{"id":1043,"date":"2016-02-05T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etbodywork.com\/?p=1043"},"modified":"2016-02-02T22:31:53","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T03:31:53","slug":"improve-your-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/?p=1043","title":{"rendered":"Improve Your Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"brain\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you ever noticed that some people are able to effortlessly remember even the most mundane details, and quickly comprehend new things, and wished that you too could be like that? \u00a0Well, you can. \u00a0To unlock the full potential of your brain, you need to keep it active and acute. \u00a0Wasting away on your couch watching mindless television shows is not going to help. \u00a0Besides getting out flashcards, what can you do to help remember things better and learn new things more quickly? \u00a0Check out these tips:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Exercise & Get Your Body Moving<\/strong> \u2013 exercising doesn\u2019t just exercise the body, it also helps to exercise your brain. \u00a0Obesity and the myriad of diseases that eventually set in as a result of being overweight can cause serious harm to the brain. \u00a0Make sure you get moving every day, even if its just a brisk walk, it\u2019ll help you maintain and increase your mental acuity. Brisk walking , swimming and dancing are all excellent activities.<\/li>\n
  2. Eliminate stressors and seek help for depression (if you have it).<\/strong>Anything that causes you major stress, like anger or anxiety, will in time begin to eat away at the parts of your brain that are responsible for memory. \u00a0Among the most brain-damaging stressors is depression, which is actually often misdiagnosed a a memory problem since one of its primary symptoms is the inability to concentrate. \u00a0If you can\u2019t concentrate, then you might feel like you are constantly forgetting things. Depression increases the levels of cortisol in your bloodstream, which elevates the cortisol levels in the brain. \u00a0Doctors have found that increased cortisol diminishes certain areas of the brain, especially the hippocampus, which is where short-term memories are stored. \u00a0Prolonged depression can thus destroy your brain\u2019s ability to remember anything new. \u00a0Seek professional help to combat your depression \u2013 your brain will thank you.<\/li>\n
  3. Get a good night\u2019s sleep and take naps.<\/strong> Getting a consistent 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night will increase your memory. During sleep, the brain firms up memories of recently acquired information and getting enough sleep will help you get through the full spectrum of nocturnal cycles that are essential to optimal brain and body functioning during the waking hours. \u00a0Taking a nap throughout the day, especially after learning something new, can also help you to retain those memories as well as recharge your brain and keep it sharper longer.<\/li>\n
  4. Write it down.<\/strong> If there\u2019s something you want to remember, writing it down can help. \u00a0Writing it down creates oxygenated blood flow to areas of your brain that a responsible for your memories and literally exercises those parts of it. \u00a0You can start a journal, write yourself e-mails, or even start keeping a blog \u2013 all of these activities will help to improve your capacity to remember and memorize information.<\/li>\n
  5. Listen to music.<\/strong> Research shows that certain types of music are very helpful in recalling memories. \u00a0Information that is learned while listening to a particular song or collection can often be recalled by thinking of the song or \u201cplaying\u201d it mentally. \u00a0Songs and music can serve as cues for pulling up particular memories.<\/li>\n
  6. Feed your brain.<\/strong> 50 to 60 percent of the brain\u2019s overall weight is pure fat, which is \u00a0used to insulate its billions of nerve cells. \u00a0The better insulated a cell is, the faster it can send messages and the quicker you will be thinking. \u00a0This is precisely why parents are advised to feed their young children whole milk and to restrict dieting \u2013 their brains\u2019 need fat to grow and work properly. \u00a0Skimping on fats can be devastating even to the adult brain. \u00a0Thus, eating foods that contain a healthy mix of fats is vital for long-term memory. \u00a0Some excellent food choices include fish (especially anchovies, mackerel and wild salmon) and dark leafy green vegetables. \u00a0Deep-fried foods obviously contain fat, but their lack of nutritional value is going to help your brain or your body, so think healthy foods and fats.<\/li>\n
  7. Visual concepts.<\/strong> In order to remember things, many people need to visualize the information they are studying. \u00a0Pay attention to photographers, charts and other graphics that might appear in your textbook, or if you\u2019re not studying a book, try to pull up a mental image of what it is you are trying to remember. \u00a0It might also help to draw your own charts or figures, or utilize colors and highlighters to group related ideas in your notes.<\/li>\n
  8. Teach someone else.<\/strong> Reading material out loud has been shown to significantly improve memory of the material. \u00a0Expanding further upon this idea is the fact that psychologists and educators have found that by having students teach new concepts to others, it helps to enhance understanding and recall. \u00a0Teach new concepts and information to a friend or study partner, and you\u2019ll find you remember the information a lot better.<\/li>\n
  9. Do crossword puzzles, read, or play cards.<\/strong> Studies have shown that doing either of these activities on a daily basis not only keep your brain active, but also help to delay memory loss, especially in those who develop dementia. \u00a0So pick up the daily newspaper and work on that crossword puzzle, read a book, or enjoy a game of solitaire.<\/li>\n
  10. Eat breakfast and make sure it includes an egg. <\/strong>According to Larry McCleary, M.D., author of \u00a0The Brain Trust Program<\/em>, an egg is the ideal breakfast. \u00a0Eggs contain B vitamins, which help nerve cells to burn glucose, antioxidants that protect neurons against damage, and omega-3 fatty acids that keep nerve cells firing at optimal speed. \u00a0Other foods to add to your breakfast include fruits, veggies and lean proteins. \u00a0Avoid trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. \u00a0Trans fats diminish the brain cells\u2019 ability to communicate with each other, and HFCS can actually shrink the brain by damaging cells. \u00a0Having a healthy breakfast in the morning has been shown to improve performance throughout the day.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Have you ever noticed that some people are able to effortlessly remember even the most mundane details, and quickly comprehend new things, and wished that you too could be like that? \u00a0Well, you can. \u00a0To unlock the full potential of your brain, you need to keep it active and acute. \u00a0Wasting away on your couch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[195,194,193],"class_list":["post-1043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brain","tag-help","tag-memory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1043"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1046,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043\/revisions\/1046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}