10 Tips To Boast Your Memory

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 contest champ and author of Memory Power: You Can Develop a Great Memory America’s Grand Master Shows You How. Say you have to remember to buy milk and also take your son to the dentist. You can link those tasks together by imagining your son drinking a glass of milk, and seeing the milk wash over his teeth, depositing calcium, Hagwood says. Ace a presentation.

2. Stop and smell the roses

In a recent German study, some students sniffed a rose scent as they matched pairs of cards and then were exposed to the scent again as they slept; other students didn’t get to sniff anything. When they woke up, the rose-sniffers were better at recalling the cards they had matched. To sharpen your own wits, try spraying a favorite fragrance on your sheets the night before you give that big presentation. Remember names.

3. Exercise your eyes

Before you walk into your next cocktail party, move your eyes back and forth horizontally for 30 seconds. Yeah, you might look weird, but British researchers say the exercise can help you retain words (including names) you’re about to hear. The horizontal movement makes the brain’s hemispheres interact, and that’s important in memory retrieval, the experts say. Absorb critical info.

4. Breathe deeply

Have a boss who likes to give pop quizzes after he talks for two hours? Keep your mind focused during meetings by meditating beforehand. Studies show it’s a great way to boost your attention span and attention is the main door to memory, says Sonia Lupien, PhD, director of the Center for Studies on Human Stress at the Douglas Institute in Montreal. Never meditated before? Sit or lie on the floor in a quiet room in a comfortable position, rest both hands on your stomach, and breathe deeply, focusing on the silence. Try to meditate for at least 10 minutes daily. Multitask gracefully.

5. Learn a new language

Stretch your mind, and you can create new pathways in the brain,’ says Margie Lachman, PhD, professor and chair of psychology at Brandeis University, and director of the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Laboratory. The new pathways can help you stay on top of everything you’ve already got simmering. One way to stretch: Dip into a foreign language. There’s no need to get fluent; just drill vocab with an instructional CD in the car. Other ideas: Try a new hobby like cooking or dancing. Master a new workout move.

6. Hit snooze

Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll be better prepared to kick butt in any situation that requires your memory to guide your body. Research from Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Find your parked car. shows that the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls speed and accuracy, is especially active after a full slumber session.

7. Take a good look

Think parking garages and mall lots were designed to torture you? You won’t forget where you parked for the fourth time this week if you look back at your ride as you walk away, Hagwood suggests. Just before you leave the garage or lot, take a final glance backward. Deliver the punch line.

8. Vary your routine

Forget the punch line every time you tell a joke? Shake up your routines, Lachman says. Try brushing your teeth with the other hand, or take a new route to work. This stimulates nerve cell growth in the brain, something your noggin probably needs if you’re still telling knock-knock jokes. Avoid senior moments.

9. Get moving

You just forgot why you walked into the laundry room? A new study from Columbia University Power through a grocery run. shows that exercise encourages neuron growth in a region of the brain that’s associated with normal, age-related memory loss. Researchers haven’t figured out what form of exercise best fits the bill yet, but right now they believe any aerobic workout or an intensive strength-training regimen is great. Both get oxygen flowing to the brain, Lachman says. For starters, she recommends walking briskly for 30 minutes at least three times a week, if your doctor approves.

10. Play mah-jongg

Where’s that mango chutney hiding the one you picked up last month? If you want to remember things more quickly, grab a few friends and start a mah-jongg night. It’s not just for elderly ladies. It’s a pretty complicated game of skill in which players visually match tiles as quickly as possible. Mastering the game may help you rapidly commit locations to memory. You can play solo, too.

How To Build Your Muscle

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, 20 or 30 percent jump in strength.” During the first weeks of a new training regimen, strength gains come from the recruitment of new muscle fibers, which make the muscles stronger and more visible. Even though muscle recruitment does not result in more muscle mass, says Karas, it will definitely make your muscles look bigger.

Whether you’re committed to the long haul or just want some muscle-building tips, here are seven ways to maximize your gains.

1. Commit to some form of strength training

Unfortunately, there are no easy shortcuts to good health, says Kent Adams, PhD, FACSM, CSCS, director of the exercise physiology lab at California State University Monterey Bay. “You don’t have to train like a maniac,” he says. “Just start a reasonable, individualized resistance training plan.”

For tips and workout plans, visit the web sites of organizations like the ACSM or the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you don’t have access to free weights, head for the weight machines or a cable system. Other alternatives include resistance bands, plyometrics, and calisthenics.

At a minimum, perform lunges, squats, and other exercises that work your quads and hamstrings, along with extra cardio activity that will prompt your legs to begin building muscle.

To speed up the process, make the most of your workout, and keep your heart rate and metabolism elevated, try “super-setting,” says Lisa De Los Santos, a Cooper’s-Institute-certified personal trainer at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. She s uggests one set each of two or three opposing muscle exercises. Rest, then do a second set of each exercise before moving on to the next group.

2. Alternate muscle groups

Weight training creates tiny micro tears in muscles, which then repair and rebuild during periods of rest. Serious injury can result if muscles are not allowed adequate time to repair. The ACSM recommends a three-day split as follows:

* Day one: Chest, triceps, and shoulders
* Day two: Lower body (quads, hamstrings, gluteals, hip abductors and adductors, and calves)
* Day three: Back, biceps, and abs

Feeling sore? Take an extra day or two — or work a new muscle group. Don’t forget delayed-onset muscle soreness, which can hit as late as 48 hours after a workout.

3. Drink plenty of water before and after workouts

Adequate hydration is essential to muscle building, yet few people get enough water, even without daily exercise. So in addition to the daily 8 to 10 glasses of water recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Karas suggests an additional 12 to 16 ounces before working out. He then recommends another 8 to 10 ounces for every 15 minutes of vigorous exercise. Prefer sports drinks? Indulge only if you’re exercising for more than an hour, when electrolyte depletion becomes more of a risk.

4. Eat a balanced diet

Muscle building requires a careful balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein as well as plenty of vitamins and minerals, all of which are best absorbed through food. Avoid carbohydrate-heavy diets, which can cause insulin levels to spike and inhibit growth hormones that prompt muscle growth, says Karas. Instead, opt for five or six small, balanced meals every day. And if muscle building is your goal, don’t use this time to diet.

“The body won’t easily put on muscle if it is at a caloric deficit,” explains De Los Santos. Watch your fat intake, which should be no more than 30% of your total daily calories, and be sure to consume plenty of vitamin- and mineral-rich fruits and vegetables.

5. Get lots of protein

“If you want to build muscle mass, the key is protein, protein, protein,” says Karas. “Muscles are comprised of protein and you need the essential amino acids that are the building block of protein.” Other recommendations include turkey, cheese, and cracker snack packs as well as frozen or prepackaged diet foods that combine protein-rich choices with low-fat, low-complex carbohydrates.

6. Get enough sleep

In addition to being linked to high blood pressure, depression, and other health problems, sleep deprivation can inhibit the growth hormone important for muscle building, says Karas. Recent studies have linked it to obesity as well. How do you know you’re getting enough to build muscle? People who are well rested feel alert and do not have the urge to nap, reports the CDC. The average adult needs between seven and eight hours of sleep, although some may need more.

7. Hire a trainer

A trainer doesn’t need to be a long-term investment, however. According to De Los Santos, working with one for just three months is enough time to get comfortable in the gym, establish a routine, learn a variety of exercises, and see good results. “A good trainer will educate while training and will not create long-term dependence,” De Los Santos says. “Ideally, you’ll learn the skills to either maintain your fitness level or work toward new goals.”

Be sure your trainer is certified through a reputable fitness organization like the ACSM, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or the American Council on Exercise and has an updated certification in CPR and/or first aid as well. You’ll also want to hire someone you like, since you’ll be spending at least an hour a week together.