by Barry Barrientos, Contributor

People now commonly use the term ‘senior moment’ to refer to instances when someone—young or old—forgets things, either important or trivial. The adjective ‘senior’ can be a misnomer because while the difficulty to remember things can come with old age, adults in general can suffer from poor memory health without them being aware of it. 

If you think you are too young to drink Enervon Prime, don’t fret because there are some other ways you can do—at any age—to boost your memory. Here are seven ways:

1. Increase your physical activity.

In a Canadian study published in February 2011, it was found that people who have been constantly   engaged in physical activities almost had a 100 percent protection against deterioration of brain cells, therefore improving brain function and preventing memory loss. Researchers in Netherlands likewise reported that simply walking for an hour, twice a week, could boost a person’s power of recall. Do you recall the last time you took the stairs instead of the elevator?

2. Get enough sleep all the time.

Chronic lack of sleep causes not only poor concentration, but also difficulty to introduce new information into the brain. Experts also say that sleep deprivation may prevent the brain from doing “memory housekeeping” essential to recalling information learned the previous day. Do you recall the last time you slept for eight hours straight?

3. Sustain your social activities.

A study released in 2009 by the American Academy of Neurology suggests that older people who had good social outlets and activities in their middle-aged years and beyond are about 40 percent protected from developing memory loss. While experts cannot fully correlate social activities with a healthy memory, the inherent mental workout in social interactions (remembering names, engaging in conversations on a variety of subjects) seems to play a role in improving memory health. Do you recall the last time you had an engaging conversation with someone that you lost track of time?

4. Choose to be positive.

A study by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago concluded that people who are often stressed or depressed are 40 percent more likely to develop memory problems than people with more positive disposition. Depression, experts say, saturates our bodies with high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, which can damage regions of the brain crucial to memory. Do you recall the last time you laughed your heart out?

5. Do easier puzzles.

University of Pennsylvania scientists found that people who solved word puzzles had a boost of blood flow to the brain, but those who tried and failed had reduced flow. They say that frustration to solve the word puzzle may interfere with the brain’s ability to store new information. When was the last time you answered a crossword puzzle and completed it? 

6. Avoid editing your ideas.

A new study in Neuro-Image shows that when people brainstorm without editing their ideas, more blood flows to a memory-processing area of the brain. If you think you can’t fully share your ideas in a meeting, remember it or jot it down on paper and then discuss it with your boss or colleague after the meeting. Do you recall the last time you participated in a free-flowing discussion or brainstorming with at home, school, or in the office?

Keeping our memory healthy isn’t a ‘senior’ concern; the sooner we start doing it the longer we can enjoy the benefits of a sharp memory for our personal relationships and professional career.