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Memory enhancement exercises


10 Brain Exercises That Boost Memory |

(referenced: http://www.everydayhealth.com/longevity/mental-fitness/brain-exercises-for-memory.aspx)

Keep your brain as healthy and fit as your body with these simple tips.

We don’t just lose muscle over time — our brains can atrophy, too. More specifically, your brain’s cognitive reserve — its ability to withstand neurological damage due to aging and other factors without showing visible signs of slowing or memory loss — diminishes through the years. That can make it more difficult to perform mental tasks. But just as weight workouts add lean muscle to your body and help you retain more muscle in your later years, researchers now believe that following a brain-healthy lifestyle and performing regular, targeted brain exercises can also increase your brain’s cognitive reserve.

The Healthy Brain: A Multifaceted Approach

In one of the most detailed studies on the connection between lifestyle and dementia risk to date, researchers found that people who participate in multiple healthy behaviors significantly reduce their risk for dementia. The 2013 study, published in PLOS ONE, looked at 2,235 men for 30 years and measured their participation in five healthy lifestyle behaviors: non-smoking, optimal BMI, high fruit and vegetable intake, regular physical activity, and low to moderate alcohol intake. The study participants who followed four or all five of the behaviors were about 60 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.

“Approaches to brain health include a well-balanced diet low in fat, low in cholesterol, and high in antioxidants,” says Robert Bender, MD, medical director of the Johnny Orr Memory Center and Healthy Aging Institute in Des Moines, Iowa.

In addition to good nutrition, regular exercise can promote vascular health to help protect brain tissue. Avoiding ruts and boredom is also critical. “The brain wants to learn new things,” says Dr. Bender, noting that some researchers believe that people are more vulnerable to dementia when they pay less attention to the things around them. “When the brain is passive, it has a tendency to atrophy,” he adds. For this reason, sedentary and relatively passive activities, such as sitting in front of a TV for hours a day, can be detrimental to brain health over time.

10 Real-World Brain Exercises That Work

On top of a healthy diet and regular exercise, there are ways to give your brain its own workout routine — without emptying your wallet. Although brain training software is everywhere these days, it has yet to show any significant neurological benefits for older adults. In a 2014 review published in PLOS Medicine, Australian researchers looked at 52 different studies on computerized cognitive training on a total 4,885 participants and found that the games are not particularly effective in improving brain performance.

Experts recommend sticking to brain training that involves real-world activities. Exercises to strengthen brain function should offer novelty and challenge. “Almost any silly suggestion can work,” says David Eagleman, PhD, neuroscientist and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. “Drive home via a different route; brush your teeth with your opposite hand. The brain works through associations [which is why it’s easier to memorize lyrics to a song than it is to try and remember the same words without music], so the more senses you involve the better.”

Your morning newspaper is a great place to start. “Simple games like Sudoku and word games are good, as well as comic strips where you find things that are different from one picture to the next,” says John E. Morley, MD, director of St. Louis University’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and author of The Science of Staying Young. In addition to word games, Dr. Morley recommends the following exercises to sharpen your mental skills:

  1. Test your recall. Make a list — of grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind — and memorize it. An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. Make items on the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation.
  2. Let the music play. Learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Studies show that learning something new and complex over a longer period of time is ideal for the aging mind.
  3. Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of pencil, paper, or computer; you can make this more difficult — and athletic — by walking at the same time.
  4. Take a cooking class. Learn how to cook a new cuisine. Cooking uses a number of senses: smell, touch, sight, and taste, which all involve different parts of the brain.
  5. Learn a foreign language. The listening and hearing involved stimulates the brain. What’s more, a rich vocabulary has been linked to a reduced risk for cognitive decline.
  6. Create word pictures. Visualize the spelling of a word in your head, then try and think of any other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
  7. Draw a map from memory. After returning home from visiting a new place, try to draw a map of the area; repeat this exercise each time you visit a new location.
  8. Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal, including subtle herbs and spices.
  9. Refine your hand-eye abilities. Take up a new hobby that involves fine-motor skills, such as knitting, drawing, painting, assembling a puzzle, etc.
  10. Learn a new sport. Start doing an athletic exercise that utilizes both mind and body, such as yoga, golf, or tennis.

Soon people will realize that they can take steps to keep their brains healthy, just as they know they can prevent heart disease by taking certain actions, says Bender. “In the coming decade, I predict brain wellness to be right up there with heart health — now that there’s proof that living a brain-healthy lifestyle works!”

10 Brain Exercises to Help Boost Memory

The old adage “use it or lose it” applies not only to our physical health but also to our cognitive health. We know that regular physical exercise is important, especially as we get older and want to reduce our risk of developing diseases and other health issues associated with aging. For instance, strength exercises can help build muscle and boost bone density, per the Mayo Clinic; balance exercises can help prevent falls, per MedlinePlus; and regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help maintain your range of motion to keep you limber, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Similarly, your brain's cognitive reserve — its ability to withstand neurological damage due to aging and other factors without showing signs of slowing or memory loss — can also benefit from exercise, both physical and cognitive. Just as weight workouts add lean muscle to your body and help you retain muscle in your later years, the NIA notes that following a brain-healthy lifestyle and performing regular, targeted brain exercises may help increase your brain’s cognitive reserve, though more research is needed to confirm the effects.

A Whole-Body Approach to a Healthy Brain

So what types of exercises might benefit your brain? Research suggests that when it comes to keeping your mind sharp, exercising your body as well as your mind and sticking to healthy habits is the ideal formula.

Authors of a study published in July 2019 in The Journal of the American Medical Association followed about 196,400 participants ages 60 and older who didn’t have cognitive impairment or dementia when they joined the study for eight years. They gathered data on participants’ lifestyle habits, such as current smoking status, regular physical activity, healthy diet, and alcohol consumption. Ultimately, researchers found that a healthy lifestyle was associated with a lower dementia risk among participants, regardless of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Another study, published in Neurology in July 2020, found that people who participate in multiple healthy behaviors significantly reduce their risk for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. For about six years, the study tracked five healthy lifestyle behaviors — nonsmoking, regular physical activity, low to moderate alcohol consumption, adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, and engagement in activities that boost cognitive skills — in nearly 2,800 adults and found that those who followed at least four of the behaviors were about 60 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

“Approaches to brain health include a well-balanced diet low in fat, low in cholesterol, and high in antioxidants,” says Robert Bender, MD, section chief of the Geriatric and Memory Center at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Foods high in antioxidants include nuts, fruits (especially berries), veggies, chocolate, and herbs and spices, past research notes.

In addition to good nutrition, regular exercise can promote vascular health to help protect brain tissue. Avoiding ruts and boredom is also critical. “The brain wants to learn new things,” says Dr. Bender, adding that some researchers believe people are more vulnerable to dementia when they pay less attention to the things around them. “When the brain is passive, it has a tendency to atrophy,” he adds. Therefore, sedentary and relatively passive activities, such as sitting in front of a TV for hours a day, can be detrimental to brain health over time.

Physical exercise can also be particularly beneficial for the brain. In a small study published in September 2018 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that a single 10-minute period of low-intensity pedaling on a stationary bike was associated with increased activity in the brain’s hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for creating new memories and remembering facts and events.

And a small study published in July 2019 in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society found that a single moderate-intensity workout session immediately before a cognitive task resulted in greater brain activation. The researchers measured the brain activity of 26 healthy adults ages 55 to 85 on two separate days. On one day, they had participants rest for 30 minutes before identifying famous and nonfamous names; on a separate day, they had participants pedal a stationary bike for 30 minutes before doing the same activity. The result: There was significantly greater brain activation after exercise. This finding led researchers to conclude that exercise can immediately change the way our brains function, which added to existing scientific evidence that physical activity helps strengthen brain function and memory.

10 Brain Exercises to Boost Memory and Cognitive Function

In addition to following the aforementioned healthy lifestyle habits, you can also keep your mind and memory sharp with exercises to train your brain — and you don’t have to break the bank to do so. While there are scores of computer games and apps that promise to enhance cognitive function, there isn’t any definitive research that shows these products have significant neurological benefits for older adults. A meta-analysis of eight clinical trials published in February 2020 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that while computer cognition training was associated with small, short-term cognitive benefits, there’s not enough high-quality research to support the use of brain games for preventing dementia or improving long-term cognitive function.

Health experts recommend sticking to brain training that involves real-world activities instead. Exercises to strengthen brain function should offer novelty and challenge. “Almost any silly suggestion can work,” says David Eagleman, PhD, a neuroscientist and adjunct professor of psychology and public mental health and population sciences at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University in California. “Drive home via a different route. Brush your teeth with your opposite hand. The brain works through associations, [which is why it’s easier to memorize lyrics than it is to try to remember the same words without music], so the more senses you involve, the better. ”

Your morning newspaper is a great place to start. “Simple games like Sudoku and word games are good, as well as comic strips where you find things that are different from one picture to the next,” says John E. Morley, MD, a professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University in Missouri. In addition to word games, Dr. Morley recommends the following exercises to sharpen your mental skills. (Keep in mind that there’s a lack of high-quality research in this area; these recommendations are based on Morley’s clinical experience.)

  1. Test your recall. Make a list — grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind — and memorize it. An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. Make the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation. One small past study suggested that writing and organizing lists helped older adults recall word lists more effectively.
  2. Let the music play.  Learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Learning new and complex skills is good for the aging brain, and a past review published in The Gerontologist suggested that musical activities (like playing a musical instrument, singing in a choir, or taking piano lessons) showed particular promise for healthy brain aging, though research is limited.
  3. Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of a pencil, paper, or computer. One small study, published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology in 2021, suggested that solving math problems had a positive effect on participants’ cognition. You can make this exercise more difficult — and athletic — by walking at the same time.
  4. Take a cooking class. Learn how to cook a new cuisine. Cooking uses a number of senses — smell, touch, sight, and taste — that involve different parts of the brain. Plus, you’ll use cognitive skills like planning the meal, problem-solving, crafting a grocery list, multi-tasking, and organizing, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
  5. Learn a foreign language. The listening and hearing involved in learning a new language stimulates the brain. Plus, being bilingual was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia in one meta-analysis published in October 2020 in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
  6. Create word pictures. Visualize the spelling of a word in your head, and then try to think of other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
  7. Draw a map from memory. After returning home from visiting a new place, try to draw a map of the area. Repeat this exercise each time you go somewhere new. One past study, which focused on London taxi drivers (who are expected to memorize the complex layout of the city), found that drivers who successfully memorized the city map showed permanent changes to brain structure and better cognitive function.
  8. Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal, including subtle herbs and spices.
  9. Refine your hand-eye coordination. Take up a new hobby that involves fine motor skills, and can help you keep your hand-eye coordination sharp. Per Harvard Health Publishing, this could include racquet sports, tai chi, knitting, drawing, painting, or playing video games.
  10. Learn a new sport. Start doing an athletic exercise. A review published in Frontiers in Psychology in December 2019 noted that boosting your balance, strength, and aerobic capacity — that is, your body’s ability to use oxygen for energy — can help protect your brain as you age. Morley specifically suggests yoga, golf, or tennis as exercises that boost brain health, while Harvard Health Publishing recommends swimming for its brain-boosting benefits.

Soon people will realize they can take steps to keep their brains healthy, just as they know they can prevent heart disease by taking certain actions, says Bender: “In the coming decade, I predict brain wellness to be right up there with heart health, now that there’s proof that living a brain-healthy lifestyle works!”

Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport.

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Memory training: tips and exercises to help keep your brain in good shape

Contents:
  • Why you need to train your memory
  • Training methods
  • 10 memory exercises
  • Memory and attention training
  • Memory and brain training
  • Conclusion

Why you need to train your memory

Human memory is inextricably linked with the brain and thought processes. The more information we hold in memory, the more activity the brain has to process this information. This is how the brain learns and becomes more developed.

However, the level of intelligence is not fixed once and for all at one point. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin have found that the brain reaches its peak of activity at the age of 16-25, after which cognitive functions gradually decline. But this does not mean that it is impossible to restore the brain to its former strength. Just for this, it is necessary to train the brain and memory.

Our brain has neuroplasticity - the ability to adapt to new conditions and change. And he can do it at any age. And best of all, the brain forms new neural connections when it learns something new and remembers this information. Research also shows that regular memory training increases intelligence scores in adults and can improve the memory of older people and return it to middle age.

Related materials:
9 simple habits that improve memory
6 memory exercises
Memory development - effective ways to train

Ways to train

To keep memory in good shape, it, like the body, needs to be trained. But don't be alarmed - it's not that difficult and requires almost no extra effort. All the activities that will help train your memory can easily be included in your daily routine.

Learn foreign languages. This is one of the best ways to develop both the brain and memory. When you learn a foreign language, you come across a new and unknown system. But this is what stimulates the brain and makes it go out of its comfort zone. It is also a rather laborious task that requires increased concentration. The stepwise process of learning - you start with simple things and gradually increase your level, provides the brain with an even load. And at the end you will be rewarded - you will learn a new culture, you will be able to talk with a native speaker, pass an exam and get a new job. This, in turn, affects the production of the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of satisfaction, and also helps the learning and memory processes.

Work on imagination and visualization. Figurative thinking helps to develop memory. Let's say you need to remember a phone number or a new pin code for a bank card. Imagine how you type the necessary numbers on the keyboard, how your fingers move and what lines they draw. Another example is a shopping list. Visualize in your mind the products you are going to buy. This way, not only will you remember to buy oranges or a can of tuna, but you will also create an emotional connection with these objects. Also try to visualize in your mind images of what you are reading, whether it is fiction or an article in a business publication. The memorization mechanism works in such a way that, if necessary, the brain will reproduce the desired visual image.

Disrupt automatism. Every day we do a lot of routine activities - brushing our teeth, walking the familiar route to work, ordering the same type of coffee in a cafe next door. The brain at this time acts on the machine and does not strain. To stir up the brain and make it work more actively, it is useful to periodically change established habits. For example, change your usual route, brush your teeth with your left hand if you are right-handed, try a new dish in a cafe, or cook yourself according to a new recipe.

10 Memory Exercises

Try these exercises daily to train your memory.

1. Solve arithmetic examples

When you do arithmetic, you make your brain work and analyze situations faster. You can also introduce arithmetic calculations into everyday life. For example, counting tips in your head at a cafe or the benefit that you can get from a special offer in a store.

2. Learn poems

Try to memorize a short poem or part of it every day. When you study a poem, try to say it out loud. So you use your articulatory apparatus, which contributes to better memorization. Over time, you will need fewer repetitions to memorize one verse.

3. Describe objects

Choose any object that is nearby - a vase, a figurine, a book with an interesting cover. It is better to choose items that have more details. Look at the subject carefully for half a minute and remember all the details. Then turn away from the subject and describe it in detail.

4. Solve crossword puzzles

Crossword puzzles effectively train the brain and memory. Other games with words, such as scrabble, are also suitable.

5. Memorize figures ("Matches")

For this exercise you will need ten matches. First, take five matches and throw them on the table. For a few seconds, remember their location, then turn away and try to make the same picture from the other five matches.

6. Remember objects or words

Place ten different objects on the table, list them out loud for a minute, and then cover them with something. After that, try to name all the items that are on the table. To increase the difficulty of the exercise, you can increase the number of items. Also, the exercise can be performed using a list of words. Write the words on the sheet, turn the sheet over and repeat what is written.

7. Perform actions blindly

Try to walk around the apartment with your eyes closed or do a habitual action blindly. This will improve memory and increase spatial orientation skills.

8. Tell stories

Try to make up a story about how your day went. Storytelling helps to better remember important events and interesting details, as well as connect emotions with memories.

9. Make mental excursions

Imagine your way to work or mentally walk around the apartment. During these "walks" pay attention to the details and consider individual objects. This exercise trains concentration, because during the walk you spend a lot of time to study objects in detail.

10. Building memory palaces

Imagine a space you know well, like your room. Then choose objects or places there that will be your “hooks”, and attach the necessary associations to them. The more absurd they are, the better they will be remembered. When you master the method in a familiar place, you can build such palaces from any space.

Shutterstock / Gohengs

Memory & Attention Training

The ability to concentrate and hold attention is very important for the development of memory. After all, this is how memories are transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory.

You should start by focusing your attention on one activity as much as possible. When working on a task, do not get distracted by other things or social networks.

You can also do exercises that will help develop both attention and memory. Speed ​​reading exercises work well for this. For example, Schulte tables. Their essence is to consistently find numbers in as little time as possible. When you look up numbers in a table, your vision captures several cells at once. Thus, you remember the location of not only the desired cell, but also cells with other numbers. Tables train peripheral vision, attention and observation.

The Stroop test is also suitable. It trains both visual memory and attentiveness well. Its essence is to say out loud the color of the words as quickly as possible. The main mistake is the temptation to read the word itself, and not the color in which it is written. If you are wrong, you must name the color again.

Memory and brain training

The human brain and memory are interconnected, so when we train our memory, we train our brain. Memory exercises, visualization of objects perfectly develop thinking. But there are a few more life hacks that will improve the functioning of the brain and help it remember and process information more efficiently.

Go in for sports. Daily exercise improves brain function. When you exercise, your brain gets more oxygen. It also reduces the risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. And they are common causes of memory loss. Physical exercise also helps fight stress. Even a half-hour walk in the nearest park or 5-10 minutes of exercise will reboot the brain and restore concentration.

Good sleep. Healthy sleep is essential for learning and memory. After all, during the deep phase of sleep, memory is strengthened. Not only the amount of sleep is important - 7-9hours, but also the quality. To do this, you need to make a sleep schedule and go to bed at the same time every day. And an hour before bedtime, you should avoid interacting with a smartphone or computer. After all, the glow of screens has a negative effect on the body, in particular, it suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin.

Track the amount of stress and monitor your health. Chronic stress can destroy brain cells and also cause memory loss. Constant stress can affect a person's health and exacerbate chronic diseases. Therefore, it is important to monitor your condition in time and control the amount of stress. For example, take breaks during the day, set yourself realistic goals, have a good rest.

You should also monitor your health and conduct regular medical checkups. Dementia and Alzheimer's are not the only diseases that cause memory impairment. Heart disease, diabetes, and hormone imbalances also impair cognition and can affect our ability to concentrate and process new information adequately.

Conclusion

Active work of the brain is the key to a healthy and successful human life. In order to develop the brain and constantly feed its energy, it is necessary to regularly train memory, attention, imagination, and also not to forget about the physical condition of the body. To do this, try to include these actions in your life.

  1. Learn new things. For example, foreign languages.
  2. Develop imagination.
  3. Change habitual patterns of behavior.
  4. Do exercises regularly to train your memory.
  5. Train concentration and attention.
  6. Exercise.
  7. Reduce the amount of stress.
  8. Maintain health and good sleep.

Author: Marina Rastorgueva

Cover photo: Shutterstock / fizkes

Exercises to develop and improve memory

Memory is a strange artist: it renews the colors of life
and erases gray shades, retaining only the brightest colors;
and the most expressive silhouettes.

Mark Levy

Contents

  1. Why develop memory
  2. How to develop memory, attention and thinking
  3. What exercises develop memory
  4. How to further improve your memory

It so happened that people today hardly use their memory: contacts are recorded in the phone, knowledge - on the pages of websites, meetings - in online planners, tasks - in notes. But aren't we relying too much on external helpers? And don't we trust ourselves too little?

Why develop memory

A good memory is the key to a successful future, an important resource through which we accumulate knowledge and experience that serve as the basis for decision-making. Neurons are the nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for memory.

For memory to work well, nerve cells need a lot of energy, which the brain does not always want to provide. The brain saves energy and gets rid of everything that seems unnecessary to it, so we forget a lot of things pretty quickly. This can be corrected: the brain will spend less energy on memorization if you start training memory.

How to develop memory, attention and thinking

Regular training is the key to success in the development of memory and attention, because the brain is the same muscle that can and should be “pumped”. Only here you can’t do with an ordinary gym.

A set of exercises will help you become more attentive. On the one hand, these are special games and tasks that can be performed at school lessons. On the other hand, this is a banal observation of everything that surrounds us.

The volume and accuracy of memorization help to train special tasks adapted to the level of complexity, such as, for example, in the course "Development of memory and attention", and regular cognitive load.

In addition, memory, attention and thinking are inextricably linked, therefore, in order to pump the brain to the fullest, you need to develop each of these skills separately and in combination.

What exercises develop memory

We share a selection of exercises that will make you more attentive, improve memory and thinking, and also help you tune in to productive work.

Line

Take a piece of paper, a pen and record 3 minutes. At this time, slowly draw a horizontal line and do not think about anything else. As soon as an extraneous thought appears in your head, turn the line into a sharp peak, and then continue to draw a straight line until time runs out or until a new extraneous thought.

If your line looks like an ECG at the end, train more often. If, on the contrary, the task turned out to be too simple, note 5 minutes.

Bookkeeper

Prepare short examples of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. You can use any application for oral counting on your smartphone. Solving examples for at least 3 minutes will make the brain work faster and teach you to concentrate on the task you desire.

Ambidexter

Which hand do you write with? Change your pen and write a few words. You can try to draw a simple drawing with your non-working hand or with both hands at once. This is very beneficial for the brain. Firstly, fine motor skills, which are involved in writing by hand, have a beneficial effect on memory, and secondly, this is a way to activate the brain with unusual activity.

Trailblazer

Think of a new route to work, home or the supermarket. While walking, try to remember the names of streets, establishments and other distinctive features. Before going to bed, restore the created route in memory with maximum accuracy. Try to exercise daily.

Keen Eye

Look around your room or office. Explore the space for a minute. Then close your eyes and list all the objects you remember, from the largest (door, table, cabinet) to the smallest (pens, figurines, stains or scratches).

Portrait painter

Look at a colleague or anyone you meet for 30-40 seconds. Turn away and remember the features of appearance in as much detail as possible: clothes, eye color, hairstyle, freckles, moles, etc.

All exercises train attention and work with memory: with each new training session, you will memorize more and more nuances.

The next group of exercises will require preparation. You will need a sheet of paper, a pen and an assistant.

Pyramid

Ask an assistant to write the numbers in a column on a piece of paper. Let there be only three or four of them on the first line. On the second - five, on the third - six. So the column of numbers will resemble a pyramid. First close it with your hand, and then open one of the stitches for a few seconds. Repeat the sequence of numbers in the line from memory and check with the correct answer. Try to reduce the number of mistakes and review time in each workout.

Chain

On a piece of paper, the assistant writes for you ten words that are not related to each other:

  • key,
  • sewing machine,
  • helicopter,
  • hare,
  • bonfire,
  • wire,
  • mosquito,
  • bucket,
  • nose,
  • tire.

Read these words and try to name them from memory in the correct order without looking. You can make a story out of them. For example: we start a sewing machine with a huge key, it sews a whole helicopter, on the skids of which a fearless hare hangs ... Have you coped with one chain? Ask them to prepare new ones for you: more authentic and more difficult.

Couples

Here you need to prepare pairs of words that are not related to each other.

house

crocodile

sheep

spaghetti

gnome

crutches

knife

planet

sneakers

theater

To remember them, you need to imagine them in the form of vivid images. For example: a huge crocodile eats a house, a sheep walks in a spaghetti coat, a gnome moves on crutches. Having closed one column with your hand, remember the pairs for words from the open column. Try to memorize as quickly as possible, spending no more than 30-40 seconds on ten pairs. Accuracy and speed of execution will be the key to "pumped memory".

These and other similar exercises are difficult to fully perform on your own, so the effectiveness is reduced. Here you definitely need an assistant. In addition, exercise should be done regularly. You can make it easier for yourself and enroll in a course on the development of memory and attention - there you will train cognitive skills on various tasks, you are supported by curators, there is a time tracker.

Memory Diary

Before going to bed, rewind the whole day. Try to remember the smallest details: where you were, with whom you talked, what you met along the way, what feelings you experienced. Further, you will have to allocate more time for this task, as you will remember your activities in more detail.

Carbon copy

Examine an image, such as a 100 ruble banknote, for a minute. Then take a piece of paper and draw the image on the bill from memory. Check your drawing against the original. If you missed a few details, remember what was missing and make a new sketch to correct the mistakes. Gradually find more and more difficult pictures so that there is an effect.

Magician

Take an ordinary deck of cards, shuffle it and try to remember the sequence of the first five cards from the deck. Five cards are easy to remember? How about 10, 15 or the whole deck? Do the exercise regularly and you will notice how your memory capacity will increase.

Of course, the more difficult and voluminous materials you memorize, the better your memory works.

Polyglot

Start learning a foreign language. Then you will need to memorize a lot of words and rules, speak and understand speech by ear. This challenging task involves the entire brain and is great for developing the ability to remember and retain information. You can learn the fast technology of memorizing words by watching a short video.

Writer

Make it a rule to memorize poetry or prose regularly. This is also great for training memory, and a variety of texts will allow you to gradually increase the cognitive load.

Walking Encyclopedia

Make a selection of articles on an interesting topic. Practice quickly reading, analyzing and retelling articles - this will strengthen your memory. Another plus of the exercise is that the acquired knowledge can be used at any time.

Important!

When working with exercises for the development of memory, attention and thinking, several principles must be observed:

  1. Set a goal - understanding your goal motivates you to succeed.
  2. Move from simple to complex - too difficult tasks demotivate.
  3. Focus on quality before quantity. In other words, first do it right and a little, and only then increase the load.
  4. Watch your speed - the higher the speed, the more useful.
  5. Work in pleasure - if you like the activity, then you want more training. More training means better results.

How else to improve memory

In addition to the above exercises, there are factors that will have a beneficial effect on the brain as a whole, and, therefore, on attentiveness, memory and clarity of thought.

Sleep and wake patterns

7-8 hours of sleep is important for brain activity. During this time, he manages to strengthen the necessary connections between neurons and destroy those that are no longer needed. Build the mode in such a way that the brain gets enough time to “put things in order”.

Walking

Try to walk every day to provide oxygen to the brain. This is very important for his work. On the other hand, on walks you can train your attention by observing others and laying new routes.

Physical exercise

Did you hate physical education at school? In vain! Physical activity increases blood circulation: the brain gets nourished and oxygenated faster, which means it can work longer and more productively.

Proper nutrition

Proper nutrition affects not only health in general, but also the brain in particular. Fats and vitamins found in nuts, vegetables and red fish, for example, help the brain cope with stress.

Cognitive load

The development of thinking and memory is also facilitated by solving crosswords and puzzles.

Learn more