Royane Real

By: Jeff Wilson

Introductory comments by Royane Real

Author of:  “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” 

In the last few years I have read many books and articles about the topic of how we can improve the way our brain works, and how we can keep our brain healthy as we age.  I have included a lot of information about this topic on this website in the section on “get smarter” and in the section on “memory”. 

Eventually I hope to add a section to this website titled “Aging Brain” to deal specifically with the issue of how aging can affect memory and what we are able to do about it.  Fortunately, this is an area where scientists are very busy, looking for answers.

Researchers want to discover if there are any lifestyle factors that account for why some people go into old age with their brain power intact, and why others start to suffer from various forms of memory loss and dementia.  Researchers also want to be able to offer sound advice to those people who are interested in preserving their brain health for a lifetime.

One of the best ways that researchers can study how humans age in a healthy way is to study the lifestyles of large groups of people over a long period of time.  They try to discover what the people who ended up very healthy had in common with each other.  Researchers want to discover what lifestyle choices are linked with good outcomes, and which lifestyle choices seem to be linked to bad outcomes.  

In this way, 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.  

Researchers also discovered that getting regular physical exercise seems to be an important part of the lifestyle of many of those people who manage to get to their elder years with their brain power intact.   

The following article by Jeff Wilson gives you some useful pointers you can use to 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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