To be sharp, active, energetic in life

It is accurate: Use it or lose it. Stretching your mind keeps your mind sharp. People who are more active in emotionally challenging activities are more inclined to stay sharp. Try these:

Read a book.

Visit a lecture.

Listen to the radio.

Perform a game.

Visit a museum.

Learn a second language.

Mix Things Up

Remember trying to talk backward as a kid? Researchers at Duke University established exercises they call "neurobics," which challenge your mind to think in new ways. As your five senses are crucial to learning, utilize them to exercise your own mind. If you are right-handed, consider using your left hand. Drive to work by another route. Close your eyes and see whether it is possible to recognize food by flavor.

Exercise, particularly the kind that gets your heart rate up like swimming or walking, has mental pluses, too. Although experts are not certain why, physical activity may increase the blood flow to the brain and improve links between brain tissues. Staying active can help memory, imagination, and also your ability to plan jobs.

A Healthy Diet Builds Brainpower

Do your brain a favor and select foods that are good for your heart and waist. Getting overweight in middle age makes you twice as likely to have dementia in the future. High cholesterol and high blood pressure raise your chances, too. Try out these simple tips:

Bake or grill foods rather than frying.

Cook using "good" fats such as oils from nuts, seeds, and olives rather than butter, cream, and fats from meat.

Eat colorful veggies and fruits.

Eat fish.

See What You Drink

You know that numerous drinks can affect your judgment, language, movement, and memory. But did you know alcohol can have long-term consequences? Too much drinking during an extended period of time can shrink the frontal lobes of the brain. And that damage may last forever, even if you quit drinking. A healthy amount is considered one drink a day for women and 2 for men.

Grab that joystick. Several studies found that playing video games stimulates the areas of the brain that control movement, memory, planning, and fine motor skills. Some specialists say gambling just makes you better at gaming. The verdict may still be out, but why let kids have all the fun?

Thank your mom for making you practice the piano. Playing a tool early in life pays off in clearer thinking when you're older. Musical experience promotes mental functions that don't have anything to do with songs, such as memory and ability to plan. Additionally, it helps with greater hand coordination. Plus, it is fun -- and it is never too late to start.

Be a people person! Talking with others actually, sharpens your mind, whether at work, at home, or even out on your community. Studies reveal social activities enhance your mind. So volunteer, sign up for a course, or telephone a friend!

Too much stress can hurt your grey matter, which contains cells which store and process data. Here are some ways to chill:

Take deep breaths.

Find something that makes you laugh.

Listen to music.

Try yoga or meditation.

Find someone to talk to.

Get sufficient sleep before and after you learn something new. You need sleep on both ends. When you start out exhausted, it's tough to concentrate on things. When you sleep afterward, your brain files away the brand new info so that you may recall it later. A long night's rest is most appropriate for memory and your disposition. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every evening.

Everybody spaces out today and then. As you get older, you might not remember things as easily as you used to. That's a normal part of aging. Some useful hints:

Write down things.

Use the calendar and calendar functions in your own phone, even for simple things (Call Dad!) .

Concentrate on one task at a time.

Learn new things one step at a time.

The Title Game

Have difficulty remembered names? Always repeat somebody's name while you're talking to them -- at least in your mind, or even out loud. Or invent a funny picture or rhyme which you connect with their title. By way of instance, consider Bob bobbing out in the ocean.

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