Do you remember things as well as you used to?  Do you feel as mentally sharp as you did five years ago?  Loss of mental cognition, memory and alertness seems to be an increasingly common complaint.  Fortunately, a study last year identified 15 different solutions to increase your brain power and mental clarity.  I plan to spend several posts reviewing these for you – hope you can remember them!

The first thing on the list is something we’ve discussed.  Physical exercise is exercise for the brain.  The study cites cardiovascular exercise and yoga, but other studies have shown that walking and strength training also benefit.  The second result is staying hydrated with water and they point out that caffeine can constrict the blood vessels limiting blood to the brain.  The third recommendation is to stay stimulated by painting your work and living areas with vibrant colors and using aromatherapy.  The fourth point may be the most important and that is to think happy thoughts.  It turns out that stress affects mental ability so the key is to reduce stress and recognize the positives in your life.  The fifth key to increased clarity is to play games such as word games, puzzles, crosswords, and sudoku.  The brain is like anything else in your body – if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Work on these five and I’ll give you five more brain-builders next week!