1. Stop multitasking

One of the best ways to improve your cognitive fitness is to stop multitasking. When you’re engaged in a single task, your brain is fully engaged and functioning at its peak capacity.

When you attempt to do two things at once, such as watching TV while talking on the phone. You divide your attention and allow it to wander from one task to another.

Your brain can’t focus on two things at once, so it jumps back and forth between them.

Multitasking actually hurts your productivity. Because it slows down the speed with which you can process information and reduces your memory capacity.

In one study conducted by researchers at Stanford University. The participants were asked to perform a series of tasks that required their full attention.

Walking on a treadmill while reading a book, solving math problems while listening to an audio recording of a story, and taking notes while viewing PowerPoint slides.

The researchers then tested each participant’s cognitive performance. Through measuring how well he or she could remember the information presented during each task.

They found that people who had completed all three tasks performed significantly worse. Than those who had only done one task at a time.

Stop multitasking now!

This isn’t easy for most people—they are used to multitasking—but the payoff is worth it: fewer distractions, more clarity of thought, and greater productivity overall.

If you absolutely must do two things at once (such as driving and talking on the phone), be sure that they don’t require any mental effort whatsoever.

Otherwise you will impair your ability to function effectively in both activities simultaneously.

2. Use learning strategies to improve cognitive fitness

The key word here is “strategies”; there are no quick fixes when it comes to improving cognitive fitness through learning new material or skills.

You need specific techniques for improving how well you absorb new information and commit it to memory for later recall.

It takes practice—just like playing a musical instrument or mastering a sport—to become proficient in anything new. But if you apply these strategies consistently over time.

I guarantee that you will improve your ability to learn quickly and retain what you learn long-term:

• Practice actively

Rather than passively absorbing new material by making flash cards (see Chapter 6).

Writing out key points from what you read or hear rather than just rereading or replaying them mentally over and over again without making any effort whatsoever beyond simply absorbing them.

• Use visualization techniques

In order to reinforce what you’re learning by creating a mental picture of the material as you hear it or read it.

You can visualize it in your mind’s eye, on a piece of paper, or on a screen. The more senses you use to create this picture, the more effective it will be.

• Be sure to review what you’ve learned

Also reinforce your memory of it periodically over time. This doesn’t mean that you have to review something over and over again.

Just make sure that you review it enough so that when you do need to recall it later, the information is still fresh in your mind.

3. Engage in mentally stimulating activities in maintaining cognitive fitness

As I mentioned earlier, a key factor in maintaining cognitive fitness is staying mentally active. Also, challenging yourself with new things to learn and explore throughout your life.

A study conducted by University of California researchers found that people who engaged in activities that required higher levels of mental effort. Such as, playing chess or solving crossword puzzles.

It makes us performed better on tests measuring their overall cognitive fitness. More than those who engaged in lower-level activities (such as watching television).

It was concluded that challenging yourself with mentally stimulating activities increases the speed at which your brain processes information and improves its overall ability to function at peak capacity.

The same holds true for young people: the more they engage their minds through reading, learning new skills, solving puzzles, playing games, participating in group discussions.

The more likely they are to perform well academically and socially than those who don’t challenge themselves with these types of activities.

In summary, the tips and tricks to attaining cognitive fitness are simple but not easy. It takes commitment and practice to change your habits and adopt new ones that will help you maintain your cognitive fitness as you age.

he most important thing is to begin now; don’t wait until you’re older to begin improving your memory.

Use these tips and tricks now, while you’re still young, so that when the time comes, you will be able to say with confidence, “I have a very good memory!”

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