Physical Exercise
Physical exercise positively affects the brain for the long-term as well as the short-term. Exercise has been shown to affect the hippocampus - a part of the brain associated with memory.
One study demonstrated that a person’s ability to think and reason is greatly improved following a brisk walk of 45 minutes or more duration, three times a week¹. Exercising regularly improves circulation, thereby delivering more oxygen to the cells of the brain.
Mental Exercise
Cognitive function and memory involve the passing of messages between the nerve cells through specific pathways. Regularly performing mental exercises will help keep these pathways active and functional. Here are some ways to give your brain a mental workout.
- Do the daily crossword. Crosswords, word jumbles and other puzzles help keep the brain cells active and youthful.
- Forget the calculator. Balance your chequebook and do other calculations using brain power only. It may seem slow at first but you’ll soon forget you ever needed electronic help.
- Before you shop, spend a minute or two analyzing your grocery list. Try to remember everything on the list. (You can improve your memory by mentally grouping products together, such as the foods you require for specific meals, or certain food groups, like dairy.) Before you reach the checkout, read through your list to identify forgotten items.
- Get organized. Put things away after using them and write everything important down. It’s amazing how quickly the memory improves when you adhere to the rule, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”
- Learn a language or a new skill and use/apply it regularly. Some examples include learning to read music, to create a website, or master a new craft.
Ginkgo and The Brain
The term “cerebral inefficiency” is often used to describe a collection of symptoms that include difficulty concentrating, poor memory, absent-mindedness, confusion, anxiety, ringing in the ears and dizziness.
These symptoms have been linked to impaired circulation in the brain.
While the jury’s still out on whether the herb ginkgo biloba can help improve memory, studies into the herb’s influence on the brain are ongoing, with many users attesting to the personal benefits they have noticed after taking ginkgo for a few weeks.
1. Kramer, A.F., Hahn, S., Cohen, N.J., Banich, M.T., McAuley, E., Harrison, C.R., Chason, J., Vakil, E., Bardell, L., Boileau, R.A., Colcombe, A., Ageing, fitness and neurocognitive function, Nature 1999, July; 400(6743):418-419.
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