8 Seriously easy ways to improve your memory and stay sharp for the rest of your life
by Julie Bain. Reprinted from Ladies Home Journal
You can't remember where you put your glasses, the remote or your keys and you've already forgotten the name of the person you met two minutes ago. But don't freak out. The human brain tends to shrink with age and a smaller brain just doesn't work as well, so this is normal. The good news is that you can do something about it, says neurologist Majid T. Fotuhi, M.D., author of Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance . Turns out that your brain has the remarkable ability to keep growing at any age, if you have the right health habits. Dr. Fotuhi has put together a program, based on 25 years of research and teaching at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School, that can significantly improve the performance of your hippocampus, the part of your brain that's responsible for short-term memory. Follow these eight steps and in just a few weeks you'll be able to learn new things, memorize your grocery list and rattle off people's names with confidence. 1 Move it or lose it This may be the best motivation ever to get off the couch. When you're working out to the point of breaking a sweat, you're actually growing new brain cells in your hippocampus, says Dr. Fotuhi. It seems mind-boggling but there is solid science behind it. How does it work? More blood flow to the brain and an increase in a crucial protein called BDNF spur the growth. Dr. Fotuhi says patients he has worked with at his NeurExpand Brain Center, in Baltimore, have increased the size of their hippocampus anywhere from 1 percent to an astonishing 8.6 percent after three months of aerobic exercise, enough to be visible on an MRI scan. And people who have a bigger hippocampus are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease. So how much exercise do you really need? Here's what's optimal: 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity like jogging and 15 minutes of strength training, such as lifting hand weights or doing squats and pushups, four times a week. If you do this, you can expect to have significant brain benefits, says Dr. Fotuhi. Exercise is the most important recommendation on his list, but he says that all of the tips here can help reduce harmful inflammation, increase blood flow and raise that brain-growing BDNF. 2 Change your expectations Stress and frustration stimulate chemical changes that can shrink your hippocampus and lead to memory problems. To reverse some of the damage, try to chill out and put things in perspective. Say you're stuck in traffic. If you always expect traffic to flow smoothly with no delays, the consequence is that you get stressed and angry. But you can cut your anxiety by telling yourself that traffic jams happen and you can't control them. And when traffic is better than you expect, you'll feel great. Many of your little daily aggravations occur because you don't manage your expectations, says Dr. Fotuhi. Believe me, those frustrations affect your memory in the short term and your brain health in the long run. 3 Feed your brain Getting a certain amount of DHA a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, fish oil and algae can increase the size of your hippocampus in about six months, research shows. But it's almost impossible to get enough from your diet. Buy supplements that come from algae rather than fish, as they're less likely to have impurities such as mercury. I really believe DHA is a super brain food, says Dr. Fotuhi. I take 1 gram a day, and so does my wife. 4 Eat flavonoids Foods containing flavonoids, such as deeply colored berries and grapes, beets, dark chocolate and cocoa, can also boost your brain. A recent Harvard study showed increased blood flow and better memory performance after participants drank two 'cup's of hot cocoa a day for a month. What's not to love about that? 5 Reduce these three numbers Focus on lowering your blood sugar, blood pressure and belly fat. We've known for a long time that people who have diabetes are at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, says Dr. Fotuhi. But a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that if you have elevated blood sugar (even if you don't have diabetes), you're at increased risk for Alzheimer's. Many women have high blood sugar and don't know it, so ask your doctor to test you (fasting blood glucose over 100 is considered pre-diabetes; over 125 is diabetes). Even borderline high blood pressure can put you at risk for stroke and make your brain sluggish. And having a belly size bigger than half your height increases your risk of stroke and sleep apnea, which can lead to brain shrinkage. So if you're 5-foot-4, your waist should measure less than 32 inches. 6 Protect your head Do not get on a bike or go skiing or skating without wearing a helmet at any age. Even a minor fall can cause a microscopic tear in your brain, says Dr. Fotuhi, and the scar tissue may cause memory problems. And make sure your kids wear head protection while playing concussion-prone sports. 7 Take on new challenges Keep learning and memorizing new things throughout your life, says Dr. Fotuhi. Crossword puzzles don't qualify because you're tapping into information you already have in your head. To challenge your brain, set a goal to memorize three names a day. People say, 'I'm terrible with names,' but they don't even try. When you practice memorizing names by associating wacky images with the person, you get better at it. Study a new language, especially if you do it intensively for a few months. Take violin or piano lessons. Memorize poems or songs you love. Encourage yourself to do more problem-solving, like seeing if you can fix the toilet yourself instead of calling a plumber. If you're working out your monthly budget, put away the calculator, grab a pencil and do the math yourself. Or take ballroom dancing, as Dr. Fotuhi and his wife did, which makes your brain memorize new steps. 8 See friends in 3-d Get out for lunch or go for a walk with your pals instead of spending time on Facebook or Instagram. Interacting with people in the real world actually requires a good deal of mental maneuvering, like when you're keeping track of several conversations at a party. Social interaction also brings you pleasure, which releases endorphins and other feel-good chemicals, and reduces excess cortisol, a chemical that's a major brain shrinker. In addition, a recent study showed that people who say they find meaning in their lives and pursue their passions, such as religion, time with family and creative expression, have healthier brains as they age. So whenever you can, get out into the world and connect with others in ways that make you feel happy and fulfilled, say by volunteering, playing tennis or singing in the choir.
by Julie Bain. Reprinted from Ladies Home Journal
You can't remember where you put your glasses, the remote or your keys and you've already forgotten the name of the person you met two minutes ago. But don't freak out. The human brain tends to shrink with age and a smaller brain just doesn't work as well, so this is normal. The good news is that you can do something about it, says neurologist Majid T. Fotuhi, M.D., author of Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance . Turns out that your brain has the remarkable ability to keep growing at any age, if you have the right health habits. Dr. Fotuhi has put together a program, based on 25 years of research and teaching at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School, that can significantly improve the performance of your hippocampus, the part of your brain that's responsible for short-term memory. Follow these eight steps and in just a few weeks you'll be able to learn new things, memorize your grocery list and rattle off people's names with confidence. 1 Move it or lose it This may be the best motivation ever to get off the couch. When you're working out to the point of breaking a sweat, you're actually growing new brain cells in your hippocampus, says Dr. Fotuhi. It seems mind-boggling but there is solid science behind it. How does it work? More blood flow to the brain and an increase in a crucial protein called BDNF spur the growth. Dr. Fotuhi says patients he has worked with at his NeurExpand Brain Center, in Baltimore, have increased the size of their hippocampus anywhere from 1 percent to an astonishing 8.6 percent after three months of aerobic exercise, enough to be visible on an MRI scan. And people who have a bigger hippocampus are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease. So how much exercise do you really need? Here's what's optimal: 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity like jogging and 15 minutes of strength training, such as lifting hand weights or doing squats and pushups, four times a week. If you do this, you can expect to have significant brain benefits, says Dr. Fotuhi. Exercise is the most important recommendation on his list, but he says that all of the tips here can help reduce harmful inflammation, increase blood flow and raise that brain-growing BDNF. 2 Change your expectations Stress and frustration stimulate chemical changes that can shrink your hippocampus and lead to memory problems. To reverse some of the damage, try to chill out and put things in perspective. Say you're stuck in traffic. If you always expect traffic to flow smoothly with no delays, the consequence is that you get stressed and angry. But you can cut your anxiety by telling yourself that traffic jams happen and you can't control them. And when traffic is better than you expect, you'll feel great. Many of your little daily aggravations occur because you don't manage your expectations, says Dr. Fotuhi. Believe me, those frustrations affect your memory in the short term and your brain health in the long run. 3 Feed your brain Getting a certain amount of DHA a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, fish oil and algae can increase the size of your hippocampus in about six months, research shows. But it's almost impossible to get enough from your diet. Buy supplements that come from algae rather than fish, as they're less likely to have impurities such as mercury. I really believe DHA is a super brain food, says Dr. Fotuhi. I take 1 gram a day, and so does my wife. 4 Eat flavonoids Foods containing flavonoids, such as deeply colored berries and grapes, beets, dark chocolate and cocoa, can also boost your brain. A recent Harvard study showed increased blood flow and better memory performance after participants drank two 'cup's of hot cocoa a day for a month. What's not to love about that? 5 Reduce these three numbers Focus on lowering your blood sugar, blood pressure and belly fat. We've known for a long time that people who have diabetes are at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, says Dr. Fotuhi. But a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that if you have elevated blood sugar (even if you don't have diabetes), you're at increased risk for Alzheimer's. Many women have high blood sugar and don't know it, so ask your doctor to test you (fasting blood glucose over 100 is considered pre-diabetes; over 125 is diabetes). Even borderline high blood pressure can put you at risk for stroke and make your brain sluggish. And having a belly size bigger than half your height increases your risk of stroke and sleep apnea, which can lead to brain shrinkage. So if you're 5-foot-4, your waist should measure less than 32 inches. 6 Protect your head Do not get on a bike or go skiing or skating without wearing a helmet at any age. Even a minor fall can cause a microscopic tear in your brain, says Dr. Fotuhi, and the scar tissue may cause memory problems. And make sure your kids wear head protection while playing concussion-prone sports. 7 Take on new challenges Keep learning and memorizing new things throughout your life, says Dr. Fotuhi. Crossword puzzles don't qualify because you're tapping into information you already have in your head. To challenge your brain, set a goal to memorize three names a day. People say, 'I'm terrible with names,' but they don't even try. When you practice memorizing names by associating wacky images with the person, you get better at it. Study a new language, especially if you do it intensively for a few months. Take violin or piano lessons. Memorize poems or songs you love. Encourage yourself to do more problem-solving, like seeing if you can fix the toilet yourself instead of calling a plumber. If you're working out your monthly budget, put away the calculator, grab a pencil and do the math yourself. Or take ballroom dancing, as Dr. Fotuhi and his wife did, which makes your brain memorize new steps. 8 See friends in 3-d Get out for lunch or go for a walk with your pals instead of spending time on Facebook or Instagram. Interacting with people in the real world actually requires a good deal of mental maneuvering, like when you're keeping track of several conversations at a party. Social interaction also brings you pleasure, which releases endorphins and other feel-good chemicals, and reduces excess cortisol, a chemical that's a major brain shrinker. In addition, a recent study showed that people who say they find meaning in their lives and pursue their passions, such as religion, time with family and creative expression, have healthier brains as they age. So whenever you can, get out into the world and connect with others in ways that make you feel happy and fulfilled, say by volunteering, playing tennis or singing in the choir.
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