When it comes to memory, it’s “use it or lose it.” Just as physical exercise can make and keep your body stronger, mental exercise can make your brain work better and lower the risk of mental decline.
What an extraordinary organ the brain is! Did you know you have an estimated 100 hundred billion brain neurons? And there are about 10 times that number of supporting glial cells whose job it is to provide nutrition to the neurons, clear away the debris of dead neurons, and provide structure for the brain. Extraordinarily, researchers estimate that the average person has more than 70,000 thoughts a day. As we age, it is important to keep our incredible brains in the best of condition. This takes exercise, just as it does to keep the ageing body in working order!
Here are a few ideas for brain exercise, from light workouts to heavy lifting:
- Play games that involve strategy, like chess or bridge, and word games like Scrabble.
- Try crossword and other word puzzles, or number puzzles such as Sudoku.
- Read newspapers, magazines, and books that challenge you.
- Get in the habit of learning new things: games, recipes, driving routes, a musical instrument, a foreign language.
- Take a course in an unfamiliar subject that interests you. The more interested and engaged your brain, the more likely you’ll be to continue learning and the greater the benefits you’ll experience.
- Take on a project that involves design and planning, such as a new garden, an art, craft, or carpentry skill.
- Go to http://brainandmemoryfoundation.org and find the new Memory Tune course for brain fitness.
Remember, stemming from our research and my work at the Christchurch Memory Clinic, my sister Gillian Eadie and I have founded the Brain and Memory Foundation. Do visit our Foundation website to read articles about memory and to receive six issues of the Brain Tune memory course (absolutely free!). For further reading about ways you can improve your memory, obtain copies of our books here .
Biography: Dr. Allison Lamont is founder and memory consultant at the Christchurch Memory Clinic, http://memoryclinic.co.nz . Allison’s ground-breaking research into memory in older, healthy adults has excited interest in many parts of the world.