Memory loss appears to begins in the twenties. (Isn’t that a bummer!) But, if you want to be proactive, the answer to “How can I protect my brain?” may lie in a few of the things you do before, during, and after work.
How Can I Protect My Brain?
Step No. 2: Take a kickboxing class before work
Exercise increases the blood flow to your noggin, bringing much-needed oxygen and glucose for fuel, explains Sandra Aamodt, PhD, co-author of Welcome to Your Brain.
In fact, you can learn vocabulary words 20% faster if you try to memorize them after doing an intense workout rather than a low-impact activity, suggests a study in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Up the ante even more by taking a dance or kickboxing class—anything that requires you to remember a routine.
Step No.3: Change the font on your morning memo
How Can I Protect My Brain? One suggestion is to vary your fonts and force the brain to work a little differently.
Is Times New Roman your go-to? Try using a different, slightly difficult-to-decipher font—it’s been shown to improve your long-term retention, according to research published in the journal Cognition.
Focusing on a new font may make your brain’s processing center work a little harder, upping your recall. Change to Comic Sans Italicized (the font used in the study) for a quick fix that you may not notice but your brain will.
Step No. 4: Do a Web search during lunch
Spending an hour a day looking online for something you’re interested in (like researching spots for your next vacation) may stimulate the part of your frontal lobe that controls short-term memory, according to a recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“The neural circuits involved in decision-making, visual-spatial, and verbal skills become very active when you do an Internet search,” explains Gary Small, MD, lead author of the study. Don’t just mindlessly surf, though: If it’s too easy, Dr. Small says, it won’t be effective. (Facebook won’t do the trick!)
I’ve shared 3 of the suggestions here. For the rest of the steps, start here at Health.com and then scroll through the other 8 pages of the article.
This article provides some wonderful suggestions for “How can I protect my brain?” Try a few and share your feedback in the comment section.
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