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Stimulate Your Mind
8. Get a book on tape (or CD) and listen to it while you walk briskly, three times a week. A University of Illinois study found that older adults who walked that often had higher scores on memory tests than adults who just did stretching and toning exercises. Listening to the book while you're walking also exercises your brain while you're exercising your body.9. Go to bed early the night after learning something important. So if you're learning a new computer program at work, make sure you get a good night's sleep after your training. A Harvard study found that a good night's sleep improves your ability to remember something you learned during the day.
10. Stuff a chicken with sage and lemons and roast in a 350°F oven until done (about 2 hours). A couple of small studies suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of sage may boost memory for several hours after eating the herb. Plus, lemons are chock-full of antioxidants important for maintaining healthy cell function. Other sage options: Try a tea made with a teaspoon of the dried herb, use in salad dressing and rice dishes, or add to flavor pork or fish. Try growing some in your garden. Sage is a perennial that overwinters well in most climates.
11. Switch the television station to PBS. The higher-level programming on public television will do more to engage your brain than any reality show or sitcom ever could. As we said, the more engaged your brain, the healthier your brain functions, including memory.
12. Snack on grapes instead of cookies. Researchers find that people with a high intake of trans fats -- found in baked goods like cookies -- are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as those who eat the least. Grapes, on the other hand, have phytochemicals and antioxidants that help lead to improved blood flow and overall health.
13. Have a glass of wine with dinner. A study of 746 men and women found that those who drank one to six alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) a week were 54 percent less likely than abstainers to develop dementia (including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia) over six years. Stop with one, though; the same study found that 14 or more drinks weekly increased the risk of dementia by 22 percent.
14. Whip up a batch of curried chicken tonight. An Italian study found that this common spice blend appears to enhance an enzyme that protects the brain against oxidative conditions that could lead to memory loss and Alzheimer's.
15. Cut some tofu cubes into your soup. Soy products like tofu have isoflavones that also appear to help preserve memory and hinder protein changes that contribute to Alzheimer's.
16. Read for an hour every day. But forget Jackie Collins novels. Pick a topic about which you know very little and read five books on that topic. Then move on to the next topic. Your brain will soak up the knowledge like a parched rosebush, sending out blooms in the form of neurons that help maintain a healthy memory.
17. Take up oil painting. Or fishing, or needlepoint, or ballroom dancing, or piano. The idea here is to continue stretching your mind around new things and new experiences, which studies find can help stave off dementia and improve memory.
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