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caption48 gm0413memp48.pdf Page 48 18/02/2013, 9:07:48 AM

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caption49 goodhealth. Your memory is like a muscle – if you don’t use it, then you’ll lose it. Sarah Marinos shares some effective memory-boosting strategies MEMORY a better 1. Think ‘while I remember’ and not ‘before I forget’… When you say ‘before I forget’ you’re telling your brain to forget instead of giving it the command to remember, says Goddard. “Tell yourself, ‘I want to remember this’, rather than ‘before I forget this’. That way, your brain focuses on remembering,” she says, adding that it is important to keep your memory associations positive and clear. If you find yourself frequently forgetting things, or you wish you could recall vital information quickly, it’s time to work on improving your memory. And the good news is it’s easy, says Jennifer Goddard, co-founder of the Buzan Centre in Australia. The centre teaches people how to improve their memory and study skills. Here Goddard reveals 10 ways that will help give you total recall. 2. ‘Park’ information the way you park a car If you want to remember pieces of information, ‘park’ key details. So imagine points in a room you are in – start in the top left corner or midway between the top left and top right corner, ‘park’ there, then move to the top right corner and so on. “Start at that top left corner and choose one piece of information you want to remember. Visualise something to help you remember that and ‘park it’ in that corner,” says Goddard. Then choose another bit of information and park it in the second spot in the same way. Keep working around the room. When you look at that top left corner it will trigger your memory to recall what you need to. gm0413memp49.pdf Page 49 18/02/2013, 9:07:48 AM

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caption50 5. Exercise most days Exercise increases the size of the hippocampus – the brain’s central processing unit. US research has found the hippocampus shrinks as we age, affecting memory and increasing the risk of dementia. But a study of older men and women found that walking for about 40 minutes a day three times a week increased the size of their hippocampus by two per cent after they had been exercising for a year. Exercise also boosted brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a molecule that has a beneficial effect on memory. “A good 30 to 40 minutes of exercise like a fast walk or a run are ideal. But you have to push yourself a bit,” says Goddard. 4. A picture is worth a thousand words “We remember details of a movie more easily than we remember a slab of text,” says Goddard. “So when you’re remembering information, create a picture in your mind or a mind map.” A mind sketch condenses information into a diagram or map using key words and images to help you recall information. “Mind maps are an active, intelligent doodle,” Goddard says. “You take information and place it on a map rather than recording it in linear notes.” 3. Be ready to listen for people’s names The three Ls – look, listen and link – will help you remember people’s names. “Look at that person, listen for their name and hear it, and then link that name to the first thing that pops into your head about that name,” says Goddard. “You may know someone who has that same name, or perhaps the person you’re talking to is called Rod and he happens to be tall and thin. These triggers can help you recall a name later.” gm0413memp50.pdf Page 50 18/02/2013, 9:07:48 AM

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caption7. Relax and don’t stress Stress keeps your brain on high alert and busy, so there’s little room to remember new information. “Sleep and relax to help memory,” says Goddard. Dr Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher from the University of California, found REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is especially important for good memory. REM is the stage of sleep where our dreams are most vivid. “REM sleep is important for pulling together all the information we process on a daily basis and turning it into memories we can use later,” says Dr Mednick. 8. Read aloud “Reading aloud is a great brain training technique because information is going in through the eyes, going through the brain and telling your mouth to move – it’s a whole brain workout,” says Goddard. Japanese research found reading aloud and solving maths problems each day stimulates the memory and different areas of the brain. Crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, particularly, help keep our memory active. Crossword questions force us to remember relevant information to identify key words. But when you stop doing puzzles the benefits wear off, says Goddard. 10. Eat omega-3s Found in oily fish, eggs, flax and chia seeds, walnuts and red meat, omega-3s are the good oils that build brain cells and help brain function and memory. The Heart Foundation recommends eating two to three 150g serves of oily fish, such as salmon, tuna or sardines, every week and 2g of plant-based omega-3s daily, such as two slices of soy and linseed bread or 30g of walnuts. On the other hand, processed foods, sugar and alcohol are not so good for memory. “If you have too many chardonnays, you’ll experience brain fog,” says Goddard. “Or if you eat too much processed food, you’ll feel tired as blood goes from the brain to your stomach to process the food.” 6. Learn to juggle The hand-eye coordination involved in juggling gets both sides of