We don’t need to tell you how important it is to have a healthy brain. (You could say it’s a bit of a … no-brainer.)
This hard-working organ consumes 20% of our energy supply at rest—and when doing a task, that increases by about five percent. It controls everything from emotions to movement to memories.
Our memories are both practical (finding our car keys) and personal (our sense of self), and it’s easy to take them for granted. But over the past few years, research suggests that our ability to remember things is getting worse for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to reliance on smartphones and the pandemic.
So today, we’re looking at a few science-backed ways to improve your memory.
1. HIIT the gym.
Exercise is good for the brain in general, but there are several benefits to incorporating interval training into your fitness routine.
A 2022 study found that just six minutes of high-intensity interval training boosts the blood level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule involved with learning and memory.
Interval training also gets your brain working because you’re keeping track of reps and/or time and switching between different activities. Basically, you’re keeping your brain on its toes (precentral gyrus?).
2. Eat your brussels sprouts.
This cruciferous veggie is a surprising source of omega-3 fatty acids, one of the most important nutrients for brain health. These healthy unsaturated fats have been linked to lower levels of the peptide that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
Other good sources of omega-3s include fatty fish like salmon and cod, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
3. Repeat after us.
Sometimes, you’ve gotta be repetitive. The hippocampus is involved in many things, including memory. Its job is to hold our short-term memories and then transfer them to long-term memory storage. This study found that learning something six times activated the hippocampus more effectively than learning it just once. It also increased the connectivity of the hippocampus to other regions of the brain, resulting in more successful memory retrieval.
4. Take a hike.
Or just a regular ol’ walk—that works too. Aerobic activity increases the size of the hippocampus and improves memory. This is especially important because as we age, our hippocampus actually starts to shrink. But research has shown that adults who walk more than 4,000 steps per day have improved cognitive function. So pull out your favorite fitness tracker, and get to stepping! Your brain will thank you.