8/8/2019 12 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp

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12 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp

Just because AARP is knocking on your door doesn't mean your mind has to slow down.A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that seniors who participated in

brain-stimulating activities more than once a week over a 20-year interval reduced their

risk of dementia by a whopping 63 percent. "If you fix your brain for longevity, your body will follow in kind," says Gary Small, MD, director of the UCLA Center on Aging.Push your brain to stimulating new heights with the exercises that follow.

Cross-train your brain

Cross-training simply means doing exercises that alternately work the left (verbalmemory and logic) and right (visual memory) sides of the brain, thereby boosting mentalagility over time. For a fun cognitive workout, go to our sister site, ellegirl.com , whereyou can play games like Chinese Checkers , Cubic Rubic and Puzzle Quest for free in theGames section . Or, if you're tech-phobic, test your skill sets with some good old-

fashioned crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or by challenging friends to a Scrabble match.

Try something new

Neuroscientist Daniel Amen, MD, one of the world's foremost authorities on brainimaging, notes in his book Making A Good Brain Great that the brain is like any other muscle: The more you use it, the more you can use it. In fact, according to Dr. Amen,lack of learning causes the brain's pathways to start disconnecting, so he advises thateveryone take 15 minutes out of each day to learn something new. Have you alwayswanted to learn a foreign language? Take time to master a few words of Spanish eachday. Interested in ethnic cooking? Sign up for a course at a local culinary school today.

Get a social life

People who maintain strong connections with friends and family not only live up to 20 percent longer, but are also likelier to retain their memory, abstract thinking and languageskills. Make an effort to surround yourself with people who inspire you to be creative andchallenge your intellect. Try forming a book club, or take stimulating group trips tomuseums, lectures and poetry readings.

Photo: Comstock

Hit the sheets

A UCLA study found that decreased estrogen in women is associated with lessened brainactivity and poor memory. Engaging in sexual activity at least once a week enhancesestrogen levels, thereby improving overall brain function.

Photo: Comstock

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Eat right to stay bright

Foods that are rich in antioxidantssuch as berries, dark leafy greens, grapes, carrots, beets and tomatoeshave been proven to keep your brain in peak working order by preventing cholesterol from lining your arteries and slowing blood flow to the brain. Now

there's mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are also essential to good brain health.Says nutrition expert Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, American Dietetic Associationspokeswoman and assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of TexasSouthwestern Medical Center in Dallas, "You should aim for two 6-oz servings of fattyfish, like salmon and light tuna, per week, as well as add walnuts and flaxseed oil to your eating plan to boost omega-3s."

Get to stepping

Engaging in regular exercise keeps not only your body but your mind on the move. "Theresearch on the mental health benefits of exercise is incredibly clear: A daily

cardiovascular exercise program helps you feel more lively and alert, and reducessymptoms of stress and anxiety," explains Laurie B. Mintz, PhD, associate professor of educational, school and counseling psychology at the University of Missouri inColumbia. But when it comes to the brain, not all exercise is created equal. In a studyconducted by the University of Illinois, results showed that aerobic exercise increased

brain volume and white matter (which aids connectivity between brain cells) more thanstretching and toning exercises.

Chew gum

It may sound wacky, but according to a new study conducted by the University of

Northumbria, chewing gum has a positive effect on thinking, memory and other cognitivefunctions. Andrew Scholey, PhD, of the university's Human Cognitive NeuroscienceUnit, attributes this effect to a mild increase in heart rate, which results in increaseddelivery of oxygen and glucose to the brain, and thereby improves cognition.

Take a whiff

Japanese researchers have discovered that certain scents can actually make you more productive. In fact, several corporations in Japan now employ aromatherapy as a brainstimulant for their employees. Try sniffing lemon oil for a morning pick-me-up,

peppermint oil to ward off drowsiness and lavender oil to keep those mental wheelsturning throughout the day.

Change your tack

Forcing yourself to use your nondominant hand expands brain circuits that are connectedto that hand, leading to increased mental agility. If you're a lefty, try using your righthand to brush your teeth or stir a pot of food. If youre a righty, use your left hand to wipedown a counter or jot down quick notes. You can also try walking backwards; it's known

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to help stimulate the brain and, according to some evidence, can actually help it grow insize

Get unplugged

Try putting yourself out of touch with the world for at least two hours a day. A studycommissioned by Hewlett-Packard found that e-mail and phone call interruptions lead toa loss of concentration and problem-solving skills, causing IQ scores to drop by anaverage of 10 points.

Drink a spot of tea

Instead of coffee, sip more tea. Peppermint is a proven brain stimulator that promotesconcentration, while green and black teas help prevent memory loss. Lemon balm, amember of the mint family, also helps with retrieving information that is stored in the

brain.

Photo: Comstock

Have a ball

Practice throwing and catching a ball with a partner. Once you master that, move on to juggling. These types of sensory-guided movements fine-tune the brain's visual, tactileand hand-eye-coordination responses.