Five Ways to Improve Your Memory

Do you forget things?

It is highly common that we forget where we set down the car keys when we got home last night, or who we talked to last week and what about.

What happens when the span of your memory gets shorter and shorter?

Here are some mental exercises that are key to maintaining a good memory:

1. Use all of your senses as much as possible. All of the following techniques help to keep your mind active.

* Sight - Include a lot of colors in your life. Do this by adding color to your desk, to your home or anywhere else you might be the majority of your time.

* Hearing - Listen to music or a calming type of noise at least once a day (the noise will typically also help to de-stress).

* Smell - If it is a good smell, or a bad smell, any smell stimulates you mind and pairs it with what the smell is. When you walk outside and someone has just mowed their lawn, you associate the smell outside with freshly cut grass without seeing that the grass is cut. Such smells help to improve memory.

* Taste - This will not be too difficult, as that we eat daily. But, to enhance your taste, try new foods to challenge your mind as to what the new foods taste like, or if you like them.

* Touch - Texture, smoothness and having to feel something by the sense of touch helps with your mind. Touching a starfish for the first time will cause your mind to link the feel of the fish to something simpler in your mind that you are used to.

2. Challenge yourself to participate in memory games that challenge and strengthen your mind.

* Play a Picture Memory game. Having to remember one photo to match with another stimulates your mind and enhances your short term memory.

* Do a Sudoku Puzzle.

* Play any other game that makes your brain think and process complex thoughts.

3. Manage Your Stress

* Read our article on beating out the stress. Being able to manage your stress can greatly reduce the effect it has on your memory.

4. Get Enough Sleep

* Getting enough sleep will allow your brain to function every day at its best.

* Getting enough sleep will also help with any weight loss you might be trying to achieve and not to mention, help with stress levels and allow for more energy.

5. Exercise Once in Awhile

* Exercising helps to get higher levels of oxygen to the brain and increases your levels of endorphins. Both oxygen and endorphins have been proven to help with brain function and to strengthen a persons memory.