How to keep your mind sharp: Preventive action

Worried about memory loss? Here are eight tips you can follow now to help prevent memory loss in the future.

Keeping memory loss at bay as you age isn't just about keeping your mind in shape, though that's a major component. You can maintain your sharp mind as you get older by making healthy choices that keep the rest of your body in top form. Follow these tips now to prevent memory loss later.

Exercise your mind

Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp and agile. One way to do this is to continually challenge yourself by learning new skills. If you continue to learn and challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow, literally. An active brain produces new connections between nerve cells that allow cells to communicate with one another. This helps your brain store and retrieve information more easily, no matter what your age.

How can you challenge yourself? Try:

• Learning to play a musical instrument
• Playing Scrabble or doing crossword puzzles
• Interacting with others
• Switching careers or starting a new one
• Starting a new hobby, such as crafts, painting, biking or bird-watching
• Learning a foreign language
• Volunteering
• Staying informed about what's going on in the world
• Reading

A mentally stimulating job, taking classes that interest you or even just reading more can help you maintain your memory longer as you age.

Stay physically active

Research links physical activity with slower mental decline. Exercise increases blood flow to all parts of your body, including your brain, and might promote cell growth there. Exercise also makes you feel more energetic and alert. The best part is that you can make it fun. Pick an activity you enjoy, whether it's doing yardwork or walking your dog. Exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.

Start by simply increasing your physical activity level. Park your car farther away and walk the extra distance. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. When watching TV, ride a stationary bike. Just get moving. Regular physical activity can help you think clearer, feel better and lower your risk of many diseases.

Develop healthy eating habits

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Many of these contain antioxidants — substances that protect and nourish brain cells. And antioxidants may help prevent cholesterol from damaging the lining of your arteries and slowing blood flow to your brain. Foods high in antioxidants include colorful fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, berries, broccoli, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. In most cases, you're far more likely to gain health benefits from eating whole foods than by taking supplements, in pill, capsule or other forms.

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all

People who drink heavily for years can experience permanent brain damage due to poor nutrition, and they're at higher risk of developing memory problems and dementia. Drink alcohol moderately, if at all. For women and anyone 65 or older, that means no more than one drink daily. For men under 65, drink no more than two drinks daily.

Evidence shows that moderate alcohol consumption may prevent memory loss, though it isn't clear how. But don't use this as a reason to start drinking if you don't already drink.

Manage your stress

Keep your stress to a minimum. When you're stressed, your brain releases hormones that can damage your brain if you're exposed to them for days at a time. And chronic stress can make you feel depressed or anxious — feelings that can interfere with the way your brain processes memories.

Take a break. Even if you have only a few minutes to yourself, use it to breathe deeply and relax. Then look for long-term stress solutions, such as simplifying your life, getting some exercise or cutting out some activities.

Protect your head when exercising

Head trauma can increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. People who participate in sports such as running and swimming, which have a reduced risk of head trauma, have lower rates of memory loss. Take precautions to protect your head; for example, wear a helmet when riding your bike.

Stop smoking

You can add memory loss to the long list of health problems that come from smoking. Smokers may have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease as do people who have never smoked. Stop now — it's never too late. If you quit smoking now, you can still reduce your risk of memory loss later in life.

Talk to your doctor

Discuss your concerns about memory loss with your doctor. He or she can look at your overall health and come up with other strategies for preventing memory loss as you age. For instance, if you have a family history of Alzheimer's disease, other strategies for preventing that disease might prove helpful to you.

Seeing your doctor regularly also means you'll have routine medical exams to monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol level and blood sugar level. Also make sure your thyroid gland is functioning normally. These are relatively easy to check and are good indicators of what's going on inside your body.