Brain training exercises can help keep your mind sharp and ward off memory loss. A Mayo Clinic study found reading books, doing computer activities, and playing games led to a 30 to 50 percent decrease in the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment---a transitional state between normal aging and the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to get your brain game on.
Neurobic Exercises
Aerobic exercises for your brain, or neurobics, break your routine in a challenging way so you use brain pathways you were not using before. For example, if you are right-handed, challenge yourself to write with your left hand. This activates the large network of connections and circuits on the right side of your brain that you rarely use, write Lawrence C. Katz and Manning Rubin at Neurobics.com. Your brain suddenly faces an engaging task that's interesting and challenging.
Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonics help you associate the information you want to remember with a visual image, a sentence, or a word. Common mnemonic devices include acronyms like FACE to help you remember that the lines on the treble staff are F, A, C, and E; rhymes and alliteration, like remembering the number of days in a month by learning "30 days hath September, April, June, and November;" and visual images, like thinking of a microphone to remember the name "Mike," suggests HelpGuide.org.
The Major System
To memorize endless lists of facts, dates and numbers, designate consonant letter codes for the numbers 0 through 9 as in this example from Texas A&M University:
1 = d,t; d & t have one pen down stroke.
2 = n; n has two pen down strokes.
5 = l; the top of the number 5 is an "L."
9 = b,p; b & p are mirror images of the number "9."
To remember that the last four digits of a theater's phone number are "9521," associate their correlating consonants "p,l,n,t" with words related to theater that begin with those consonants: "Produce Laughter -N- Tears."
The Social Etiquette System
Use this system to remember people's names in social or professional settings. When you first meet someone, ask him his name again: "Did you say Joe Smith?" If you are still not sure about the name, ask him for the correct spelling. Repeat the name as much as possible during conversations, and repeat it to yourself during pauses in conversation. Each time you are in a group setting, use this system to remember five people's names. Increase the number when this becomes easy.
