With two of our four parents succumbing to complications due to Alzheimer’s, memory maintenance is of interest to my wife and me. Readers’ Digest ran an article by Andrea Au Levitt called “5 Easy Memory Tricks.” Her intro paragraph follows:
“You know that eating healthy, staying active, and solving a few brain games can help keep you sharp. But these lesser known habits work wonders, too.”
1. Sit tall – when slouching it follows or promotes defeated, anxious and depressive thoughts, which hinder memory.
2. Exercise – once – gains in memory after one exercise are similar to gains after regular exercise (note still do the regular stuff).
3. Limit TV – including online versions of TV, too much screen time can harm cognitive development and maintenance.
4. Doodle – people can remember things better if they doodle or draw a picture of what they are thinking of. Writing the words of the thing is not as memorable as drawing a picture.
5. Walk backward – real, imagined or watched walking backward or even forward, can help remember something. So, in keeping with #2 above, take a walk (and walk backwards on occasion).
Let me take one of the above and break it down more. One of the examples from Malcom Gladwell’s book, “Talking to strangers,” notes that torture is a horrible way to gain information. Why? Under trauma, people remember less than they would normally. The comment about sitting tall in #1 above, notes if we slouch we increase anxiety or depressive thoughts, a mild form of trauma.
Outside of the walking backward, I do the above things. The sitting tall actually helps this tall person with his back. As for doodling, for some reason when I work the various puzzles in the newspaper, I blacken in the circular letters (O’s, D’s, P’s etc.) in the title of the advice section (sorry Dear Abby). Maybe it helps me with the puzzles (or advice).
As I leave you, think of Barbra Streisand walking backward singing “Memories light the corners of my mind, Misty water-colored memories of the way we were.”
musingsofanoldfart 
Interesting tricks here. Hmm, I am basically sitting upright and as much as possible I keep up my workouts during the week. But this walking backward is intriguing!
Erika, maybe we should moonwalk like Michael Jackson? Keith
Ha, perhaps that would be the best way to walk backward since you move forward too… lol
Erika, my dilemma is I would likely fall down, hit my head and worsen my memory. Keith😎
I’ll have to bear these in mind.
(I wonder if writing fiction counts?)
Roger, writing fiction must count. We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast where all the rooms are named for novelists. Keith
Now that’s what I call inspiration! 😃
I’ve still got time !!
Sitting/standing tall has a variety of good outcomes. Beside making one feel better, more powerful, stretching out physical muscles and bones, now I learn it helps memory, too? I should have great memory because I’m always trying to look taller than I am. But, no, I have horrible memory. Always have. Walking backwards. I do that when I walk with an extremely slow friend. Maybe I need to walk with her more often.
Too funny. I need to sit up straight for my back. I found when I put my legs on an ottoman, my back aches Thank goodness for slow friends.
I was with you, all the way up until that last one! Good grief … I have enough trouble not falling when I walk forward … if I walked backward, I’d have a broken neck for sure! 😉
Jill, so would I. Apparently, we only need to envision walking backward. I would likely fall in my daydream. Keith
I’m sure I would! I’m the only person I know who can fall while standing perfectly still! 😉
Jill, yikes. I have had my share of falls, but none standing up. A sense of humor helps as you pick yourself up. Keith