Memory: How Diet and Exercise can improve your memory

If you suspect that your memory is not what it used to be, you can do more than just worry and stress about it (which 

ironically, just makes it worse!).  Natural treatments are as near as your kitchen and your tennis shoes.

One of the best ways to retain your memory � regardless of age � is to stay physically active.  If you're not currently active, don't worry, it's not too late to start.  A recent large-scale research project studied women 65 years old and older and concluded that those who stayed physically active had the best memories.

A second similar study looked at men aged 71 or older.  Those who walked more than two miles a day were less likely to experience problems with their memory than those who didn't.

Exercise helps memory by boosting blood flow to the brain. Researchers are encouraged by these findings and hope one day to be able to prescribe certain kinds of exercise programs specifically for memory improvement.  Until then, you might want to consider any aerobic exercise that will get your blood flowing to all parts of your body.  Just remember that it's essential to consult with your health care practitioner before you start an exercise program.

Walk into your kitchen to improve your memory?  Well, yeah.  That's an excellent natural treatment.  You may be unwittingly sabotaging your memory by eating a disproportionate amount of processed and packaged foods � not to mention all the sugar we all take in many time unknowingly in a day!

According to Dr. James Joseph, director of the Neuroscience Lab at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, says that eating foods high in antioxidants provide the aging brain with a plethora of benefits.  While nearly everyone is aware of their ability to slow oxidation, these foods � which include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables � they may also help to improve the memory and your motor skills.  A diet rich in fruits and vegetables also contained high levels of chemicals needed for brain cell regeneration and communication.

When it comes to antioxidants, Joseph notes, color coding your diet seems to be the key.  Purple fruits and vegetables, like blueberries, cranberries, and Concord grapes, may be the most helpful to the brain.

Additionally, foods high in B-vitamins should be consumed, Joseph advises.  These include a variety of red meats (not normally thought of an extremely healthy), and especially liver, which has a high concentration of these essential stress-busting nutrients.  The B-complex of vitamins can also be found in fish as well as complex carbohydrates and dairy products.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

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