As you age, memory loss is typically inevitable. But among the things that you can do to help prevent memory loss, such as increasing one’s vitamin B-12 intake, lowering stress levels and participating in brain-engaging activities, a healthy habit that can also help keep your mind sharp is exercise.

Exercise, which is something that everyone should wind into their daily routine, has been clinically proven to help aid in memory loss prevention and to help improve one’s learning abilities. In fact, studies performed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute show that voluntary running can actually produce new neurons and nerve cells that can help improve one’s learning and memory capabilities. Previously, it had not been discovered that new neuron growth was capable of happening in an adult’s brain, but research has shown otherwise.

While a person performs aerobic exercises, they increase the blood flow to the area of the brain that deals with memory and learning. In addition to allowing your brain to regenerate nerve cells, exercise also helps increase the level of endorphins within your body, and also helps to relieve stress, which is another factor that has a negative effect on one’s memory. Stress increases the production of the hormone cortisol, which can affect one’s cognitive behavior and memory processes. In addition to a nutritious diet and happy lifestyle, exercise can provide a number of benefits that can lead to a long, healthy life.
So go ahead and lace up those running shoes, and hit the pavement–not only for your physical well-being, but for your mental well-being as well.

Just like a fitness program for your body, your brain also needs a program to improve memory, focus, and concentration. By following this routine, you will discover immediate results on your brain power. Integrating these tasks into your lifestyle is the difficult part, but the immediate result of a better well-being can be all the motivation you need.

1. Eat right. They say you are what you eat. The foods you eat greatly affect your brain’s performance. By eating a healthy and balanced diet, you will have a sharper mind, be better coordinated and balanced and have improved concentration and memory. Certain foods are necessary to help improve blood circulation in your brain, thus helping your brain cells to communicate effectively with each other.

Carbohydrates:
Your brain’s primary source of energy comes from glucose (sugar). Eating foods rich in carbohydrates like grains, bread, fruits and vegetables makes you feel more calm and relaxed. Eating them before 7pm helps you sleep better.

Essential Fats:
Who says fats are bad? Not always. A diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids ensures optimum brain performance. Include oily fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, and anchovies a part of your diet.

Proteins:
These are the building blocks of life. They are essential to make neurotransmitters which are crucial for your mental processes. The best time to eat a protein-rich meal is during lunchtime. This is to improve your mental performance and alertness you need for the day.

Vitamins and Minerals:
In order for your body to perform all of its essential functions properly, you must have the proper vitamins and minerals. The B Vitamins are predominantly important for your brain to function well. Antioxidants like Vitamins A, C and E promote and maintain good memory. On the other hand, Sodium, Potassium and Calcium are vital for the thinking process and transmission of messages. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals are found in fruits and vegetables.

Drink Plenty of Water:
Your brain needs to be fully hydrated for better concentration and mental awareness. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

2. Muscle Training. Your brain is a muscle that also needs to be exercised and trained. Improve your brainpower by doing mind games like soduko, crossword puzzles, chess, brain teasers, and most importantly memory games.

3. Get Physical. Exercise causes the brain to release favorable neurochemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. Living a healthy and active lifestyle can do wonders for your health and well-being. Go outdoors and try brisk walking and stretching. This can help bring more oxygen to your brain for optimum mental functions.

4. Avoid Stress. Stress has negative effects for your brain and health. Don’t wear yourself out and try relaxation exercises. Take 20 minutes out of the day to clear your mind. You can also listen to soft music to ease anxiety or you can indulge yourself in a massage to release tension.

Have you ever been introduced to someone and immediately forgot their name? Have you ever been embarrassed when trying to introduce someone and not remembering who they are? It has happened to us all at one point or another. There is nothing more important to a person than his or her name and many people get offended when they realize you have forgotten theirs.

The following are the top 5 tips you can use to ensure you never forget a name again.

1. Pay attention when you are introduced. In many cases, it isn’t that you have forgotten a person’s name; it is that you never really heard it in the first place. You were so busy looking at their face or their clothes, or thinking of something nice to say your brain totally skipped over their name!

2. Repeat the name right after you hear it. First repeat it to yourself, and then repeat it out loud. Say something like “Nice to meet you, John” You can even spell the name in your head to give it more impact.

3. Comment on their name. This works especially well if their name is unusual or something you really like. For surnames, you can ask what nationality it is , or where they are from.

4. Use visual techniques to remember their name. It is generally easier to remember visual as opposed to auditory information, so one of the best ways to remember names is to make the information visual. After learning the person’s name, immediately associate that name with something meaningful; note distinctive features of the person’s face; form a visual association between the name and the distinctive feature. Try making a picture in your mind with the person’s name alone. Bill Smith could be visualized as a blacksmith with a long, rounded nose like a duck’s bill.

5. Review the associations. After you have done all you can to remember someone’s name, it is important to review it as soon as possible after meeting someone, and then repeat it again to yourself in about fifteen seconds, and yet again a few minutes later. If you have met several people within a short time span, practice reviewing them all at the end of the social event.

Using the steps outlined above, it should be possible to remember what seems like an astonishing number of names. Remember, practice makes perfect. Use these techniques whenever you can and you will never forget a name again!

If you are like most people, you could use some tips on improving your memory. Most of us have at one time or another lost our car keys, forgot where we parked our car, forgotten an item at the grocery store, or forgotten someone’s name. There are things we can do however, that will help us remember important events, as well as everyday chores and appointments.

Here are five tips to help you improve your memory:

1) Pay attention. This means being aware of your surroundings, being conscious of where your park your car in a parking lot, where you put your keys and really listen when being introduced to someone new. Repeat their name out loud to help you remember it for the next time you meet.

2) Make visual clues. If you have an important appointment coming up or have something important that you must remember, place a colorful sticky note on the steering wheel of your car, the receiver of your telephone, your bathroom mirror, or your shoe; anywhere where you will be likely to find them. Don’t place just one note, place several of them around the house or in your office.

3) Use a timer. Timers can be a wonderful tool to use when we want to remember to make a phone call, catch the rinse cycle on the washing machine, or record our favorite television show.

4) Carry a notebook to use when you are away from home. Keep it in your car, wallet or purse. When something comes up that you need to remember, jot it down and transfer the event into your calendar when you get home.

5) Use a calendar for birthdays and anniversaries. Write down your loved ones’ names, birthdates, and anniversaries on this calendar. You can even go one step further and in January, look through the calendar and purchase all the cards you will need for the coming year along with stamps and envelopes. That way you will not have to rush out at the last minute buying cards and getting them into the mail a day late!

Improving your memory takes some time and effort, but if you make a habit of doing even just one or two things from the above list, you will find you will have a better memory and you will never forget a birthday or a name again; and you will always get what you need from the grocery store!

Trying to improve your memory but don’t know where to start?

Treating your body well can enhance your ability to process and recall information.

Improving memory is not only a mental process.

HealthGuide.org lists these habits as beneficial to memory:

Regular exercise

* Increases oxygen to your brain.
* Reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
* May enhance the effects of helpful brain chemicals and protect brain cells.

Managing stress

* Cortisol, the stress hormone, can damage the hippocampus if the stress is unrelieved.
* Stress makes it difficult to concentrate.

Good sleep habits

* Sleep is necessary for memory consolidation.
* Sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea leave you tired and unable to concentrate during the day.

Not smoking

* Smoking heightens the risk of vascular disorders that can cause stroke and constrict arteries that deliver oxygen to the brain.

Eating Right

* Remember that the food you eat contains chemicals that not only go to your stomach, but also to your brain. That is why it is important to eat a healthy diet consisting of all the food groups. Just remember: everything in moderation!