We spend our lives making memories that we can cherish and reminisce about in the future. But, how sure are you that you will actually be able to remember these memories when you grow old? It is one of the accepted facts of old age that your memory would fail somehow sometime. There are, however, people who are able to stay sharper and less forgetful than other people their age. Even experts believe that losing one’s mental faculties in old age is not exactly inevitable. There are ways for people on their way to their senior years to prevent memory loss. Those who are already old can still do something to keep their minds sharp and their brains functioning properly.

Here’s a short list of the things you should remember to do if you want to keep on remembering those beautiful memories for the rest of your life:

1. Engage in regular exercise. A healthy body also means a healthy brain. Exercising on a regular basis helps you grow new brain cells. This activity also helps you manage stress and prevent other illnesses that could cause loss of your brain to deteriorate faster. There are studies that show that older people who walk several hours in a week have better mental functioning and are less forgetful.

2. Have regular interaction. Maintain relationships with family and friends. Being social gives the brain the mental exercise it needs through activities that stimulate brain process and that keep stress and depression at bay. Some things that you can do with other people include playing a sport, joining a crafting or gardening club, volunteering at the local shelter, and having family board game nights.

3. Load up on essential nutrients. Eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in anti-oxidants protect your brain cells from deteriorating. You also have to eat foods that are rich in vitamin B12 and folic acid. Fish, cheese, and eggs are known to be among the highest vitamin B12 foods. Fish is also a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids that have been found to be helpful in preserving brain function and preventing memory loss.

Memory loss related to old age happens because the hippocampus in the brain deteriorates and the body does not have the ability to stimulate the growth of new brain cells anymore. Other factors are also present in old age that affect the way they store and retrieve memories. You do not have to wait until you forget important details about your past to do something to boost your memory power. You can already start giving your brain the exercise it needs for optimum functioning today, tomorrow, and several years down the road.

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