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Admit it – you thought you had an impeccable memory until last night when you couldn’t remember the names of all the men and women you met at the party. Or maybe you are finding it more and more difficult to remember information for your next job interview, even if they are just simple facts about your character and business experience.

The truth is, our brains are just like all of the other parts of our body – they slowly deteriorate as we age. However, we can keep our collection of memories sharp by exercising our brains just like we exercise our bodies. Here are a few exercises you can do to keep your brain strong and improve your memory.

1 Workout regularly.

Getting in some daily physical exercise is beneficial in more ways than one. Not only is physical activity good for your physical health, it is also great for your brain. It keeps every part of you strong, energized and functioning! Everyday Health says, “Exercise keeps you moving, healthy and feeling energized. But staying active also benefits your mind, spirit and body by keeping your brain and memory functioning well.”

2 Engage yourself by becoming interested.

Imagine you avidly following celebrity news. As a celeb junkie, you would be far more likely to remember what your friend said about the latest Hollywood gossip than what your boss said about your project. This is the case because if you’re discussing something you are passionate about, you are more likely to remember the details compared to something that doesn’t interest you. To use this to your advantage, try to find something, even a small detail, that intrigues you about the topic to help you remember.

3 Create visual associations.

Connecting words or names to a visual image in your mind will help you remember better. Make sure those images are positive and vivid so that you will be able to reference the image in your mind at a fast rate.

4 Build a memory palace.

When you think of a mind palace, do you picture Sherlock Holmes squeezing his eyes shut as he searches his mind for a clue? Invented by the ancient Greeks, this method of memorization has proven to be one of the most successful and the most complex.

To build your own “memory palace,” the Smithsonian recommends designing a building in your mind where you physically place your memories, such as in a bookshelf or on a windowsill. Visualize each item that you want to remember in its own room within the palace, embellishing the item that you are storing with other unique, visual details.

For example, the bracelet you need to return is on the arm of an elegant Egyptian goddess who is polishing her rubies. To access those memories, take a walk through the palace in your mind and recall each item.

5 Speak out loud instead of just reading.

When we go over information in our heads, we often miss a lot of important details. A study by Conway and Gathercole (1988) found that reciting the difficult parts of a text out loud can increase your ability to memorize it by 25 percent or more. This is because verbalizing forces you to “produce” the words yourself rather than listening or reading passively, helping to better retain the information.

6 Rehearse or teach what you are trying to memorize to someone else.

Teaching others requires you to “recall” the information, similarly to a fill-in the blank question. Human Memory states that memories are formed through the encoding and storing of information or events. Recalling a memory forces you to re-visit the neural pathway that your brain formed when it encoded the memory, thus strengthening the neural pathway for quicker access. Use this technique to improve your memory by teaching the subject to anyone who will listen.

7 Make flashcards.

You’ve got a Spanish test coming up and you’re still a little iffy on the vocabulary. What’s the best way to memorize the words? Flashcards. They are a tried and true memory exercise for everything from state capitals to your coworker’s names to business trends. Flashcards not only force you to “recall” the information, they also give you the option to use “recognition.” Human Memory describes the recognition method as a “comparison of information with memory.”

8 Take a nap.

Catching those Z’s in between your studying or work periods will help your brain retain information better. After taking a short nap, you’ll wake up with a refreshed mind that has absorbed information during sleep. That period of rejuvenation is the key to memory retention.

9 Write down mnemonic devices.

Whether it’s making songs, acronyms or rhymes, using mnemonic devices will help you associate what you are trying to remember with a visual. Psych Central says that “rhymes are easier to remember because they can be stored by acoustic encoding in our brains.” These memory devices will enable you to connect the dots between information, thus helping you remember details more clearly.

10 Reward yourself.

Treating yourself to tiny rewards will most certainly do the trick. It will inspire you and your brain to try harder to memorize so that you can get that small little victory in exchange. Remembering isn’t that easy, but treats will make it slightly better and a lot more fun!

As you can see, keeping your mind constantly working doesn’t have to be boring or tedious. You could train yourself to design mind palaces, associate important information with your favorite past times or even force yourself to take more efficient naps. With these simple tricks, you’ll be remembering everything you need to in no time.

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