Workouts to Keep You Sharp

Making memories is hard work, and it churns through oxygen and energy, says clinical neuropsychologist Nicola Gates, Prevention adviser and principal of A Brain For Life.

Here are five research-backed mental workouts.

MORE: THE BRAINPOWER WORKOUT

Try tai chi

In a recent study, those doing tai chi scored better on memory-function tests than those doing different exercises, though researchers aren’t sure why. However, we do know that chronic stress can alter brain chemistry, which interferes with memory. See our top tai chi moves

Do a weighty workout

Research shows that resistance training is even more beneficial to memory than aerobics exercise is: it stimulates the creation of new connections in the brain. Must-know strength moves

Exit your comfort zone

Tackling something you’re not good at—netball? tennis?—works your brain harder, and the harder it works, the greater its neuroplasticity (ability to change and learn).

You’ve got to boogie

Dancing strengthens memory by encouraging ‘cross-patterning’, which is when both sides of your brain are forced to work together.

Exercise with friends

An active social life appears to delay memory loss as we age, according to US research on people