Health Care Blog

You can’t find your glasses (they’re on your head), you forgot the morning staff meeting (it was an hour ago), and the kids are safely at school (but their lunches are still on the kitchen counter). Oh well, when you’re crazy-busy, exhausted, or valiantly multitasking from morning till night, something’s gotta give and it’s usually your memory. Not to worry: A little memory loss is perfectly normal once you hit middle age, says Martha Weinman Lear, author of the forthcoming book Where Did I Leave My Glasses? The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss. But, guess what? You don’t have to put up with it. Our 10 memory-boosting tricks will have you remembering where you parked the car in no time. Keep track of your to-do’s. 1. Play a mind game When you plan your day, tie everything together through creative visualization, sort of like telling yourself a story that draws from your appointments and errands. It may sound hokey, but it works, says Scott Hagwood, a memory cont...

Last year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association updated their recommendations for physical activity. In addition to regular cardio workouts, Americans are now being encouraged to perform resistance training at least twice a week, working every major muscle group. Spero Karas, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedics in the division of sports medicine at Emory University , says that testosterone, the male hormone responsible for muscle growth, maxes out between the ages of 16 and 18. It reaches a plateau during the 20s and then begins to decline. As a result, muscle building after the adolescent years can be challenging, he says. Fortunately, a little strength training goes a long way particularly in the early days. “When someone starts a fitness program, especially after not doing anything for awhile, the initial strength gains tend to be dramatic and quick,” Karas says. “In the first 12 weeks, it’s not uncommon for a guy to see a 10, ...