5 Ways to Boost Your Memory

• Boost your ability to consolidate and recall memories with targeted mental games. 
• Challenge yourself to observe the colors of people’s hair, clothes, or shoes when standing in line or on public transport.
• Challenge yourself to read a list of words, a list of countries, cities, or names, and see how many you can recall ten minutes later. 
• Memory experts recommend associating items or facts with physical or imagined spaces. Try placing the items on your grocery list in rooms around your imaginary house, or on different parts of your body. This activates spatial memory in a complex way. 
• Describing events and sequences back to yourself can solidify the memory.

• Research links frequent exercise to statistically significant increases in memory. The New York Times reported on research that suggests that mice running on a treadmill retain new information better than sedentary rodents.
• The intensity of an exercise regimen appears to have an effect on different types of memory recall. Research done by Dartmouth University suggests that low to moderate physical activity improves episodal memory. Participants who did high-intensity workouts appeared to have enhanced spatial memory after a year of physical activity. Create a routine that includes both types of exercise.
• Weightlifting may also have a role to play. Osteocalcin, a hormone released by bones, has been shown to improve memory in mice in research conducted by Columbia University.

• Learning new skills is akin to a workout for the brain. Mental exertion stimulates new connections between brain cells and neural networks. 
• Learning is an active process that compels the brain to be alert and engaged. The range of activities that can improve memory is vast: reading, writing, playing chess, and sudoku. 
• For the ambitious, learning an instrument, language, or complex skill like gardening will stimulate your brain consistently.  

• Research suggests that eating a Mediterranean-inspired MIND diet is linked to improved memory and executive functions. 
• This diet centers on leafy greens, whole unprocessed grains, nuts, beans, berries, and healthy fats. It limits dairy products, processed foods, and red meats to a few servings a week at most. 
• This diet is believed to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, improving the brain’s ability to run smoothly and tackle complex problems. 

• If you want to improve high-level memory, outsource simple tasks and to-dos. Utilize calendars, apps, and lists to track relevant information. 
• Create a physical space that is conducive to memory recollection: clean, organized, and uncluttered. 
• When we spend time racking our brains to remember and execute simple daily tasks, we detract from the energy our brains can spend on bigger-picture memory retention.  

-Emma Kansiz