Memory Improvement Exercises

What did you have for breakfast last Thursday?

Yesterday, who was your fellow passenger on the bus, on the way back from work?
What were the names of all your subject teachers in the final year of school?
What was the front page headline in last Sunday's newspaper?
What are the cell phone numbers of your three best friends?

Chances are, you would have had difficulty (or even complete failure) in recollecting or remembering the answers to some (if not all) of the above-mentioned questions. If that is indeed the case, then do not worry. There is no reason to panic or to get alarmed. Yours is just one among many other similar cases that exist all over the big wide world. We go through life learning about millions (possibly even billions) of bits and pieces of information, facts, figures, statistics, names, trivia, knowledge, etc. Of course, it is completely impossible for our brain to remember or keep track of each and every single thing or incident (especially the miniscule ones). However, a strong memory is something that everyone likes (and more importantly, needs). So how do you improve your memory? How do you stay away from memory loss? How do you get rid of the title of 'Mr. Forgetful' or 'Ms. Forgetful' that has been bestowed upon you by friends and family? Well, for starters, you could try out some of the memory improvement exercises mentioned hereafter.

Effective Memory Improvement Exercises
You would in all probability, be aware of the concept of memory improvement exercises, brain exercises, memory enhancement techniques, etc. So what exactly are these exercises to improve memory? How do they work?

Basically, the fundamental principle of most memory improvement techniques and exercises is to efficiently and effectively stimulate your right brain, left brain, brain cells, neurons, etc. so as to make them perform in an optimum manner (with respect to data acquisition, storage, and retention). Our brain has the capacity to store and recollect lots and lots of information. However, a common area where we are found wanting, is in the process of information acquisition and information storage. Once you are able to improve (or optimize) the process of information acquisition i.e. learning new information, and storing it intelligently, then recollecting that piece of information in the future becomes much easier. Based on this principle, here are some tips and exercises to improve memory.

Recite Loudly
When you a learn a new piece of information and you need to store it in your brain, try reciting it aloud. Repeat this 3-4 times or maybe even more. It can help in remembering things better. This is a method that is commonly followed (with a partial degree of success) by kids, children, etc. Read more on brain games for kids and memory games for children.

Associate
Association is a powerful memory improvement tip, and one that works in many situations; for example, when you want to remember a new face, computer code, piece of trivia, historical fact, etc. You can associate a new piece of information (say 'X') with anything that you feel is relevant or suitable. Many a time, relevancy is not the sole criteria for association. What matters is the outcome, i.e. timely and accurate recollection. Find out what method of association works for you, and use it to your benefit.

Acronym
This is a method that is commonly used by students for remembering and recollecting lengthy and complicated definitions, formulas, or something similar. Shortening a lengthy sentence into a much easy-to-remember acronym can often make that sentence (or piece of information) simpler, from the perspective of remembering and recollecting the original sentence (or piece of information). Similarly, a variety of other mnemonics are used all around us, and with a fair degree of success (as far as remembering things is concerned). You can come up with different combinations or 'keywords' using mnemonic methods based on rhyme, alliteration, sound, song, etc.

In addition to the aforementioned methods, here are a few more memory improvement exercises and tips:

• Concentrate. Or to be more precise, concentrate more while acquiring any new piece of information. How well you learn something will inevitably have an impact on how well you recollect it.
• Follow a healthy diet. Exercise regularly. Get enough sleep. Stay away from alcohol and smoking. Keep your mind free of stress. All these things have an impact on your memory as well as your brain power.
• Put your memory to test on a daily basis. Keep your brain active. Try your hand at solving sudoku puzzles or any other 'intelligent' puzzles or games which require strategic and logical thinking.
• Understand your individual memorization process. Are you a person who remembers things by blindly mugging them up? Or does association or relation work better for you? Do you make use of visuals or graphical association when storing (or recollecting) a piece of information from your brain? Rather than trying out hundred different techniques and getting confused, simply find out what works for you, focus on that, and improve upon it.

Well, this was a brief introduction to memory improvement exercises. As I sign off, I leave you with a few memory games for adults, in addition to some memory games for seniors. All the best!