Boost Your Brain Power

Want a healthier, sharper better-functioning brain? It's easier than you think to achieve improved cognition and memory. "If you want to boost your brain, you have to focus your attention on good self-care," says David Alter. Ph.D., co-author, with Henry Emmons, M.D., of Staying Sharp[Touchstone]. "People fear Alzheimer's and dementia, of course," adds Emmons. "Yet there's a lot we can all do to improve our brain health and lower our risk of these diseases too."

Try these Simple, science-based tips to power up your brain—they're good for you, and lots of fun as well!

1. Take a French Class. Learning a second language can help your brain process information better and help you focus more sharply so you avoid distraction. It may even delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in some people, according to exciting new research from Singapore Management University. One easy way to parlez Francais [or any new language] is with an app. With Duolingo, Apple's iPhone App of the Year in 2013. You can learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and several other languages.

2. Write in red ink. A fascinating new study from the University of Regensburg in Germany found that the color red "binds" into our memory better than other colors—making it ideal for recalling what's on your to-do list.

3. Play Ping-Pong. Table tennis has long been lauded for its ability to improve attention and concentration. Japanese researchers also found that in players older than 50, ping-pong improved brain function by activating specific neurons, and showed promise in preventing dementia as well. [Plus, it's lots of fun!]

4. Close Your Eyes. Research from the University of Surrey in the U.K. found that closing your eyes while recalling an event could help you remember detains 23 percent more accurately. How does it work? It's thought that once visual distractions are removed, your brain focuses more efficiently.

5. Brush your teeth with your other hand. Using your nondominant side to tackle a daily task or two is a great way to challenge your brain to act in new ways. If you're a righty, switching to your left hand can sharpen your cognitive function by spurring your brain cells to produce growth-stimulating molecules.

6. Lower Blood Sugar. Diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, so work with your doctor on ways to minimize your risk factors. [A healthy blood sugar is less than 100 after fasting.] If you already have diabetes, controlling it will help prevent dementia.

7. Do a Daily Meditation. In just eight weeks, a daily mindfulness break can improve connectivity throughout the brain network in 55-to-90-year-olds, according to ongoing research from Wake Forest University. What's more, meditation may slow Alzheimer's progression and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol within the brain.

8. Eat Avocado. "It contains medium-chain fatty acids, which increase your brainpower by reducing inframmation," say Emmons.

9. Consider a Daily Low-Dose Aspirin. An ongoing National Institutes of Health clinical trial is testing the theory that taking an aspirin could lower the risk of dementia. Talk to your doctor about whether this could be right, and safe, for you.

10. Fall-proof your house. A Tutts University study found that even a single trauma to the brain may lead to Alzheimer's. So nail down rugs, dry slippery floors promptly, make sure your stairs have sturdy handrails and avoid using step stools or ladders without someone spotting you. And wear the right shoes. How your shoes fit and the heifht of the heel can affect your balance, a big culprit in causing falls.

11. Mind Your Bs. B vitamins lower homocysteine [an amino acid], which is linked to dementia. You can find them in enriched bread, pasta, rice and cereal, plus poultry, beans dark leafy veggies, papayas, oranges and cantaloupe.

12. Shake your booty. A new study from the University of British Columbia finds that regular aerobic exercise can actually increase the size of your hippocampus—the part of your brain that helps you learn and remember. So whether it's dancing, jumping on a trampoline or jogging, it's good for your brain.

13. Become a Tourist In Your Own Town. Seeing fresh sights can rewire your brain to use new parts of itself, therefore helping it to work better than ever. "Once a month, sit down with the community calendar section of your newspaper and choose an activity you've never tried before—see a new play, or go to the local art museum if you've never visited it," says Alter. "New experiences allow the brain to flex like a new muscle."

14. Color. Thought you outgrew your crayons? Adults everyshere are rediscovering their artistic sides and snapping up adult coloring books. This new trend can ease stress as well as put you in a meditative frame of mind. Both of these benefits are great for the brain. [Visit parade.com/coloring for free downloadable coloring pages.]

15. Go Fish. Eat your omega-3s [fatty acids found in salmon and other cold-water fish] or take a supplement. A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found eating any kind of baked or broiled fish once a week helped spur structural brain changes that boost memory.

16. Enjoy a Glass of red wine. Fresh research from Texas A & M University found that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, improves memory, mood and learning capacity.

17. Munch Peanuts. This yummy snack is also packed with cognition-boosting resveratrol.

18. Find Your Sleep Sweet Spot. "Getting good sleep is the best thing you can do for your brain long term," Emmons stresses. "It improves your mood and clears out your mind." The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night for adults ages 18 to 64, and seven to eight hours for adults 65 and older.

19. Start a Pinterest Page. Thinking of learning to knit, growing roses or making your own wreath? There are pages and pages of projects on Pinterest.com, where people save creative ideas on virtual bulletin boards. Pursuing new ideas that interest you is a powerful way to exercise your brain. Curious folks have lower rates of dementia, says Alter.

20. Surf the Internet. It's not a waste of time—searching for info on the web actually improves the neural circuitry of your brain, keeping it healthy, according to research from UCLA.

21. Don't skip your morning coffee. A Johns Hopkins study found that regular sonsumption of 200 milligrams of caffeine—the amount in one strong cup of coffee—has a positive impact on how much you remember for a full 24 hours after drinking.

22. Hang out with friends and family. Social connections benefit brain cell health, experts say. Have lunch with your friends, take your grandchildren trick-or-treating or go for a long walk with your partner.

23. Look on the bright side. Make a point to regularly ask yourself, "What if everything went right instead of wrong?" Positive thinking can actually activate your brain's physical ability to adapt and change. Former President Jimmy Carter, 91, who responded to his recent cancer diagnosis with "optimism, vitality and determination," is a great example of this, Emmons says.