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Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Did You Know This ? Basic Things to Know...
https://youtu.be/TkoCWUJt10w
http://interestingengineering.com/four-tape-measure-hacks-will-improve-life/
If you have done any type of home improvement project, big or small, you realized pretty early on that a tape measure is crucial to your efforts. Having accurate measuring of lengths and widths of any proposed space or object will save you HEAPS of trouble, repositioning and futile physical labor. But did you know that there are certain features on a tape measure that aim to make your life even easier? We uncovered and share four hacks that will improve the frustrating task of measuring.
There is a small hole on the tip of (most) measure tapes that fits the head of a nail or screw pretty perfect. This is extremely advantageous when you are working solo and do not have someone to hold the other end. If you don’t have a nail or screw in your proposed measuring space, any thumbtack works just fine to hold that spot while you figure length.
Scribe Marks the spot
On that same edge that holds a special spot for nails and screws, there is also serrated edge that often goes unnoticed. This is surely not by accident and serves a pretty useful purpose to mark your line against a wall when you do not have extra hand to pencil it in.
The slider initiates ultimate accuracy
Many people do not realize that the first inch in your tape measure it not really a true inch. It is short by 1/16th of an inch accounting for the thickness of the end hook. But it counters that and permits accurate internal marks by a sliding feature installed in the edge of the hook. When you place the hook on edge and pull it tight, it will give 1/16th of an inch, making your read as accurate as possible.
Let the bass drop
At the bottom of every tape measure you will notice a number that shows the length of the tape measure itself. This allows for an inside reading without having to bend and fuss with the tape, just add the length of the base (usually 2 or 3″) to the shown length to get the full read.
Check out this video to see the tape measure and all of its hacks in action.
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http://interestingengineering.com/four-tape-measure-hacks-will-improve-life/
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Gardening Ideas
10-gardening-hacks-that-will-help-keep-your-plants-healthier
1. Use diapers in your potted plants
By putting diapers at the bottom of your potted plants, right underneath the soil, it help retain water and stop those annoying leaks that happen when your pot isn’t big enough. If they’re good for your babies they’re good for your plants too.
2. Use a plastic bottle with holes
lifehacker.com
By putting holes into a plastic 2L bottle, you can create an efficient and cheap way to irrigate your plants. The holes are right beside the roots, and you can place the water directly into the bottle.
3. Use eggshells for your little plants
Smaller plants tend to be very fragile, and therefore they need a little bit of help to stay strong. To keep them upright and staying strong, put them in some eggshells before you plant them. This will help those little baby plants grow big and tall.
4. Use old coffee grounds
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Not only do they provide nutrients for you plants, but they also help keep away any unwanted pests. It turns out squirrels and rabbits don’t like coffee all that much, which means your plants, will be able to grow with no interruptions.
5. Potatoes are a rose’s best friend
Often times when roses are planted, they have a hard time staying straight. To get rid of this problem make a small hole in a medium sized potato and squeeze the rose into the hole. Plant the rose with the potato into the ground, and be ready for a beautiful addition to your garden.
Make a homemade weed spray
grandmothermusings.com
Weeds are something that can get on any gardeners last nerve, but can be easily dealt with. To make your own weed killing spray, combine the following: a gallon of white vinegar, a cup of table salt, and a tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Once all the ingredients are mixed, pour into a spray bottle and use as needed.
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7. Use citrus peels for more than compost
When you’re tending to your plants in the garden, the last things you want to deal with are mosquitos and aphids. Preventing them from bothering you is a pretty easy thing to do. Take the peels of any citrus fruits and scatter them around your garden.
8. Use plastic forks to keep away unwanted visitors
positivegardening.com
To keep the rabbits and rats away from your brand new blooms, stick plastic forks, fork side up, into the ground in between all of your plants. This will protect your plants and let them grow in peace.
9. Use rainwater to save money
The costs of watering your garden can add up pretty quickly. To save some money and make good use of your environment, you can use a heavy-duty garbage bin to collect the water. Simply add a hose attachment to the bottom of the barrel and attach it your rain pipe. The garbage can will fill up in a few rainy days and it will be ready to use.
10. Make a mini green house for your seeds
A large milk jug is the perfect thing to use to help your little seedlings grow. Placing dirt, a little manure, and your seeds in the milk jug is all you have to do. Add a little bit of water and put it outside in the garden and watch your baby seeds grow.
Memory .... Everyday Ways to Stay Sharp. Want to keep your brain in shape? Work it.
Everyday Ways to Stay Sharp
Want to keep your brain in shape? Work it.
One of the best ways to stay sharp is to exercise that muscle between your ears, research indicates. And discussions with some of the top scientists studying the brain reveal that you can work your noggin in many different ways, every day.
Here are 50 of them:
1. Snack on almonds and blueberries instead of a candy bar. As they lower blood sugar,healthy snacks can improve cognition. In this case, the omega-3s in the almonds and the antioxidants in the blueberries can keep your brain functioning correctly.
2. Ballroom dance like the stars. Dancing is a brain-power activity. How so? Learning new moves activates brain motor centers that form new neural connections. Dancing also calms the brain's stress response.
3. Love the crunch of croutons on your salad? Try walnuts instead. Omega-3s in walnuts have been found to improve mood and calm inflammation that may lead to brain-cell death. They also replace lost melatonin, which is necessary for healthy brain functioning.
4. Take your dog—or yourself—for a walk. Walking for just 20 minutes a day can lower blood sugar. That helps stoke blood flow to the brain, so you think more clearly.
5. Add Chinese club moss to your daily vitamin regimen. Taking less than 100 micrograms of the herb daily may protect your brain's neurotransmitters and keep synapses firing correctly, tests suggest. But this herb is powerful, so check with your doctor for drug interactions.
6. Volunteer to answer questions at the library, arboretum, museum, or hospital. Playing tour guide forces you to learn new facts and think on your feet, helping to form new neural pathways in your brain. What's more, interacting with others can ease stress that depletes memory.
7. Grab a video-game joystick. New video games, such as the Wii and Nintendo DS, offer brain teasers that make you learn the computer's interface as you master the brain games. That's a double boost to the formation of new neural connections and to response time and memory.
8. Leave your comfort zone. Getting good at sudoku? Time to move on. Brain teasers don't form new neural connections once you've mastered them. So try something that's opposite your natural skills: If you like numbers, learn to draw. If you love language, try logic puzzles.
9. Get support for stressors. You may love your ailing family member, but the chronic stress of facing the situation alone can shrink your brain's memory center. Interacting with others activates many parts of the brain—and learning new ways of coping forms new neural connections.
10. When you look around, really look. Stare straight ahead, and now—without moving your eyes—see if you can make out what's at the periphery. Do this regularly and you'll stimulate the neural and spatial centers of the brain, which can atrophy as you age.
11. When you look forward, also look around. Walking down the street, don't just keep your eyes forward. Scan to the left and to the right. These actions can activate rarely used parts of the brain. That in turn can spur brain cell growth and new neural connections.
12. Show, don't tell. When you woke up this morning, how bright was the light in your room? What did the air smell like when you opened the window? How many colors could you discern in your garden? Notice and report these details to others to prompt cell growth in the visual, verbal, and memory parts of the brain.
13. Listen for details when a friend tells a story. Heed changes in the person's tone and register small facts you might otherwise gloss over. Conjure a mental image of the story. By doing this, you activate multiple areas in the brain and encourage memory formation.
14. Drink two cups of gotu kola tea daily. This ayurvedic herb, used for centuries in India, regulates dopamine. That's the brain chemical that helps protect brain cells from harmful free radicals, boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory.
15. Try some new tea. Tulsi tea, made of an Indian herb called holy basil, and ginseng tea both contain herbs that can help reduce overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol, which can hamper memory. The herbs also help keep you alert.
16. Sit quietly, choose a word that calms you, and when your mind starts to wander, say the word silently. A form of meditation, this type of activity can reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which zaps memory. Meditation also helps mitigate focus-stealing feelings like depression and anxiety.
17. Get with the times—keep calendars in every room. Checking calendars keeps you focused and oriented, while creating a mental picture of the day in your head.
18. Get some class. Live near a college? Research shows that taking courses—even just auditing them—can stave off dementia at an early age. Don't go in for formal learning? Check out book readings, seminars, and other educational events.
19. Wear a helmet. Riding your bike is great for your health—until you fall and get a concussion. Even one serious concussion could increase your risk of developing dementia. So protect your physical brain as meticulously as you would protect its functioning by doing brain teasers.
20. Sip red wine, judiciously. Up to two glasses for women and up to three for men weekly delivers the powerful antioxidant resveratrol, which may prevent free radicals from damaging brain cells. But beware: Drinking more than that could leach thiamine, a brain-boosting nutrient.
21. Check your thyroid. It's a tiny little gland in your neck, but it could have a big effect on brain health: Thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) help nerve cells make connections. If you don't have enough of them you may be depressed, tired, and foggy-headed.
22. Choose lean pork loin crusted in peanuts and broccoli over fries and a burger. The pork and peanuts are high in thiamin, a nutrient that reduces inflammation that damages brain cells. The folate in broccoli is good for keeping synapses firing correctly.
23. Replace candy with a sweet pick-me-up of pears, apples, oranges, and cantaloupe. The combination prevents elevated blood sugar that could impede brain cells from firing correctly. It also provides fiber and antioxidants that help scrub plaque from brain arteries and mop up free radicals that inhibit clear thinking.
24. Top rolled oats with cinnamon for a brainy breakfast. The oats scrub plaques from your brain arteries, while a chemical in cinnamon is good for keeping your blood sugar in check—which can improve neurotransmission.
25. Turn up the tunes. TV may provide a lot of stimuli, but watching too much can dull brain transmission. Instead, spend an afternoon listening to your favorite music. Music can lower stress hormones that inhibit memory and increase feelings of well-being that improve focus.
26. Curry up. The active ingredient in Indian curry, turmeric, contains resveratrol, the same powerful antioxidant that makes red wine good for brain health. Eat curry once a week, or sprinkle it on salads, to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals.
27. Take a food break. Research shows that people who fast one day a week or month unlock a unique form of blood glucose that helps the brain more efficiently transmit information. Then break your fast with brain-healthy blueberries, walnuts, and maybe a glass of red wine.
28. Replace the olive oil in your favorite vinaigrette with walnut oil. Walnut oil, which is chock-full of brain-healthy omega-3s, cuts brain inflammation, a precursor to many cognitive problems. It also keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain by thinning the blood slightly.
29. Go wild with fish. While fish is generally good for you, the metals that accumulate in farmed fish like tilapia may contribute to cognitive impairments. So when you're shopping, check that the fish is from the wild, not domestically raised, and stick with heart- and brain-healthy fish like salmon and sardines.
30. Redecorate and redesign your environment. Plant new flowers in front of your house. Redecorate the kitchen. Rearrange your closets and drawers. Replace the candles in your living room with some that have a different scent. Making such changes can alter motor pathways in the brain and encourage new cell growth.
31. Choose a side. Talk sports, business, or politics. If you can do it without getting angry, which raises the memory-hindering hormone cortisol, engaging in a good debate can form new neural pathways and force you to think quickly and formulate your thoughts clearly.
32. Sleep. Shut-eye isn't a luxury. It's when your brain consolidates memories. Poor sleep, caused by medical conditions, worry, depression, or insomnia, can interfere with your rest. So treat yourself to relaxing scents like vanilla before bed. They raise the chemical dopamine and reduce cortisol, a stress hormone.
33. Check your neck. It may sound crazy, but a clot in your neck can stunt your memory by preventing enough blood and oxygen from getting to your brain. At your next checkup, ask your doctor to use the other side of his stethoscope to ensure that all's clear in your carotid artery—the main one in your neck.
34. Take a mental picture. Connect names with faces by creating mental images that trick your mind into remembering. For instance, remember Mr. Bender with the curly hair by imagining him bent over, with his curly hair facing you.
35. Read the news. Keeping up with the latest not only activates the memory part of the brain but also gives you something to talk about with friends and family. That kind of socializing can activate multiple parts of your brain and encourage cell growth.
36. Turn off the TV and pick up an instrument. Frequently tickling the ivories or blowing a horn—especially if you're trying to master it—is associated with lower dementia risks. What's more, it eliminates boredom, a brain state that can cause some thinking skills to atrophy.
37. Join a book club. Pick up a good book to cut down on brain-withering boredom. Frequent reading is associated with reduced risk of dementia. And meeting new people forces new neural connections. Besides, you might enjoy the book.
38. Play Yahtzee! Whether you choose Risk, Pictionary, Scrabble, or Boggle, board games are associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. They activate strategic, spatial, and memory parts of the brain, and require you to socialize, which can help form new neural pathways.
39. Parlez-vous brain health? You don't have to be a linguist to benefit from learning a new language. Adopting a foreign tongue boosts the verbal, language, and memory parts of the brain.
40. Savor a sensory experience. Those with the best memories take advantage of all their senses. That's because memorization is a cohesive brain effort. So head to the garden or the kitchen and take in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and sensations.
41. 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.
42. 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.
43. 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.
44. 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.
45. 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.
46. 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.
47. 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.
48. 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.
49. 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.
50. 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.
4 Tips for a Better Memory — and a Better Life
4 Tips for a Better Memory — and a Better Life
Joshua Foer's new book supplies memorable advice
Techniques for improving memory go as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. The same strategies that Cicero used to memorize his speeches, medieval scholars used to memorize entire books. These memory pioneers figured out that the brain is more likely to retain visual or spatial information, so if you want to remember something your best strategy is to transform it into something else so colorful, exciting and different that you can’t possibly forget it.
Brain Quiz: After age 20, thousands of brain cells die every day. True or False?
Brain Quiz: After age 20, thousands of brain cells die every day. True or False?
To improve memory, exercise your brain, don't depend on outside help. — Photo by Kate Mitchell/Corbis
1. Associate hard-to-remember facts with some familiar space
One trick, known as the journey method or "memory palace," is to conjure up a familiar space in the mind's eye, and then populate it with images of whatever it is you want to remember. (For a shopping list, imagine a dancing can of soup on your front steps, rolls of toilet paper covering your front door, laundry detergent strewn across the foyer, etc.)
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Memory palaces don't necessarily have to be buildings. They can be routes through a town or station stops along a railway. They can be real or imaginary, as long as there's some semblance of order that links one place to the next (front steps, door, foyer, etc.), and are intimately familiar.
One trick, known as the journey method or "memory palace," is to conjure up a familiar space in the mind's eye, and then populate it with images of whatever it is you want to remember. (For a shopping list, imagine a dancing can of soup on your front steps, rolls of toilet paper covering your front door, laundry detergent strewn across the foyer, etc.)
Subscribe to the AARP Health Newsletter
Memory palaces don't necessarily have to be buildings. They can be routes through a town or station stops along a railway. They can be real or imaginary, as long as there's some semblance of order that links one place to the next (front steps, door, foyer, etc.), and are intimately familiar.
2. Use "chunking" to remember numbers, such as passwords, credit cards or bank accounts
Chunking is a way to decrease the number of items you have to remember by increasing the size of each item. Chunking is the reason that phone numbers are broken into two parts plus an area code and that credit card numbers are split into groups of four.
The classic explanation of chunking involves language. If you were asked to memorize the 22 letters HEADSHOULDERSKNEESTOES, and you didn't notice what they spelled, you'd almost certainly have a tough time with it. But break up those 22 letters into four chunks — HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES and TOES — and the task becomes a whole lot easier.
The same can be done with numbers. The 12-digit numerical string 120741091101 is pretty hard to remember. Break it into four chunks — 120, 741, 091, 101 — and it becomes a little easier. Turn it into two chunks, 12/07/41 and 09/11/01, and they’re almost impossible to forget. You could even turn those dates into a single chunk of information by remembering it as "the two big surprise attacks on American soil."
Chunking is a way to decrease the number of items you have to remember by increasing the size of each item. Chunking is the reason that phone numbers are broken into two parts plus an area code and that credit card numbers are split into groups of four.
The classic explanation of chunking involves language. If you were asked to memorize the 22 letters HEADSHOULDERSKNEESTOES, and you didn't notice what they spelled, you'd almost certainly have a tough time with it. But break up those 22 letters into four chunks — HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES and TOES — and the task becomes a whole lot easier.
The same can be done with numbers. The 12-digit numerical string 120741091101 is pretty hard to remember. Break it into four chunks — 120, 741, 091, 101 — and it becomes a little easier. Turn it into two chunks, 12/07/41 and 09/11/01, and they’re almost impossible to forget. You could even turn those dates into a single chunk of information by remembering it as "the two big surprise attacks on American soil."
3. Conquering the OK plateau
The "OK Plateau" is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might type and type and type all day long, but once you reach a certain level, you just don’t get appreciably faster. That’s because it’s become automatic. You’ve moved it to the back of your mind’s filing cabinet.
If you want to become a faster typist, it’s possible, of course, but you’ve got to bring the task back under your conscious control. You’ve got to push yourself past your comfort zone.
In the same vein, when you're trying to improve your memory, it's also important not to get stuck. For example, if you go to a lot of parties, you may have set yourself the goal of remembering the names of three or four new people you meet. How about doubling that number at each party, or adding the names of their children, or where they were born? Maybe your goal can be to remember all this new information a week later.
The "OK Plateau" is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might type and type and type all day long, but once you reach a certain level, you just don’t get appreciably faster. That’s because it’s become automatic. You’ve moved it to the back of your mind’s filing cabinet.
If you want to become a faster typist, it’s possible, of course, but you’ve got to bring the task back under your conscious control. You’ve got to push yourself past your comfort zone.
In the same vein, when you're trying to improve your memory, it's also important not to get stuck. For example, if you go to a lot of parties, you may have set yourself the goal of remembering the names of three or four new people you meet. How about doubling that number at each party, or adding the names of their children, or where they were born? Maybe your goal can be to remember all this new information a week later.
This seems like simple advice, but you would be surprised how often people practice only what they are good at. Conquering the OK Plateau is how I improved my memory.
4. Pay attention
Once upon a time, people invested in their memories. They cultivated them. Today, of course, we’ve got digital cameras, and computers, and smartphones to hold our memories for us. We’ve outsourced our memories to digital devices, and the result is that we no longer trust our memories. We see every small forgotten thing as evidence that they're failing us.
We've forgotten how to remember, and just as importantly, we've forgotten how to pay attention. So, instead of using your smartphone to jot down crucial notes, or googling an elusive fact, use every opportunity to practice your memory skills. Memory is a muscle, to be exercised and improved.
4. Pay attention
Once upon a time, people invested in their memories. They cultivated them. Today, of course, we’ve got digital cameras, and computers, and smartphones to hold our memories for us. We’ve outsourced our memories to digital devices, and the result is that we no longer trust our memories. We see every small forgotten thing as evidence that they're failing us.
We've forgotten how to remember, and just as importantly, we've forgotten how to pay attention. So, instead of using your smartphone to jot down crucial notes, or googling an elusive fact, use every opportunity to practice your memory skills. Memory is a muscle, to be exercised and improved.
From the book Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. Reprinted by arrangement of Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2011 by Joshua Foer.
Keep Memory Sharp by ... Test yourself on jokes, names, other information
A New Way to Keep Memory Sharp as the Brain Ages
Test yourself on jokes, names, other information
En español | How often have you heard a funny joke, only to later forget the punch line? If your memory for jokes and other important information isn't as sharp as it used to be, stop doubting yourself and start quizzing yourself instead.
See also: 4 tips for a better memory.
Testing yourself on information you are trying to remember — whether it's a punch line, the name of a person you just met or the request your boss made — is one of the best ways to make sure that information sticks, research shows. In a recent study comparing different strategies for studying for a short science test, college students did best when their studying involved takingpractice tests on the material, the researchers reported Jan. 20 in the journal Science.
Answering test questions requires retrieving information from memory, and that is more useful than merely reviewing the material, report psychologist Jeffrey Karpicke and Janell Blunt of Purdue University. Good test questions require students to reconstruct what they know, which itself enhances learning, the team reports.
Despite the popularity of playing "brain games" to build mental muscle, games tend to strengthen only the specific skills used in that particular game, recent studies have found. Testing yourself, on the other hand, will help you remember information longer, according to Henry Roediger III of Washington University and Andrew Butler of Duke University, in an article in the Jan. 15 issue of Trends in Cognitive Science. Experiments have shown that taking a test can more than triple a person's recall, relative to only studying the material, they write.
Older elephants are renowned for never forgetting faces. — Geoff Moore/Gallery Stock
The how-to of self-testing
Testing works equally well if someone tests you or you test yourself. Here's how it works: Before you go into a party (or any event) where you will be introduced to new people whose names you want to remember, remind yourself to test yourself. Then when you first meet someone, use that old trick of saying the person's name right away — even if it's just "nice to meet you, Sam." After a minute or so, say the name to yourself. Repeat as needed, gradually increasing the time between self-quizzes to up to about 10 minutes.
"You want to wait long enough that it's difficult to retrieve it, but while you can still get at it," says David Balota of Washington University. "The best procedure is to learn what works with yourmemory."
If you are reading something that you really want to remember, don't bother rereading it numerous times, says David Gallo of the University of Chicago. Instead, read it once, then re-quiz yourself. Consider making flash cards, a time-honored self-testing technique.
It also helps to talk about what you are trying to remember. At a party, you and your spouse or friend can check in with each other and review names of people you just met. Or if you and your spouse like to read aloud to each other interesting snippets from the newspaper, next time just put the information in your own words. Then double-check to make sure you got all the facts straight. As you get older, doing an accuracy check is key, researchers say. Because of age-related changes in the brain, older people are less likely than younger people to recall details, which makes them more susceptible to remembering incorrectly, says Gallo.
Why retesting works
Testing and retesting yourself helps because of the memory cues we form when trying to remember information, a study in the Oct. 15, 2010, issue of Science shows. When you test yourself repeatedly, you are more likely to remember your memory cues and they are more likely to trigger your memory, researchers report. Also, successfully recalling those cues may make them easier to remember over time. Finally, getting something wrong on a test may force the brain to shift to a more effective cue.
In the study, researchers asked college students to memorize pairs of words in Swahili and English. The researchers encouraged all the students to think of memory cues, which in this case were words that looked or sounded like the Swahili word but meant something similar to the English word. A hint for the pair "wingu-cloud" could be "wing," for example.
On a final exam one week later, students who had been assigned to take practice tests on the word pairings scored better than those who had only restudied the pairs, Katherine Rawson of Kent State University and Mary Pyc of Washington University report. Rawson says their findings apply to older people as well. The importance of these cues is good news for older people, because research shows that aging doesn't impair a person's ability to use them, says Rawson.
Gallo puts everything he needs to remember in his iPhone or e-mail. He tries using memory triggers, such as forming an image of what he needs to remember, "but the problem is I always forget to do that," he says. And he's only 35.
Tina Adler is a freelance writer who covers health, science and the environment
Summary on Keeping your memory strong...
1. The best thing you can do to keep your brain in shape is get off the couch and head out the door for a brisk walk. Just one year of walking three times a week can increase the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that's key to memory.
Link : http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-02-2011/keep_your_memory_strong_by_walking.html
2. How often have you heard a funny joke, only to later forget the punch line? If your memory for jokes and other important information isn't as sharp as it used to be, stop doubting yourself and start quizzing yourself instead. Test yourself, Quiz yourself, Repeat , repeat, repeat until you can Recall Easily..
http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-01-2011/keep_memory_sharp_as_the_brain_ages.html
3. Associate hard-to-remember facts with some familiar space
http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-04-2011/four-memory-tips-from-joshua-foer.html
4. Use "chunking" to remember numbers, such as passwords, credit cards or bank accounts
5. Conquering the OK plateau You’ve got to push yourself past your comfort zone.
6. Pay attention Once upon a time, people invested in their memories. They cultivated them. Today, of course, we’ve got digital cameras, and computers, and smartphones to hold our memories for us. We’ve outsourced our memories to digital devices, and the result is that we no longer trust our memories. We see every small forgotten thing as evidence that they're failing us.
From the book Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer.
Keeping Memory Strong How..
Keep Your Memory Strong by Walking
Moderate exercise can increase brain size
En español | The best thing you can do to keep your brain in shape is get off the couch and head out the door for a brisk walk. Just one year of walking three times a week can increase the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that's key to memory.
See also: Strength training counters muscle loss.
Regular exercise can increase the area of the brain that deals with memory. — Reiner Riedler/Anzenberger/Redux
Scientists know that the hippocampus inevitably begins to shrink as we age, leading to impaired memory and an increased risk of dementia. Now, for the first time, researchers have shown that aerobic exercise can reverse the shrinkage and improve memory, a finding that builds on past evidence pointing to a relationship between fitness and brain function.
"This important study goes well beyond saying that exercise is good for older people, a statement that often leads people to roll their eyes and say, 'Of course,' " says Columbia University neurologist Scott Small, M.D., who was not involved in the research. "It links exercise specifically to a way in which aging affects the brain and clearly establishes a means to ameliorate the onset of age-related memory decline."
For the study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Illinois, Rice University and Ohio State University recruited 120 sedentary older people without dementia.
The men and women, 55 to 80 years old, reported that in the previous six months they had participated in less than one weekly session of physical activity lasting at least 30 minutes. "These folks were pretty much professional couch potatoes," says psychologist Arthur Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the study's senior author.
The participants were randomly assigned to one of two supervised groups, either an aerobic exercise program of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week, or a program of yoga and toning with resistance bands. They provided blood samples, had MRI brain scans and took memory tests at the beginning of the one-year study, after six months and at the end.
After the study ended, brain scans showed that the hippocampus had increased in size by about 2 percent among the walking group, which effectively reversed age-related loss by one to two years, while it shrank by about 1.4 percent in the stretching group. The exercise group also showed improved performance on a memory test and increased levels of BDNF, a protein involved in learning and memory.
Notes Kramer, "This is an inexpensive and painless way to improve memory and brain health. All you need is a good pair of shoes."
The aerobic exercise-memory study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan. 31, 2010.
Nissa Simon is a freelance writer who lives in New Haven, Conn.
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