Simple Tricks to Tune Up Your Brain

I caught a great post the other day from Shilpan Patel, who contends that brain maintenance is a must if you want to keep your gray matter in shape. Luckily, cranium care needn't be too taxing; he offers 14 simple ways to supercharge your brain.

Among them:

Eat almonds and drink apple juice to improve memory.
Sleep well and reduce stress (practice yoga or meditation) to maximize brainpower.
Fast for a day to detox your body and brain.
Do mental exercises like crossword puzzles -- or learn a new language -- to keep your mind sharp and agile.
Have sex. ("Come on, honey, it'll make us smarter!")
Reduce your sugar intake, eat whole wheat, and take Vitamin B-complex to avoid memory loss, strengthen cognitive function, and improve memory power.

Nothing on his list requires surgery, an appointment with a shrink, or a Ph.D. Give some of his ideas a try -- and then let me know how much stronger your brain has become. Me, I'm off to eat an almond-butter-and-whole-wheat sandwich and practice my sun salutations while learning Italian. See you at the Mensa meeting.

(image by LoreleiRanveig via Flickr, CC 2.0)

CC Holland

CC Holland is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and a number of national magazines. Online, she was a columnist for AnchorDesk.com and writes regularly for Law.com and BNET. On the other side of the journalism desk, she's been a managing editor for ZDNet, CNet, and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, where she earned an APTRA Best News Web Site award.

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