Take advantage of summer’s extra leisure time to improve your memory with these new brain tricks:
1. Warm up to a new sport A recent study from Columbia University Medical Center links blood glucose levels that rise as we age to memory lapses. Try a fun summer sport, like beach volleyball or swimming, to help your body regulate blood sugar.
2. Grab a page-turner New research from the Mayo Clinic shows that reading decreases your risk of developing mild memory loss by 30 to 50 percent, so don’t forget to toss a great book in your beach bag. A few to check out: Jodi Picoult’s new novel, Handle With Care (Atria, 2009; $27.95), A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff (Scribner, 2009; $26), or Love or Something Like It by Deirdre Shaw (Random House, 2009; $22).
3. Order the iced coffee Chill with three cups of caffeinated java a day and you could lower your risk of developing dementia by up to 70 percent, according to a study from the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.