As we grow older, one of the first noticeable signs of aging is the decline of our recollection and recognition abilities. The practice of “working out” your brain has become increasingly more vital. Even now, as we have shifted from working in an office to working from home, and may be more isolated than usual, working on these abilities is imperative.

Implementation and execution on programming geared towards these skills will help to keep you sharp, attentive, and especially cognizant of your surrounding environment. Mental workouts are just as important as physical workouts; think of it as keeping your brain in shape. 

Memory fitness programming that you can do regularly, just like your weekly workouts, will help slow this decline. These 4 tactics are just a starting point to improving this skill and could be incorporated into your everyday schedule:

Listen and repeat

Ever tried reading along to a book with its recording running in the background? Doing this will not only help you remember more but helps to engage other senses like hearing and sight. Utilizing the full range of senses whenever possible helps to solidify learning as combining senses will use more parts of your brain.  

Schedule playtime

Crossword puzzles, chess, sports, arts and crafts... these are all things that can help improve memory fitness. Especially if they are new additions to your regular schedule or skill set. Puzzles and other brain boosters like checkers or Sudoku can keep your brain fit because they require you to think of strategy while engaged in play. Adding sports or physical activity not only helps improve your physical self but the types of exercise that stimulate the mind like yoga, tennis and golf also bring your mind and memory into play in a collaborative manner.

Learn something new

Ever wanted to speak another language? Play an instrument? Cook? Learning new skills over a prolonged period of time benefits the mind, especially if they are challenging and complex. The addition of skills helps challenge the brain’s memory capabilities to hold new and additional information. 

Get enough sleep

We all know how important sleep is to the physical body. Same for the brain. It needs at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night, especially when introducing new skills and habits. It needs its rest in order to rejuvenate for the following day and stay cognizant in order to perform at peak levels. 

We constantly stress the need to keep your physical body in shape. Remember to treat your brain as a muscle to keep your full self in the best shape.