Improve My Memory? Is it Easy?

Lots of people for lots of years have been telling me to improve my memory. I told them I would and then went blithely on my forgetful way.

Little did they know that strategic forgetting can be an excellent labor saving device.

Two things have changed my thinking on improving my memory. The first is that I actually began to forget words, struggling with word recall, which is a signal that my brain is reaching the status of Senior Brain, and the second was that my 11 year old boy has very astutely picked up on my forgetfulness as a labor saving device, and put it to excellent use, which is frustrating.

So to all of you who felt equally as frustrated with me, my apologies.

But before I could work with my son on the use of this strategy, I had to remember what his chores were, so I began to search improve my memory tools.

I remember (honest!) using the Harry Lorayne tools as a kid, searching for ways to become a super star, so I could have started there, using the traditional association and mnemomic tools, but didn't go that route because there have been some wonderful breakthroughs in understanding how the brain grows new brain cells, which is called neurogenesis, and how neurons, whether new or old, connect, which is called neuroplasticity.

It turns out that if I attend to my brain's fitness, I can make all the different kinds of memory more efficient and effective.

Sort of like working out the physical body in preparation for an athletic endeavor, I work out the brain for memory endeavors, by taking care of the pillars of brain fitness.

Those pillars are described clearly and conscisely by Simon Evans,Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt,Ph.D. who are neuroscientists at the University of Michigan in their easy to remember book Brainfit for Life.The pillars of brain fitness, and therefore the pillars of improving my memory are, physical activity/exercise, nutrition, including lots of antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acid, sleep, (yes, naps are good, but not on the job), stress management, and novel learning experiences.

If those pillars are attended to regularly, then neurons are poised to form new connections and to keep them, which is what memory is, simply a number of neurons connected.

A most interesting aspect of the pillars of brain fitness to me is the novel learning experience pillar, as most of the writers say that the kind of learning most helpful is the kind of learning we experience when learning a new language or new musical instrument, with increasing complexity, and appropriate levels of feedback.

If you are like me, you probably do not have a lot of free time to spend practicing a new instrument, or vocabulary lessons.

There are some computerized brain fitness tools that definitely fit the novel learning experience criterion and the 'improve my memory' criterion.

Very Interesting Computerized Improve My Memory Tools

Our theory here is that increased neurogenesis and neuroplasticity are very important aspects of improving your memory.

I have tried  some computerized brain fitness programs, because the research associated with them or done using them, in this case the IMPACT study and the PNAS research  is generating some positive vibrations from scientists and participants alike.

My experience with scheduling and practice varied with the tool I was trying out.  One program, very helpful for my word recall issue, required an hour a day for 40 days, which could be a bit difficult to keep up with, and another required one half hour for nineteen days, and that one taught me how fast my attention wanders.

The latter program is marketed as a tool which will increase fluid intelligence, and as an older parent with active, noisy kids and a cingulate gyrus that can get stuck, anything that helps me sort through many competing noises without locking up my brain in a headache is something I am very grateful for.

There are many other computerized brain fitness tools on the market, and I know we will soon be seeing brain fitness and memory fitness trainers out there soon.

Just don't forget that improving your memory requires that all the pillars of brain fitness get handled, not just the novel learning experience.

Now did I forget where the vacuum is or did my son?