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than more easygoing people. How to reduce your stress?
Consider delegating more tasks at work, clearing your
 
 
social calendar for the weekend (there¶s nothing wrong
What¶s the name of your daughter¶s teacher, and where with having nothing on the calendar!) and purging negative
did you put your keys again? If you¶ve ever wished you relationships from your life.
could do some simple things to sharpen your memory
å




skills, you can. We¶ve talked to the experts and compiled
You¶ve heard the concept of ³sleeping on it´ when you¶re
the latest thinking on improving the muscles in your brain
faced with a problem or difficult decision, right? Well,
associated with memory.
getting a good night¶s sleep can help you improve your
c


 
 memory, too. "Sleep is critical for memory consolidation,´
It may sound strange, but waving your hands and says Dr. Brown. ³Getting at least six hours of uninterrupted
gesturing while trying to learn a concept may help your sleep following exposure to new information can help in
brain remember something important, says Jeff Brown, the recall of that information.´ But there¶s an important side
PsyD, ABPP, coauthor of Ê

 
. "Gesturing note: ³The trick is going directly to bed without inserting
in a meaningful way while you are learning may help you any new information or activity between what you want to
when recalling the concept,´ he says. ³The idea is that you recall and going to sleep²no reading, no TV, no sex, no
are storing at least two different types of information about music."
something you'll need to recall later. A good example of


 




this is when kids speak math problems aloud, but also
Eating your spinach²and carrots and peas²is not only
'work them' in the air.´ Tactics to try: When you¶ve just
good for your body, it¶s good for your memory, too. A
learned someone¶s name, ³write´ it down on the palm of
recent Harvard study found that people who ate more
your hand with your finger. The act of tracing the letters on
vegetables had a slower decline of brain function as they
your palm (discreetly, of course) can help your brain
aged. ³Other studies, such as one published in
remember it, says Dr. Brown. Or, ³Air-write on an
Pharmacology, have shown that essential brain-boosting
imaginary map of your grocery store or mall as you name
nutrients found in certain produce, such as quercetin and
aloud the items or stores you need to remember when
anthocyanin, may reverse memory loss,´ says Tosca
shopping.´
Reno, a health and fitness expert and author of the
º




Learning to calm down and not carry as much stress can
help your brain in significant ways, says Elizabeth
Lombardo, PhD, PT, a psychologist and physical therapist
in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and the author of 
bestselling book The Eat-Clean Diet. You can find these
compounds in cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels
sprouts, broccoli and cabbage, as well as in leafy greens,
including kale, spinach and Swiss chard. Also load up on

 brightly colored produce such as berries, red apples,





. ³The best tip to eggplant and grapes²their bright hue is an indication of
improve your memory is: Reduce your stress,´ says Dr. their brain-boosting antioxidants.
Lombardo. ³Research shows that when people experience
!
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chronic stress, their hippocampus²the part of your brain
Not only is reading great for your brain, but discussing
that is responsible for some memories²literally shrinks in
what you¶ve read can improve your memory by leaps and
size.´ In fact, a 2007 study in the journal Neurology by
bounds, says Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD. In fact, a book
researchers at Rush University Medical School found that
club with your closest girlfriends may help strengthen your
people who are easily distressed and had more negative
brain¶s frontal lobe function. ³The frontal lobe is the last
emotions were more likely to develop memory problems
region of the brain to develop, but the first to decline with
age,´ explains Dr. Chapman. ³To strengthen function of the
frontal lobe, engage in deeper-level thinking activities such
as interpreting what you read in a book, discussing the
µlarger messages¶ in the book and pushing to see how
many meanings you can derive from it.´
o


 

What can a downward-facing-dog pose do for your
memory? A lot, says Gina Norman, a yoga teacher in New
York City. ³A new study out of the University of North
Carolina shows that brief meditative exercise helps
cognition and skills essential to critical thinking,´ she says.
But if you¶re not into yoga, exercise of any kind works to
boost your brain, says Dr. Lombardo. ³Research shows
that exercise increases the blood flow to all areas of your
body, including the brain and specifically areas involved in
memory,´ she says. ³One study found that mice who
exercised grew new brain cells in the dentate gyrus, a part
of the hippocampus which can be affected by declines in
memory as we get older.´ Short on time? ³Try running up a
flight of stairs, jogging to a bathroom that is farther away
from you, doing 50 jumping jacks, putting on a great song
and dancing around, or grabbing your child¶s hand and
jumping on the bed together.´
$
%
 
 
Parsley and sage are great, as is thyme, but when it
comes to improving memory, rosemary is king. In a recent
study, UK researchers looked at scents and how they
boosted or detracted from mental performance. They
found that office workers whose cubicles were infused with
the scent of rosemary had better long-term memory than
those in unscented cubes. ³There are other essential
oils that can help with memory, but rosemary is by far the
best and most economical,´ says Cher Core, an
aromatherapist in Boston. ³Diffuse rosemary essential oil
in the air, wear it in a perfume, use it in mists and more. It
is a good choice for those studying and folks who need
help with memory, focus and concentration.´
&
'
 
Duh, right? It may sound obvious, but according to
experts, when most people think they¶re having memory
problems, it¶s really because they were distracted or didn¶t
record the information in their brain properly to begin with,
says Linda Edelstein, PhD, adjunct faculty at Northwestern
University and the author of The Art of Midlife. ³When
people cannot retrieve information it is often because they
haven't taken it in in the first place,´ she says. ³You cannot
recall information that you did not store.´ The number-one
trick to paying closer attention? Stop multitasking and be
fully present. That means setting down the BlackBerry
while lunching with your friend, turning off the TV when
you¶re trying to read something and not letting your eyes²
or mind²wander when chatting with someone at a party.
You¶ll be more likely to remember the person¶s name.
(
)


 
Have you ever found yourself singing along to a song you
love that debuted 10 years ago, and yet you still don¶t
know the lyrics? Learning the words could be fun, but it
could also be good for your memory in general. By
memorizing a song, ³you will be working out at least two
different kinds of memory, auditory and verbal, which is
probably something you don't do very often,´ says Cynthia
Green, PhD, an expert on brain health and memory. ³The
research suggests that constantly challenging our brains
with intellectual pursuits may boost our µcognitive reserve¶
and can have the associated benefit of reducing our
dementia risk over the long-term.´
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When¶s the last time you grabbed a pencil and paper and
let your mind go²drawing hearts and rainbows, or
whatever scene or object popped into your head?
Surprisingly, says Dr. Green, a free-flowing pen could be
the key to strengthening your brain¶s memory centers.
³Doodling has been found in studies to boost
concentration, which is an essential first step to learning
and memory,´ says Dr. Green. ³After all, if you can't focus
on information, you don't acquire it effectively, and you can
never remember something you don't learn in the first
place!´