Tour your neighborhood. If your neighborhood is growing, check it out. The exploration will change your mental map of the neighborhood. Along with learning new and better routes to your favorite stores or restaurants, you'll forge new neural pathways in your brain.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Shake your body. Gentle bouncing of your knees and shaking out of your limbs reduces the brain-sapping stress hormone cortisol, research shows. It also triggers relaxation and alertness that keeps your brain sharp. Do it for a few minutes in the morning and at night.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Switch hands. It may be uncomfortable, but writing with your nondominant hand or operating a computer mouse with that hand can activate parts of the brain that aren't easily triggered otherwise. Anything that requires the brain to pay close attention to a formerly automatic behavior will stimulate brain-cell growth.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Take an afternoon catnap. Most of sleep's boost to concentration and memory happens in the first stage, so even a snooze as short at 30 minutes can benefit your brain.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Let yourself sleep in. Research shows that when you're chronically sleep-deprived, your body doesn't have the time to build proteins and other brain- boosting components. So instead of waking yourself early, sleep until you wake naturally.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Bear some weight. Adding a little strength training to your daily walks can help protect brain cells from damage done by free radicals—and encourage new brain-cell growth. So strap some weights on your ankles or wrists as you walk, or practice gentle yoga.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Check your meds. It may not be you having the memory problems; instead, it could be your medications impeding your memory. Older antidepressants, anti-diuretics and antihistamines—all block a critical brain chemical from doing its job. Ask your doctor for an alternative.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Have a chat. Instead of popping in another movie rental, pick up the phone. Talking with someone else not only gets you out of your rut—lack of activity can decrease brain-cell formation—but the socializing can also reduce potentially memory-sapping depression.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Replace your salt shaker with a sodium-free alternative. We all know that hypertension can lead to heart problems, but new evidence suggests that decreasing the salt in your diet can also improve blood flow to the brain and decrease dementia.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.

Quick temper? Instead of yelling, take a few minutes to cool down. The stress of chronic anger can actually shrink the memory centers in the brain. Get to know the signs that you’re seething and address the problem before it erupts.

This post was brought to you in support of University of California at Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders' (UCI MIND) Time of Your Life fundraiser and to increase awareness for brain health.  I am posting a way to stay sharp each day for 50 days; check back here for more.  If you like these tidbits of information, consider making a gift in your brain's honor or a loved one's honor at UCI MIND. To learn more about why I am supporting research at UCI MIND, please check out this post. To more about UCI MIND's work, check out this video.