Train you brain

So you want to be smarter, remember better and preserve your mental faculty as you age?  Train you brain!  The following articles and sites will help you do just that:

Mary Carmichael explores how exercise boosts brain power in the Newsweek article “Stronger, Faster, Smarter”:

…in a landmark paper, researchers announced that they had coaxed the human brain into growing new nerve cells, a process that for decades had been thought impossible, simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic-workout regimen. Other scientists have found that vigorous exercise can cause older nerve cells to form dense, interconnected webs that make the brain run faster and more efficiently. And there are clues that physical activity can stave off the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and other cognitive disorders. No matter your age, it seems, a strong, active body is crucial for building a strong, active mind.

Just like with the body fitness, you have to work on your mind fitness regularly.  If you don’t have time for a full workout at the gym, try “An ‘Exercise Snack’ Plan” devised by Howard Hartley, M.D., I-Min Lee, SC.D., and Nancy Ferrari.  Or pretend that you are a fitness buff, and you may just act your way to a healthier mind, as Stephanie West Allen of Idealawg explains in her post "Limber-brained lawyer thespians: An antidote for dimming, dulling, and dawdling?"

SharpBrains blog brings you a puzzle that challenges your ability to uncover a pattern.  Also, check out their advice on how to improve concentration and memory: 

In fact, many memory complaints have nothing to do with the actual ability of the brain to remember things. They come from a failure to focus properly on the task at hand, many times due to emotional and stress-related distractions. If you want to learn or remember something, concentrate on just that one thing. The harder the task, the more important it is to tune out distractions. Make more of an effort not to let yourself get distracted until you’ve finished what you have to do.

And don’t miss what’s under your nose.  Derik Bownds of MindBlog reports that "Odor cues during sleep stimulate memory."

Comments

[ErikH]

That Newsweek article was great. I think a combination of consistent physical exercise and mental exercise is the right recipe. I have been a pretty much physically fit for the better part of my life and just recently purchased the Posit Science Brain Fitness Program. I really feel like I'm hitting the ball out of the park with this. I'm 65 and feel like I'm 45. Its great. I love it. It has changed my world.