Lumosity Brain-Training (Update)

I had taken an extended break from Lumosity in the past few years.

 In a nutshell, I had gotten bored with the same games to play and had to push myself to complete my sessions (I was trying for at least 3 a week). 

But I decided to give it another try in 2015 and I'm SO glad I did. :-)

In the past couple of years, they have added lots of new brain-training games. Most of them are really fun and challenging too. 

And now, if you do get a game in your daily session that you don't like, you have the option of picking from 3 others, to replace it. That I also really like!

Each training session only lasts about 15 minutes, so it's not a big commitment of time. 

But it IS  time well spent. :-) No need to feel guilty about playing these games!

 Brain-training can have a significant, positive and long-term effect on how we think, react and age overall. And for people of all ages, young and old. College students apparently make up a big part of Lumosity's membership (and they have MILLIONS of members, worldwide)! 

My scores are not where they were at previously in 2011, but I am making progress. I hope to reach my previous overall score and exceed it. I love a challenge, especially when I know it is something worthwhile I'm aiming for!

Here's my previous review from 2011:

We all know how important it is to keep our bodies in the best condition possible, which includes regular exercise of various kinds. But how often do we consider giving our brain a regular "workout" to keep it functioning at peak performance, throughout our lives? 

I recently took advantage of a 2 week trial offer for "brain training" with Lumosity.com. I was surprised and pleased by what this company has to offer.

Lumosity.com provides a progressive series of brain exercise programs, tailored to each individuals needs and also to provide ongoing challenges to improve. 

From the Lumosity.com site: Improve Your Brain: Lumosity.com has been clinically proven to support brain health. 

Our users report profound results: faster name recall, greater attention to detail, better concentration, and quicker problem-solving skills.

                          

Areas addressed include: speed, attention, memory,problem solving, flexibility. In each specific category, online games/exercises are offered that are not only helpful and challenging  but a lot of fun too. Progress is individually tracked for each member so that you can monitor where you are doing well and also where there is room for improvement.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of the games I've tried so far, especially the Route to Sprout (helps with navigation skills when driving etc...), Bird Watching(for improving peripheral vision) and Lost In Migration (helps with focusing on one specific task at a time) to name but three of dozens of games to choose from. 

What has been really exciting for me is that after only a couple of weeks of training, I have already noted improvement in real life tasks such as: easily remembering names, being more focused when working on a specific project, being able to perform calculations of all kinds quicker and more accurately...it's been significant.

Lumosity  has millions of members from around the world. 

Their easy to navigate and attractive website and simple sign-up process makes it easy to give their program a try, without risk or with no long-term obligations required. 

They also don't swamp your inbox with a lot of emails you don't want. You can choose to have a weekly or daily reminder to "brain train" sent to you if desired. 

And their support team has quickly answered any questions I've had, with a personal email, not a form reply or the ever-popular "q and a" list. (don't you just hate when they offer those by way of reply?)

Two minor negatives about Lumosity. There were ongoing technical issues with one game I tried to play several times: Penguin Pursuit which last I time I checked still seemed to be acting a bit wonky. Also, the Assessment exams offered to also track progress should in my opinion record a member's latest scores and dates of exams taken. But these are minor in comparison to all the positives I have found over at Lumosity.com.

Monthly, yearly and family plan rates available and IMO, all very reasonable. 

Brain training can be fun and rewarding too, thanks to Lumosity.com.

And isn't exercising your brain (not just your body) important too? I think so!

Overall (updated) rating for this site: Excellent. 5 out of 5

(My previous rating in 2011: Very Good. 4 out of 5)