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Forgot your age? Lost your glasses? Can’t calculate a tip anymore?
Don’t fret, you can fix it in a jiffy. How about starting with a nice nap?

Age is the enemy of your brain. As you grow older, cognitive functions naturally slow and your memory declines. It starts out as a minor annoyance.

“It’s okay, I just have too much going on and I’m stressed.”

Sound familiar?

In time, calculations and decisions take longer, and you’re constantly distracted. The pace of the world seems to be accelerating and you can’t keep up.

Words elude you:

“She asked me to, uh… you know … give up … my interest. Dang, what’s that word for ‘give up’?” my friend asked.

“Relinquish?” I replied.

“That’s it! I just can’t seem to remember words anymore.”

They say it’s inevitable and there’s no permanent cure, but it’s not all doom and gloom. It doesn’t have to be a slow slide into doddering senility. You can hold it at bay, even reverse it, with some modest effort and entertaining activities.

New habits are just what the doctor ordered.

1. Daily walkabouts, nature’s perfect habit

No surprise here. Countless studies have shown that moderate to vigorous activity lifts your spirits and increases blood flow to the brain. The resulting rise in metabolism improves learning and memory. No more stumbling over phrases and forgetting to buy bananas at the market.

Walk daily if you can, for 45 minutes or more. Do so at a brisk pace for best results. Your brain will thank you, you’ll lose weight, and build muscle. Start slow if you’re new to this and talk to your doctor before you get too crazy with it. If you want to mix it up, ride your bike, paddle a canoe, play some soccer, and trip the light fantastic.

Some say consistent physical activity is the single best habit you can develop to improve your health, cognition, and (possibly) delay the onset of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.

And … Since you’re taking a walk, why not bring a friend along?

2. Friends are brilliant

Building and nurturing a social network is hard for introverts in pandemics, but with a little effort, you can build a habit that will make you both happy and healthy!

And like usual, your mother was right about this one:

“Go play with your little friends!”

Connecting with others in social settings keeps your brain strong and, yes, greatly improves cognitive functions. Lively conversations exercise the left side of your brain, the same side that manages numeric calculations and reasoning.

So, go play with your friends, old ones and new ones. Hang out with different kinds of people, particularly those with contrasting viewpoints (open-minded debates are great for your brain). Play games, watch movies, host video parties, go to church or school, join a book club.

Do you have artistic friends?

3. Create something, anything, even if it’s ugly

Artistic creativity exercises the mind in a multitude of dimensions. It improves self-esteem and well-being. It reduces stress, aggression, agitation, and apathy. It improves attention and memory.

“Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world,”

-Christianne Strang, Neuroscientist, University of Alabama

Your brain learns at any age. Scientists call it “plasticity” which means when you feed it new information, it adjusts itself (like plastic) by growing new connections between neurons. These new connections strengthen with repetition, making permanent changes often referred to as “muscle memory.”

Art is a perfect way to build and strengthen the pathways in your brain that lead to cognitive excellence and self-confidence.

Try writing, painting, drawing, or sculpture. Play an instrument, sing, and dance. Act in the theater or role-play at home. Knit an afghan or needlepoint a doily. We all have cameras these days, so take artistic pictures (and share them with your new friends).

Do you like to cook? Food can be artistic too.

4. Eat your way to a healthy brain

“You are what you eat.”

I’m not suggesting you eat brains (though some say tête de veau is an exquisite delicacy). Rather, modest meals of healthy foods will feed your brain the right nutrients to stave off the harmful effects of age.

Eat foods with vitamins and antioxidants. Focus on vitamins C, D, and E. The best foods to fight cognitive decline are berries, oily fish, coffee and chocolate (yay!), nuts and seeds, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables.

• Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, and mulberries
• Salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines
• Dark chocolate and coffees (chock full of antioxidants)
• Soybeans, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds
• Brown rice, barley, bulger wheat, and oatmeal
• Avocados, peanuts, eggs, broccoli, and (ugh) kale

Armed with the right foods and a roster of recipes you’ll be positioned for peak cognitive performance and a smorgasbord of delicious dinners.

Take care of your food, and don’t forget to take care of yourself.

5. Look out for #1

The doctor says:

“Eat right, exercise, and get plenty of sleep.”

And she’s right! Eating, exercising, and sleeping right are excellent habits that form the foundation of a healthy mind and body. But there are many more ways you can look out for yourself and reverse cognitive decline.

• Declutter. When you have fewer things, they’re easier to keep track of.
• Organize. If everything is always in the same place, you’ll always know where to look.
• Schedule your appointments on a calendar and keep a list of things to do, so you’ll never miss appointments or forget commitments.
• Challenge yourself mentally. Learn a language and do simple math in your head. Think hard about problems before you Google the answer.
• Naps rejuvenate your mind and body. 17 minutes is the Goldilocks time — not too long, and not too short. Just right.
• Hydrate. Watering your brain helps you stay alert, attentive, and focused.
• Reduce stress through yoga, mindfulness, or meditation.
• Reduce alcohol intake and stop smoking for goodness sake.
• Brush and floss (honestly this is true) will help improve your memory and reduce the risk of cognitive decline from bacterial infections and clots.

Remember, nobody is in a better position to look after you than… you!

Take the plunge

Push yourself. It’s your mind and your responsibility. It’s fun, easy, and doesn’t take long.

It takes just 66 days to turn a behavior into a habit.

Once you’ve built your habits, they’re second nature — like muscle memory — and your days will be filled with healthy and fun activities that reverse the progression of cognitive decline.

As a bonus, you’ll feel healthier and more social. You’ll keep up with the younger crowd, calculate tips, remember words better, have a more positive outlook on life.

Sharp as a razor! And you’ll live longer too.

Why not start now? Maybe with that nap…