5 Ways to Improve Your Memory

Do you often forget where you keys or glasses are? Do you often walk into a room and can’t remember why you entered? We all have days when we may think that we are losing our memories. Is this because we have too much going on in our life or are we not challenging our brain as we should be. There are some very simple and easy things we can do to insure that our brain and memory stay as healthy as possible.

1. Play a game - Anytime we can put our memory into action, we need to take advantage of the time. Games which engage our brain to work, such as memory games, math games, jig saw puzzles, and word puzzles are going to increase our memory. (Puzzle books are great to have in the car when waiting to pick up a child from a sporting or other event.)

2. Read a book – Picking up a good book will challenge our mind to think about what is happening in the story. This is especially true in mystery novels and trying to figure out “who did it” Reading material to increase our knowledge on a particular subject is great memory challenge.

3. Take a Class - Anytime you can add education to your daily routine, you are going to increase your memory. You may want to take a class in something you know nothing about, such as learning to speak a new language or how to build a web site. Often it is nice just to take a class to be with others with the same interest as yours. If you have always wanted to learn how to knit or paint, group classes are great for this. You are challenged and encouraged by those around you. Socializing with others helps to keep your brain active.

4. Eat brain food – Eating a healthy diet is like feeding you brain. Your brain, just like the rest of your body, needs nutrition. Without proper nutrition, your brain will become sluggish or will tire easily. A tired brain will not remember those items you need. One of the best brain foods is omega-3. These are found in cold water fish, such as salmon, tuna, and sardines. Foods rich in anti-oxidants are also great for your memory. Great sources include blueberries, blackberries, red grapes, plums, bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, etc. Any fruit or vegetable which is dark in color fits into the anti-oxidant group. Studies have also shown that drinking green tea daily helps with cognitive health. There have been some connections made between high saturated fats diets and an increase risk of memory loss.

5. Exercise – Not only is getting 30 minutes of daily physical exercise good for you waist line and your bone health, it goes a long ways in helping with your memory level. Every time you increase your heart rate, your are increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. Studies have show that this can increase your memory level.

By working with your memory now, you will have a reduced chance of memory loss for later in your life. Anytime you can exercise your brain, your brain is going to thank you. Work your brain now to insure good memory for your future.

Eating Healthy Calories

How many calories are you burning?

We all know that in order to live a healthy life, we need to be aware of the kinds and amounts of calories we consume. In order for our body to function properly, we need calories. This is what helps to build and maintain the cells which make up our body. These cells also include fat cells. If we consume more calories than our body needs, we produce fat cells. When we exercise, our bodies will burn calories. If we are not exercising, our body will turn excess calories into fat.

Every time I hope on the treadmill or the statuary bike at the gym, I am looking at how many calories I am burning. I use this as a guide to help me plan which foods I am going to eat for the day. I know that keeping your weight in check is more complicated than the difference in calories consumed and calories burned. But this is a good encourager for me to stay out of the cookie jar. When I know how long it is going to take on the treadmill at the gym to burn up that one very delicious chocolate chip cookie, I more likely to dig for the will power to put it back.

While playing around on the Internet, I have found several sites which list calorie counters for both foods and exercise. I have put together a simple list of some basic forms of exercise for those who do not have access to gym equipment. I hope that this will help you track those calories you burn when performing any of these activities for 30 minutes. (Please keep in mind that these are average calories burned)

Frisbee - 85 calories
Bowling - 90 calories
Walking for pleasure - 99 calories
Ping Pong - 114 calories
Basketball - 128 calories
Calisthenics- 128 calories
Bicycling - 144 calories
Soccer - 199 calories
Jump Rope - 227 calories
Tennis - 227 calories

As you can see, some very basic forms of fun can be great at burning up the calories. There is no expensive equipment involved and these are some ways to get the entire family moving together.

Just to give you an ideal of how quickly our calorie intake can add up in a single day, I have given you a list of basic impulse foods with their calorie content.

3 Oreo Cookies - 160 calories
1 slice pepperoni pizza - 181 calories
4 oz. Chocolate Ice cream - 145 calories
20 Potato Chips - 150 calories
1 Soft Shell Taco - 210 calories
1 small Fries - 230 calories
1 Fast Food Cheese Burger - 350 calories


When looking at the two above list, I ask you "Are those potato chips worth it". Skip the bad calories and look for the healthy alternatives. Challenge yourself to a healthy eating style. Look to see where you can make positive changes to improve your health.