Lumosity Brain Games which can be found at www.lumosity.com website. For a summary of the program and company click here. See the related reviews for other brain fitness and memory improvement product reviews. Comments on this review can be made via the contact page. |
Lumosity Review
Introduction
Lumosity's brain training program gets a big thumbs up from me mainly because it suits my lifestyle. It easily fit into my schedule right from the first time I used it and I personally found an improvement very quickly. The Lumosity brain exercise program is now a habit because I found it so easy to slot into my life. In the morning when I turn on my computer I warm up with 10 minutes of brain training for my aging brain! It's really as simple as that.
There are other brain training, brain exercise programs and memory improvement programs out there that appear to be good some of which I have tried, but like a weight loss program, you need something that you can live with long term, not a quick fix. Lumosity has endured for me and so it fits the bill for me.
I discovered by completing a couple of sessions that my processing speeds and cognitive skills were pretty good but my memory and attention were considerably lacking. This was a wake up call for what we all know - use it or lose it!
How does it work?
The Lumosity website is easy to use and professionally laid out, with lots of extra background information from their cognitive neuroscience research scientists. But it isn't too nerdy. The brain training games are located on the website and the program tailors itself to you as you do the different exercises.
To sign up for your free 14 day trial all you need is an email address and credit card - Paypal is also an option, but you have to contact them directly to arrange that. Credit card details are used as a safeguard for Lumosity to limit free trials to one per person. Two points that got a big tick from me were that right from the start the sign-up process is on a secure server and you can cancel at any time during the trial - I check it is easy to do and easy to find. I have not found them to be an pushy sales organization - they have not bombarded me with emails.
The free trial lasts for 14 days and you don't need to download or install anything on your computer.
There are two payment options going forward either monthly or annually in advance. The annual option works out to be around $6.60 USD per month or $9.95 USD if you pay monthly.
During my first session I spent about 20 minutes reading some of the information behind the program and some of the Blog entries which had some interesting hints and tips.
It took me about 20 minutes to complete my first session of the Lumosity brain exercises It took that long mainly because I read all the instructions for each game first. The second session I completed the 5 brain exercises allocated to me in about 10 minutes. And going forward I find I spend about 10 minutes a session once a day.
Lumosity Brain Games Program
The first part of the training is called Basic Training. Basic Training consists of 30 sessions designed to get your brain active! It is recommended you do a session per day. Once you have completed the first 30 sessions you can then just be presented with games to keep your mind agile or you can enroll on another program (all included in the price) or you can re-enroll on the Basic Training.
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The exercises are designed to cover four areas of brain exercise:
The latest research on the effects of aging on the brain suggest that there is a relationship between keeping the brain fit and healthy and reduced likelihood of Alzheimer's or dementia. I am not even going to attempt to describe any of the science behind the programs, but from my experience using the program it was interesting to see how quickly I could sharpen my skills. |
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I have found that during the day I am handling mental processing faster and remembering things I would have struggled with only a short while ago - including telephone numbers and other unconnected information.
The program adapts to you personally, with levels set for your skills in each of the areas - and the graphs show you exactly how in or out of balance your brain is! I think the visual of the graph gives me the most motivation to improve! And as you improve you unlock new levels. This keeps it stimulating and interesting.
Seven Top Tips for Getting the Most out of the Lumosity Brain Games Program
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Make a plan to set aside a particular time to do your brain exercises.
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Make sure you won’t be interrupted.
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Prepare yourself to get the most out of it - be in the right frame of mind, eating well and keeping yourself hydrated can all play a part.
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Try the warm-up exercises before you start your session to get your brain working – a bit like stretching and warming up before exercise.
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You can break your session up you don't have to do it all at once - the system remembers where you left off.
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Remember that some days might be better than others, it will depend upon may factors, so don’t get disheartened if you don’t do well everyday, as long as the overall trend is up.
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Read the Lumosity Blog for some more useful and interesting tips to help enhance your brain.
Summary
of Lumosity Review
- Simple 10 minute program daily - log in and it is all there for you, you don't need to work out what you need to do next. Easy to form the habit and stick to it.
- If you are serious about sharpening your memory skills, attention and processing speed of your brain to help keep it active Lumosity is a great way to do it.
We hope this product review and information helps to answer your questions - should you have any questions, please use our contact page. Please include the full name of the product you have your question on and ensure your email address is correct.
