How to keep your brain and memory in shape

The good news is that there's been massive research into memory. If you think you have a serious memory decline, seek medical attention, but if you're just trying to have fewer "senior moments," you'll find some help in the following tips.

Five things you need to buy at the supermarket – forgotten. The name of your neighbour's son – lost. The magazine you wanted to show a colleague – left at home. Relax. These little memory meltdowns are an inevitable part of life. In most cases, they have nothing to do with Alzheimer's, nothing to do with disease or injury, and everything to do with stress, too much work and daily chaos.

• The brain functions like a muscle in that the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
• Watching lots of un-stimulating TV, having a routine job, cooking, cleaning and shopping the same way over and over – all contribute to a loss of brainpower.
• Learning new things, varying your routines, having provocative discussions, going on exciting trips and playing a musical instrument all cause your brain to make new connections and function better.

• As you age, your body becomes less efficient at absorbing certain B vitamins from food. Yet the Bs are critical for maintaining a sharp memory.
• A study of 260 healthy men and women over the age of 60 found that those with low blood levels of vitamins C or B12 scored the worst on memory and cognitive functioning tests.
• Those with low levels of the B vitamins riboflavin or folic acid scored worst on a test of abstract thinking.
• Another study found that giving women a B-complex supplement improved their performance on memory tests.
• B vitamins also help to lower levels of artery-clogging homocysteine, linked to memory loss.
• Two other supplements to take along with your Bs are vitamins E and C.
• Studies find that taking the two together can protect against Alzheimer's. But taking the supplements separately (for example, one in the morning and one at night) had no effect.

• If you're learning a new computer program at work, make sure you get a good night's sleep after your training.
• A Harvard study found that a good night's sleep improves your ability to remember something you learned during the day.

• But forget Jackie Collins novels.
• Pick a topic about which you know very little and read five books on that topic. Then move on to the next topic.
• Your brain will soak up the knowledge like a parched rose bush, sending out blooms in the form of neurons to help to maintain a healthy memory.

• Or fishing, needlework, ballroom dancing or piano.
• The idea here is to continue stretching your mind around new things and new experiences, which studies find can help to stave off dementia and improve memory.

• Get a book on CD (or tape) and listen to it while you walk briskly, three times a week.
• A study found that older adults who walked that often had higher scores on memory tests than adults who just did stretching and toning exercises.