5 Easy Tricks to Boost Memory

Have you ever walked into a room and forgot why you entered it? How about spending time looking for your key ring or cell phone only to  discover it’s in your hand. If that is you, you are not alone. It is no secret as we age we start to lose some of our ability to recall, and the examples above are normal signs of aging. When this begins to happen some people get nervous and think these may have early signs of dimentia or Alzheimers. However, if you are able to eventually recall the info, you may just need to work on ways to help you remember. Below are 5 easy tricks that you can use to help improve your brain and memory abilities.

Trick #1 – Location

If you are having problems remembering where you left your keys, or  put a special item like your watch, ring or extra money  you may need to identify a specific location where you will always store the items.  Try key hooks, a  box or  drawer for storing special items. Make it a habit to always put the item in the same location.

Tip #2 Association

I once read about  trick, that I practice often to help jog my memory. The trick is to tell a story about something you think you may forget. For instance, when parking your car in a large parking lot, you can create a simple story about the row number and the parking spot number. For instance, if I park on row L and is spot 3, I  make an association by telling myself a story about my favorite drink. For example, I tell myself this simple once sentence story about when I get back to my car, I  will write a note to remind myself to purchase 3 Lemons so I can make lemonade when I get home. The 3 Lemons then become my association to remember my parking spot.

Trick #3  Repetition

Another trick you can try is repetition. You can try repeating things like names, numbers and even your steps at least 3 times in a row. Wait 30 seconds then repeat again. By repeating you are not only recalling the information by also training your brain to improve.

Trick #4 Exertion

The next trick you can use to improve your memory is mental or physical effort. You can exercise your brain using brain teasers or brain games that challenge and stimulate your thinking process. In addition to the mental excertion, you should also practice physical excertion. Research has found that regular aerobic exerise that gets your heart rate up and causes you to sweat may boost the size of the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning, thereby improving memory capability.

Trick #5  Vegetation

Did you know the foods we eat are linked to improved memory. Vegetables, especially fresh vegetables are critical since they contain antioxidants, vitamins and other memory and brain supporting compounds.  If you want to boost your brain power and memory, add more of these veggies to your diet: kale, collard greens, spinach, brocolli, celery, beets, tomatoes and cauliflower.

Try out these simple little tricks and let us know what worked for you.