week three
Brain
games
1 Memory Places:
Today, set up a
Memory Place.
Find a bowl, dish,
or other container
large enough to
hold your keys,
wallet, glasses,
cell phone—any
important object
that you are constantly picking
up and putting
down. Set up your
Memory Place
near the front
door or whichever entry you
use most often.
Now cultivate the
positive habit of
always putting
those frequently
lost objects in
your Memory
Place. Here’s
another useful
idea—keep a pad
of sticky notes
and a pen in your
Memory Place.
That way, when
you remember
something you
need to take with
you (like the dry
cleaning or a DVD
to return), you can
write yourself a
note and stick it
on the door.
112
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2 Relate it: With this
memory strategy, the
idea is to associate or
“link” new information you are learning
with a familiar concept (for example:
“1024” would become
“October 24”).
Try it on the numbers at right, then
close the magazine
and note as many
numbers from the list
as you can recall.
number list
529
25186
4295014
317492706
1528469537
3 Rebus rally: Each of the word combinations below repre-
sents a common phrase. Can you figure out all six? To get
you started, we’ll give you the first one: “Big bad wolf.”
Can you see why?*
4 Compose a limerick: A limerick is a humorous five-line
poem in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with
one another and have the same number of syllables (typically, eight or nine). The third and fourth lines rhyme with
each other and are shorter in length (typically, five or six
syllables). We’ll give you the first line: “There once was a
gal who was brainy…” Can you finish the limerick? You don’t
have to be Irish to know this is more than just fun. It’s zany!
prevention.com
OCTOBER 2009
Work Out
5 Word maker: Using one set of information
in different ways tests your brain’s flexibility.
How many words can you make out of each
of the following words?
BALDERDASH
CACOPHONY
ONOMATOPOEIA
6 Sound walk: Continue to explore the role
your senses play in how your brain perceives
the world. Go for a stroll around your office,
your neighborhood, or a local park. Notice the
various sounds that you hear along the way.
7 Picture/Repicture it: Hone your brain’s
visual flexibility by learning to look at the
same object from different perspectives.
Can you picture this? And that? Each of these
three pictures depicts two very different
images, depending on how you look at it. Can
you see both?
to Stay Sharp
Shake up your cardio.
Just 30 minutes of moderateintensity exercise 3 times
a week can lower your risk
of problems such as poor
memory and short attention
span by up to 20%, according
to Harvard School of Public
Health researchers. For maximum brain boost, inject novelty. Doing different activities
throughout the week or even
within the same workout
(splitting up half an hour into
10 minutes each on a treadmill, elliptical, and bicycle, for
example) prevents a mental
and physical plateau.
Take challenging classes.
Do yoga or dancelike routines,
which involve complex movements that require thinking and
focus, at least twice a week.
A preliminary study found
that people who excelled at
activities such as these scored
exceptionally well on shortterm memory tests. Learning
new moves stimulates your
neurons to grow and create new connections, which
results in speedier thinking
and sharper memory.
Socialize while you sweat.
According to a 2008 study of
more than 16,600 adults ages
50 and older, staying connected with others can double
memory power. Schedule daily
walks with a pal.
october 2009