15 memory exercises proven to keep your brain sharp
Draw a map
Research shows that building a mental map is a serious brain-booster. Cab drivers in London, for example, are required to memorise 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks in order to qualify for a licence. But new geography skills aren’t the only perk; neurologists at the University of London found that these cabbies have significantly larger hippocampi, or regions of the brain that store and organise memories.
Memory exercise: draw a map – of your neighbourhood, your commute, or another familiar area – completely from memory. Then, repeat this exercise each time you visit a new place or take a different route home.
Quiz yourself
Forget fancy computer games; paper and pen is the tried-and-true method for improving your memory, experts say.
Memory exercise: try making and memorising a list of grocery items, tasks to complete, etc. Then, see how many items you can recall after one or two hours. The longer (and more complicated) the list, the tougher the workout for your brain.
Practise simple maths problems
Did you think you could bid maths farewell after graduating high school? Think again. According to experts, an addition or subtraction problem a day can keep cognitive decline away.
Memory exercise: solve a few simple maths problems in your head each morning – no pencil, paper, or calculator allowed. To up the ante, try to walk or cook at the same time.
Test your taste buds
Cooking is a win-win for your brain. Both making and eating a meal activates the brain regions associated with smell, touch, sight and taste. Plus, using your senses can also improve your recall. In one study, adults who looked at a series of images were more likely to remember those with a fragrance than the ones without.
Memory exercise: as you chew, take a moment to distinguish the taste of individual ingredients in the dish, all the way down to the faintest herbs and spices.
Tell a story
Storytelling is a great mental stimulant, helping you focus on important details, associate emotion with your memories, and recall important life events with ease later on. It has been used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease too.
Memory exercise: before you go to sleep at night, replay the day’s events in your head. Try to recall the details from each moment, starting from the minute you woke up to when you climbed into bed.
Take a class
To keep your noggin in tip-top shape, it’s important to keep learning – no matter your age. Experts believe that continuing to learn throughout your life can prevent mental ageing and boost your memory.
Memory exercise: whether it is cooking or calculus, enrol in a class that will teach you something new. Trust us, your brain will thank you.
Play a new sport
Getting your heart pumping can also keep your brain bumping. Athletic activities that stimulate your mind and body, such as yoga, golf, or tennis, have been linked to improved brain function and energy levels.
Memory exercise: sign up to learn a sport you have never played before, and study up on the rules and procedures.
Challenge your fine-motor skills
Like learning a sport or enrolling in a new class, mastering an activity that requires considerable hand-eye coordination can keep your brain active and healthy.
Memory exercise: pick up a new hobby that requires you to use your hands, such as knitting, painting or assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Even better, chew gum while you do it; one study found that chewing gum while completing a task could improve concentration and memory.
Memorise phone numbers
Even a short brain-training session can make a big difference for your memory. By challenging your brain with memorisation puzzles, experts believe you can protect your brain cells and strengthen the connections between them.
Memory exercise: impress your friends by memorising their phone numbers. Dr Ashraf Al recommends dividing each 10-digit number into three sections; for example, 801 555 8372 is much easier to remember than 8015558372.
Create a mnemonic phrase
Making a mnemonic device is one foolproof way to store an important rule, fact, or to-do list in your memory bank. Some are acronyms, such as RICE, (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), a first-aid treatment for injuries. Others come in the form of sentences, like ‘spring forward, fall back’, a reminder to reset your clock twice a year.
Memory exercise: the next time you need to memorise something in a hurry, come up with a clever acronym or sentence for it.
Learn a foreign language
Studies show that learning something new and complex over a long period of time can protect an ageing brain. Not only are listening and hearing exercises great mental stimulants, but learning a new language can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline.
Memory exercise: enrol in a foreign language course at your local college or online. If you’re strapped for time, Rosetta Stone or Duolingo will allow you to learn at your own pace.
Increase your processing speed
Quick on your feet, or slow to the punch? If your answer is the latter, your brain might be in trouble. Learning to react and process things at a fast pace can ward off dementia, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Memory exercise: try PQRST, a five-step method for processing lengthy written information quickly. The acronym stands for: Preview or skim the material, ask Questions about the document’s main points, Reread it, Study the answers to your questions, and Test yourself.
Repeat it out loud
Saying information out loud can increase your chances of remembering it later, research says. In a study published in the journal Memory, subjects who read written information out loud showed a five to 15 per cent boost in retention.
Memory exercise: to remember something you have just done, heard, or read, repeat it out loud; doing so will nail the memory down in your mind.
Conserve your mental energy
Don’t waste valuable brainpower trying to remember where you put your keys or the time of your next doctor’s appointment. By removing unnecessary distractions, you can focus your energy on new information you actually want to remember, instead.
Memory exercise: keep a calendar or planner, and designate a space for items you often lose.
Use visual cues
Last but certainly not least, there’s no harm in the occasional string around your finger to jog your memory.
Memory exercise: place Post-It notes on your computer keyboard, desk, or fridge to serve as reminders throughout the day. You can wear a bracelet or put an alarm on your phone, too.
Written by Brooke Nelson. This article first appeared in Reader’s Digest. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our best subscription offer.
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