Memory training for longevity and lasting brain health – a New Year’s resolution
Protect your mind as your years advance
I am serious about longevity, I’d like to live a really long time.
But just as important is the quality of life of any extra years. I want to keep all my marbles, my cognitive function and physical capabilities for as long as I can have them, and I want a brain that keeps learning.
Those who know me well know I approach this holistically, which manifests in an array of ongoing behaviours that support brain health and memory.
Daily habits that protect your memory
Eating healthily, avoiding alcohol, regular fitness – both strength and cardio, sleeping enough (this one is a personal struggle), ongoing new learning, nurturing healthy relationships, and of course – memory training for longevity. These habits are the core of my lifestyle to protect my mind and body health over the long term.
From the outside this list can look obsessive, but inwardly I am pretty sensible about these daily decisions.
It is not all or nothing. One “bad” move doesn’t mean I need to throw in the towel for that day.
Maybe it is my economics degree talking but everything in life has an opportunity cost. Opportunity cost being the something else we could do with our time, what else we could spend our money on, or what better food we could put in our mouth. Something isn’t always inherently good or bad, it is all relative to the alternatives.
An apple may be good, a fresh fruit salad is better.
As the year draws to an end, New Years resolutions start.
If you are someone who wants to continue learning and improving, especially in cognitive function and memory capabilities, I hope you will consider adding a better memory to your resolutions list for the new year. A small, consistent memory training habit can do a lot for how well you can remember and learn in the long run.
Memory training for longevity
Memory training is oft neglected in a list of resolutions, but if you are looking for a long and healthy life I’d say it is essential. From a longevity perspective my memory training is about giving myself the tools to keep learning, adapting and enjoying life as I age.
Where to start with memory techniques
If you are new to memory training and don’t know where to start, as a memory coach I usually recommend learning about memory palaces, how to remember names and faces, and lists of words and images (using memory palaces). These are powerful, practical memory exercises that most adults can learn quickly.
A good start for memory palaces is this blog, and this video. For names and faces read this and watch here. There are a lot of how to videos on my YouTube channel.
Once you have the gist of these techniques, it is time to start to do some regular memory training. Many of my memory coaching students come to me and say they learned techniques, got excited but don’t know how to improve from there.
Train, train and train some more. Plot your results and create a training program for yourself. Memory League is a great place for this, and one where many memory athletes are active. It’s where you can turn memory techniques into a structured and fun memory training routine.
You can learn how to improve your memory and ability to learn new information by the endless free resources on the web. If you’d like a helping hand, reach out or book in for a 1-on-1 memory coaching session with me to work towards your memory goals.
My own resolutions
As for my new year resolutions, I am endeavouring to train more myself, and share videos and blogs to assist you to do the same. I want the incredible benefits of memory training and techniques to be more accessible to more people.
I’m aiming for a long healthy life full of new experiences and learnings, retaining as much of what matters to me as I can.
