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The Best Way To Boost Your Memory
There’s a new reason to pick up the latest issue of Women’s Health each month: Regular reading, writing, and other brain-stimulating activities could keep your mind sharp as you age, according to new research published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology’s medical journal.
Researchers conducted annual evaluations for 294 older adults. For each one, they looked at mental skills like memory, speed and space perception, and more. Researchers also asked participants how often they did mentally stimulating activities such as reading a book, playing chess, visiting a museum, or writing a letter.
What they found: The people who challenged their minds most frequently had a slower rate of mental decline and a higher level of cognitive functioning when they died. What’s more, keeping mentally busy seemed to counteract the typical decline associated with existing brain conditions such as Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s .
While study authors aren’t entirely sure what accounts for this effect, previous research suggests that doing mentally taxing activities on the regular can actually change the structure of certain regions of the brain. This in turn helps your mind function more efficiently as you age, says lead study author Robert Wilson, PhD, senior neuropsychologist of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
The fact is, virtually every person older than 80 suffers from some sort of cognitive decline, even if it’s just a mild memory problem, says Wilson. So while you can’t entirely stop your brain from aging, you can keep it in tip-top shape as you get older.
There’s no specific activity or time requirements here. Just choose activities you enjoy that also make you think—whether that’s keeping a journal, reading the latest Scoop posts, or cracking a book. Then do them as often as possible to keep your brain sharp.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
The Surprising Thing That Messes With Your Memory
How to Stop Losing Things
7 Ways to Sharpen Your Mind
Get This: Healthy Habits Can Boost Memory
Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:
Eating right, exercising, and staying smoke-free can help improve your memory. [Medical Daily]
During the course of a recent six-year study, vegetarians were 12 percent less likely to die than meat eaters. Find delicious veggie recipes here. [WSJ]
Taking fish oil regularly may help protect your heart from the health drawbacks of stress, according to new research. [Prevention]
After a five-year break from print advertisements, Camel cigarettes bought space in at least 24 magazines this spring. [Ad Age]
In related news, a new study finds that smokers cost their employers almost $ 6,000 more per year than nonsmokers. [Vitals]
All of the buzz about Michael Douglas’ throat cancer is drawing much-needed attention to the link between unprotected oral sex, HPV, and throat cancer. Even more reason to get the HPV shot (if you haven’t already). [CBS]
Strange but true: An adult lollipop company in Boston has come out with a new breast milk-flavored option that isn’t actually made with human breast milk—it just tastes like it is. [The Frisky]
Movie theater owners want to shorten trailers—don’t they know those are the best part? [Bloomberg Businessweek]
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
The Simple Way to Boost Your Arousal
Who doesn’t love receiving just a little bit more than giving? But get this: Being generous in the bedroom can amp up your own desire, according to a new study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Researchers studied “sexual communal strength”—or a willingness to meet your partner’s sexual needs—in 44 long-term couples. The couples completed individual surveys every day for 21 days, starting with a longer background survey that gauged how willing they were to meet their partner’s sexual needs, their relationship satisfaction, and their desire level. The result: People who were more willing to meet their partner’s needs in bed reported higher levels of daily arousal.
And being a giver doesn’t just have temporary lust-boosting effects—it was also associated with higher levels of desire four months later! While many couples saw a dip in their libido at the four-month follow-up, those who were more focused on their partner’s pleasure were able to maintain the spark, says lead study author Amy Muise, PhD, post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto.
So how does sexual generosity amp up your own arousal? “Knowing that you can satisfy your partner and turn your partner on—that’s a huge boost to your self-esteem” says Ian Kerner, PhD, founder of Good In Bed and author of She Comes First. And that sexy confidence, paired with an equally turned-on partner, tends to result in mind-blowing sex. “If you’re putting yourself in a situation where you’re attentive to your partner’s needs, it creates a virtuous cycle of sex and sexual desire,” says Kerner.
But before you bend over backwards—literally or figuratively—for your guy, there’s one big caveat: Focusing on your partner’s desires at the expense of your own does not have the same effect, says Muise. Instead, the idea is to foster a mutual focus on each other’s pleasure and to both make an effort to fulfill the other person’s needs between the sheets.
Feeling inspired? Here are three ways to make your sex life a little more gratuitous:
Find out what turns him on
“I always encourage couples to talk about their fantasies,” says Kerner. Just make it clear that this is purely a sexy conversation—not an immediate request or an area to judge. If you’re blanking on sexy fantasies to share, think back to your favorite x-rated movie scenes, your celebrity crushes, or what your porn preferences are. Even if something is totally out of your element, just acknowledging your partner’s turn-ons and talking about them can boost your intimacy and open up the floor to hotter sex.
Really make an effort
Sex—like every other part of your relationship—should come with a healthy dose of give and take. Whether your guy prefers a particular position or has been dying to try something new, it’s not a bad idea to take one for the team every once in a while (as long as you’re comfortable with it). “What this study shows is that giving pleasure is just as important as receiving pleasure,” says Kerner. So the next time you’re getting busy, take a minute to think about what your partner is craving at that moment and how to give it to him. “Knowing that you’re creating that pleasure, that you’re giving that to your partner, that’s incredibly sexy and it’s a huge turn on,” says Kerner.
Make sure they return the favor
So what about when it’s your turn to receive? When you’re craving something specific in bed—whether it’s more foreplay or trying a position that makes it easier for you to orgasm—there’s a way to ask for it without making your partner feel like a failure. Whatever you do, don’t start with something like “Why don’t we ever…” Framing it this way comes off as negative and will automatically put him on the defensive, says Kerner. “Rather than having a conversation that points to what you’re not doing, talk about the sex you want to be having,” says Kerner. Bring it up in a non-confrontational way, like telling him about a crazy-hot dream you had about him the other night, or the interesting article (like this one) that you read, or even texting him a scandalous link (like this one). It’s a simple and sexy way to bring up something you want to try—and we’re willing to bet he’ll be game.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from Women’s Health:
14 Sexy Tricks to Boost Your Libido
Love Bites
Get Your Libido Back
Eat THIS for a Brain Boost
Fish may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of brain food, but it’s not the only ingredient that can help keep your mind in shape. Some berries may also help improve cognitive function, according to a new study presented last weekend at the American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific Sessions & Annual Meeting in Boston.
Researchers from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County fed rats a strawberry- and blueberry-based diet for two months, exposed them to radiation (which made the rats age very quickly and show signs of cognitive decline), and then looked at the neurochemical changes that occurred in their brains post-exposure.
What they found: Eating the berries seemed to help to prevent cognitive decline, says researcher Shibu Poulose, PhD, a molecular biologist at the USDA – Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Researchers think it may be because the fruits promote autophagy, a mechanism that allows your body to recycle the damaging protein that accumulates in your brain as you get older, making you susceptible to diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. After the rats ate the berries, researchers also saw a significant reduction in two genetic markers that have been shown to lead to brain diseases later on in life, he says.
One thing to remember: When it comes to brain health, prevention is a much better strategy than trying to reverse damage after it’s occurred, says Poulose. “If you eat healthy, it will protect you from all these brain diseases down the line.”
These berry-filled recipes are a great place to start:
Photo: Mitch Mandel
Photo: Rodale Images, Rodale Inc.
Photo: John Kernick
Photo: Mitch Mandel
Photo: Kurt Wilson
Photo: Catherine Sears
Photo (top): iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
How to Sharpen Your Mind
The Scent That Improves Your Memory
5 Brain-Boosting Benefits of Cardio Exercise
This Should Boost Your Self-Confidence
Get ready to feel way better about yourself. Dove’s latest ad campaign features a sketch artist drawing women based on either their own descriptions of themselves or a stranger’s descriptions of them—and here’s the shocker: The sketches drawn based on a stranger’s description are more positive and more attractive than those drawn based on the women’s descriptions of themselves. Dove’s message: You are more beautiful than you think.
In the following video, an FBI-trained sketch artist draws portraits of women while they’re sitting behind a curtain, explaining their features. While describing themselves, the women tend to dwell on their negative features, like a protruding chin or a rounder face. Here’s the thing: Each woman also met and spoke with a random stranger prior to being sketched, and for the second part of the video, the sketch artist draws another portrait of the same woman—this time based solely on the stranger’s description. The end result is a pair of portraits that look totally different. While both pictures resemble each of the seven women in the ad campaign, the stranger’s sketches are more flattering across the board; meanwhile, the sketches drawn from the women’s own descriptions tended to look like older, less attractive versions of the same person.
The bottom line: You’re probably your own harshest critic. And even if you think your forehead, wrinkly skin, or nose is your most prominent feature, that may be the last thing a person remembers about you.
Check out the ego-boosting video below
Want more confidence boosting tips? These will help silence even your inner hater:
Boost Your Self-Confidence and Get Ahead
photo: RealBeautySketches.Dove.us
Use Social Media to Boost Your Career
Think you’re just wasting time when you’re on Facebook or Twitter? Well, if you’re just clicking through friends’ pictures, then you probably are. But if you play your cards right, the time you spend on social media could land you a new gig: Funny lady Ana Gasteyer, who currently stars on Suburgatory and is a former Saturday Night Live cast member, landed a new Weight Watchers Online campaign after tweeting about the program.
Gasteyer started the Weight Watchers Online plan on her own—and then began tweeting at and about the company (she now has more than 70,000 followers). Last November, for example, Gasteyer tweeted out, “Hey @Weightwatchers, how many Activity points for sweatily trying to get out of a Spanx undershirt?” It wasn’t long before she caught the attention of company execs.
While you may not have 70,000 Twitter followers, there are plenty of ways for you to use social networking to your advantage. “Over your entire career, if you put yourself out there online, brand yourself, and market your skills, that’s going to pay dividends,” says Dan Schawbel, Gen Y career expert and author of the forthcoming book Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success. Just take it from these real women who rocked social networking:
Be a personal brand evangelist
“I had been doing a lot on Twitter and other social outlets to position myself as a PR expert—sharing industry articles, commenting/critiquing work, promoting events and client news, etc. Being a young professional, I’m very careful to make my personal brand a smart balance of fun/snarky and professional. Then, about four months ago, the owner of a PR and marketing agency connected with me on LinkedIn. I asked my new connection for a coffee meeting, and within a few weeks, I was their new PR account executive. I later found out that the owner had become familiar with my work via Twitter and local social media meet-ups.”
–Kate Bachman, Portland, ME
What she did right: Bachman worked hard to brand herself, network, and get noticed. “What it comes down to is becoming top of mind for certain positions,” says Schawbel. “So when people have an open position and they’re thinking about who to hire, they come to you, because they’re familiar with you based on the online brand that you’ve cultivated, what you share, and how you’re positioned.”
Put yourself out there
“I posted a basic, fact-filled Facebook status update about (1) being unemployed and (2) needing a job. A friend of mine commented on that post, and within minutes I had a message in my inbox from someone he knew saying that she had seen my post, she had a job, and might I be interested? Might I?! I sent her my résumé, we met, and I got hired within a week.”
–Molly English-Bowers, Syracuse, NY
What she did right: She got her (job) status out. “Visibility creates opportunities,” says Schawbel. “If people don’t know that you’re searching for a job, then they don’t know to help you. And even if your friends can’t help, their friends might be able to.” One note here: If you currently have a job, stick to private messages.
Network via social network
“I was working in retail but desperately trying to get out from behind a register. A promising entrepreneur I followed on Facebook said she was looking for organizers for her professional organizing company. I promptly sent her my résumé. I began freelancing for her, and when she had a permanent opening for a personal assistant, she thought of me first.”
–Joy Molfetto, Queens, NY
What she did right: She paid attention to a person she admired professionally on social media. “By following the right people, you’ll see opportunities you wouldn’t have found anywhere else on the web,” says Schawbel. “This is an example of someone making connections and not just sitting back and waiting for opportunities to come to them.”
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from Women’s Health:
5 Social Media Mistakes That Mess with Your Career
The Best Social Networks for Fitness Junkies
4 Ways Your Social Network Can Help You Slim Down
Need a Brain Boost? Try This
It’s 4 p.m., and you’ve still got a ton to tackle on your to-do list—but zero motivation to do it. No need to chug a triple-jolt espresso; the solution may be as simple as pulling out a stick of gum. A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology finds that chewing gum improves cognitive performance.
For the study, researchers divided 38 participants into a gum-chewing group and a control group. Both groups listened to a recording of numbers being read aloud in a seemingly random manner and were told to look for a pattern. The people who chewed gum had quicker reaction times and were more accurate in discovering patterns than the people who didn’t chew gum.
Why the difference? “Brain imaging suggests improved flow of oxygenated blood to the brain, which may cause the increase in concentration,” says Christopher Miles, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Cardiff and one of the authors of the study. Another reason chewing gum may help: It gives your brain something to, well, chew on. “The stimulus of chewing gum causes a spike in dopamine, which is a chemical that helps the brain focus,” says John Medina, PhD, director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University and author of Brain Rules.
And it’s not only gum that can produce that effect. The next time you need some help overcoming a mid-afternoon slump, try one of these out-of-the-box (but research-proven) tricks:
Change locations
Moving your laptop from your cubicle to the conference room could give you all the motivation you need to pound out that project: “The brain responds positively to novelty,” says Medina. “When it encounters something new, it will produce the dopamine surge that can translate into increased cognitive functioning.” If you’re not allowed to ditch your desk for a few hours, something like a quick gossip session with a coworker or even switching to pen and paper for a while should also do the trick.
Visit cuteoverload.com
Researchers in Japan found that images of baby animals significantly improved cognitive performance. Similar studies have also found that watching humorous videos can restore willpower and help you get back on track.
Pop a mint
Research has found that peppermint and cinnamon scents can increase alertness and mental performance. Applying some peppermint-scented hand cream also works, or you could just buy a small bottle of essential oil and keep it on-hand so you can take a whiff when your mind starts wandering.
Take a hike (or at least a walk around the parking lot)
Cognitive performance improves while walking, according to research. Dealing with a bang-your-head-against-the-desk problem at work? Take a break and head outside—by the time you’ve taken a few laps around the block, you may have come up with the answer that eluded you while you were sitting at your desk.
Hit the gym
The above tricks have a short-term effect, but exercise can actually enhance your concentration abilities for the long-haul (plus, recent research shows that quick bouts of physical activity can improve your self-control). “A total of 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise is the minimum required for a sustained change,” says Medina.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More From Women’s Health:
Games That Help Train Your Brain
Stay Focused: How to Get More Work Done in the Office
Brainpower: Sharpen Your Mind
5 Ways to Boost Good Cholesterol
Bummer alert: Aortic aneurysms, a dangerous swelling of the aorta, affect 1 to 2 percent of women and kill around 13,000 Americans each year, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. They can only be repaired surgically and often go undiagnosed, but a new study shows hope for a treatment: The research, published in the journal Atherosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, indicates that higher levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, can help protect you from developing an aortic aneurysm.
Researchers from St. George’s University of London gave a peptide called Ang-II to mice to increase their blood pressure and try to induce an aneurysm. They then injected one group of mice with HDL and another with a placebo. Researchers discovered that they were unable to create new aneurysms in the mice that received the HDL injections, and these mice also showed a significant reduction in the size of their existing aneurysms. “It’s good news for mice, but we do need to translate this,” says lead study author Gillian Cockerill, PhD, group leader of the Vascular Biology Research Unit.
That said, existing research shows boosting your HDL is good for heart health and may help prevent coronary disease, says Maja Zaric, MD, interventional cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and a Women’s Health advisor. “HDL is a type of cholesterol that actually cleans the blood vessels, as opposed to the LDL cholesterol (aka, bad cholesterol), which clogs them,” she says.
Here, she shares a few strategies on how get more of the good stuff.
Work it out: Since regular exercise helps boost HDL production, Zaric recommends logging at least 30 minutes of any aerobic exercise three to four times a week.
Quit the cancer sticks: Whether you’re a regular smoker or a “just one puff” kind of girl, it’s time to ditch the bad habit. “Smoking even in small amounts can actually suppress the HDL release from the liver,” says Zaric.
Drop some pounds: If your BMI is higher than 25, losing weight isn’t just all-around good for you—it can also up your HDL levels. That said, people who are at a normal body weight shouldn’t try to drop pounds just to increase HDL production.
Fill up on good fats: Consumption of monounsaturated fats has been linked to higher HDL levels. Get your fill by incorporating more avocado, salmon, sardines, olive oil, and olives into your diet.
Consider a cholesterol booster: If you’re generally healthy but have a low HDL count and a family history of heart disease, you might want to ask your doctor about OTC cholesterol-boosting medications, says Zaric. One thing to keep in mind: They can have the side effect of facial flushing or redness, which might last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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18 Self-Checks Every Woman Should Do
What Your Blood Test Results Mean
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What’s the 15-Minute Fat Loss Secret? Find out here!
The Easiest Way to Boost Creativity
Low on inspiration? Lace up your hiking boots. Spending a few days in the outdoors may actually improve your reasoning and mental clarity, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Researchers sent 56 people on four- to six-day wilderness trips sans smartphones, laptops, and other electronics. Twenty-four of the backpackers took a 10-question creativity test on the morning of their departure, while 32 others took the same test on the fourth morning of their trip. Those who took the test near the end of the trip scored 50 percent better than those who took the test at the beginning of the trip.
The reason for the brainy boost? Aside from the fact that nature can be pretty awe-inspiring, it’s all about letting the brain repair itself, which happens when you have fewer distractions (read: no Instagram updates to like), says David Strayer, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. “When you multi-task all day, you put a heavy load on the frontal lobe of the brain, which is associated with creativity and higher functioning,” Strayer says. Turning off your gadgets and focusing on the environment around you can restore and reset this area, allowing new thought to flow more freely, he says.
And although a four-day trip provided a significant boost in creativity test scores for Strayer’s volunteers, you don’t have to climb a mountain to get the same result, he says. “You probably won’t get the full effect of disengaging, but you can see measurable benefits with just a half hour to an hour walk through a nature preserve or a park,” he says. “Just leave the cell phone in your purse.”
Test Yourself
The standardized creativity tests that Strayer used included questions that listed a series of words and asked the pupil to choose a new word to link them together. An example would be: Envy, golf, beans. Can you think of a word that connects all three? Spoiler alert: The answer is “green.” Now, take some time to unplug, unwind, and enjoy your local park (try one of these 10 best trail runs in America) before trying your hand at this set: Athletes, web, rabbit. The answer is at the bottom of the post. Good luck!
Image: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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Answer to the creativity test above: Foot.
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