Introduction
F
or my money, the best hobbies are inexpensive, portable, and beneficial to
your health. And one of the best hobbies I can think of is solving crossword
puzzles. (As a professional puzzle editor, I admit that I’m ever-so-slightly biased.)
You may be thinking that “inexpensive” and “portable” make sense, but what good
can crosswords do for your health? Plenty! I’m not asking you to work crosswords
during a yoga class or while you’re on a treadmill (although if you can manage it,
more power to you!). Crosswords have health benefits even if you’re sitting on the
couch. Your glutes and abs may not notice whether you’ve managed to fill in every
blank on a crossword puzzle grid, but your synapses will. (Remember synapses?
They’re the junctions between the neurons in your brain. I talk about them in
Chapter 2.)
The benefits of working puzzles occur within your brain. Essentially, working
crosswords can do for your mental health what water aerobics do for your
cardiovascular health. Whether you realized it or not, you picked up a book
that can help your gray matter become fit and trim.
Oh, and by the way, crosswords are a lot of fun too. After all, what good is an
inexpensive, portable, healthy hobby if you don’t enjoy doing it?About This Book
The heart of this book is crossword puzzles: page after page of entertaining,
challenging crossword puzzles. If you’re a puzzling pro and can’t wait to dive in,
you have my blessing to pick up your pencil (or pen) and go.
But if you’ve never worked a crossword puzzle before, take heart: I devote
the first chapter of this book to explaining the basics of how crosswords are
constructed and how they can be solved. I list the various types of clues you’ll
encounter, resources you may want to have on hand, and how to make solving
crosswords a group activity if that’s your thing.
If you’re even the least bit curious about the health benefits of doing crosswords
and other puzzles, spend a little quality time with Chapter 2. In its pages, I explore
how you can work on improving your brain’s health by getting lots of fun, stimulat-
ing mental exercise.