Give Your Brain A Boost With These Tips

We spend a lot of time focusing on how to get our bodies healthy and fit, forgetting that there’s another part of ourselves that needs to be stretched too…our minds! I wanted to share 5 tricks you can use to help keep your mind healthy and memory strong. No more missed appointments or lost keys!

1) Eat Veggies & Sea Food

You are what you eat. Can your brain make you smarter? You bet! Vegetables, any kind, any place, slow cognitive decline.  Eating two or more servings a day decreases your memory’s decline. Bonus, most veggies have other great benefits too, like boosting your skin health, metabolism and more. Seafood like salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, and sardines are packed with omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for transmitting signals between brain cells.
2) Say it out loud
One simple way to improve your memory is to say things out loud.  For example, when you put your keys down, say out loud, “I’m putting my keys down on the counter.” This keeps you from multitasking, the enemy of remembering things and forces you to focus on the task at hand. When you’re making an appointment, repeat the date and time out loud to yourself a couple times.  According to studies, it takes 8 second to commit a piece of information to memory!
3) Dance it out
Exercise boosts new brain cells, but picking a form of exercise that also stimulates you mentally is even better. My choice? Dance.  Moving your body in a coordinated way, concentrating on dance moves and remembering routines requires a lot of brainpower.  Next time you’re feeling a little foggy, turn on your radio or pop in a dance workout DVD or get the girlfriends together for salsa night. I guarantee you’ll feel more alert and energetic afterwards.
4) Be a (red) wine-o
If you’re deciding between red and white wine, go with red. It contains a compound called resveratrol, which research shows may help prevent the build up of plaque.  Brain plaques cause a breakdown in the communication between neurons in your brain. So have as much RED wine as you can, at the right time of course, so you don’t get too drunk!

5) Play brain games, Read and Engage in knowledgeable conversations

Exercise your mind by playing brain games like Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Read a lot of material and engage in as many knowledgeable conversations that get you thinking a lot. Just like your body gets healthy and fit from exercise, stretching your brain can help improve your memory and delay brain decline.
Have you tried any of these memory boosting tips? How do you keep you exercise your brain? Share with me in the comments.