“I am blocking on the name of that movie! Give me a minute and I will remember.“

Many of us have a commitment to exercise our physical body, but how about exercising our memory and brain? Here are a few things  we can do to improve our memory.

1. Stop slouching! It may surprise you that proper posture can help you remember. Sit u straight, or stand and tilt your chin upward. Researcher at San Francisco State University found that posture helps oxygen and blood flow to the brain. The result is improved memory.
2. Keep laughing! Laughing actually boosts your memory. Try a daily dose of at least 20 minutes and see if your memory improves. Laughing is a form of stress relief and lowers cortisol levels. It also helps lower your blood pressure and improve your mood. Hey, laughter is free and easy so we all need to add it to our lives.
3. Practice mindfulness and meditation. It only takes about a few minutes a day. Try a 10- minute block of time. Breathe deep, pray, focus on gratitude and relax your body. When you let go of mental distractions, you have better focus.
4. Develop routines and habits. They actually boost memory. So think about how you start and end your day. The more you get into a routine, the more you go on auto pilot, the better you will be at remember things you need to do.
5. Eat berries. We know that berries are rich in antioxidants so add them along with more fruit and vegetables. I personally like adding blueberries in the morning. In addition to tasting good, they help with spatial working memory tasks.
6. Get visual. Researchers tell us that drawing out something to remember works better than making a list. Thankfully, you don’t have to be artist to do this. Rather try your hand at making a pictorial of something important to remember. The brain likes pictures.