Royane Real

By: Jeff Wilson

Introductory comments by Royane Real

As more and more people start reaching their fifth decade of life, many start to notice that their memory is beginning to decline.

Some degree of memory loss and slowdown is normal with aging, although memory lapses can also be the first sign of a serious brain disease. 

When memory starts to fail, the person affected wants to know what they can do to stop or reverse the process of memory decline.

Research scientists are also studying this problem. 

Scientists who study the effects of aging have discovered that those people who actually love learning new things, and who constantly exercise their brains seem more likely to arrive at old age in better shape mentally.  Those people who never bothered to open a newspaper or learn anything new once they were adults tend to be more likely to decline quickly.  

Another important discovery is that getting regular physical exercise seems to be an important factor in maintaining brain health in later years.    

The following article by Jeff Wilson explains how mental exercise and physical exercise can help you keep your brain healthy and sharp as you grow older.  

( The above introductory comments were written by Royane Real.  To learn more about how to improve the way your brain works, get the ebook  “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” ) 

Feature article:

Exercise Your Brain And Improve Your Memory

By: Jeff Wilson

Everyone knows that the key to a healthy body is diet and exercise. Many people obsessively work out every day to keep in tip top shape. So, if we're so concerned with exercising our bodies, why do we often neglect to exercise our minds?

Our brains are just like our muscles: use it or lose it. If we don't do daily activities to help keep our brain in top order, we lose important skills; particularly the skill of remembering. So if you want to remember your mother's phone number, your grocery list, or where you left your keys; start exercising your brain.

So, how exactly do you exercise your brain? There's no brain gym you can get a membership to with "memory classes", but there are things you can do on your own. Here are some things you can try to keep your neurons limber.

* Open a newspaper

Sure, reading the paper might expand your knowledge, but if you really want to get your brain in shape, turn to the crossword puzzle. You can also try solving other puzzles that require using your language skills. These help you remember things by making you regularly access simple memories (i.e. certain words)

* Try the latest puzzle craze

Go to a book store, go online, or look in the paper; you're likely to find Sudoku puzzles. These are number puzzles that are becoming increasingly popular. They help exercise your brain's deductive reasoning skills. Plus, they're fun and incredibly addictive.

* Learn something new

You've probably heard people say that learning something new pushes old information out of your brain. This is not only wrong, it's just plain silly. The capacity of your brain is only determined by how much you want to put in it. Try learning a new skill or how to play a musical instrument. Learning a skill and continue to use it will keep your memory accessing skills limber.

* Books, games and services

While there aren't actually gyms you can go to, there are ways to get exercises specifically designed to improve memory. You can find these in book stores, online, and even in video game stores.

While it's great to exercise your brain cells, don't skip out on your trips to the gym. Keeping your body in good physical shape will help keep your brain healthy too. While cardio is the best work out to keep you healthy, you can still keep your memory if you can't perform a strenuous workout.

Even a simple walk for an hour a day can help prevent or slow memory loss. So get up and go as much as you can to keep your brain going.

Most people don't worry about memory loss until they start to notice it slipping away, but the best time to start is while your mind is still sharp. You may not be able to bring your memory back, but you can keep it from fading. Regularly working your mind has even been shown to ward off Alzheimer's. So if you want to keep your mind sharp, be sure to eat right, get enough rest, and exercise regularly.

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