I like the character of Mike Ross on Suits.
If you don’t know the show, Mike’s talent is his insane photographic memory. He remembers every line of every conversation he’s ever had. He remembers every book he’s ever read, word for word. He can look at a legal document once, then type it out verbatim hours or days later.
I’d kill to be able to do all of that.
Maybe sell my soul?
Track down a reclusive master in a remote Mongolian monastery?
Scratch that…
I’ll settle for these 4 memory tips instead:
1. Meditate. In a recent study, researchers found that participants in a 9-week meditation retreat markedly improved their ability to focus, and displayed the same boost when measured 7 years later. What’s interesting is the benefits lasted whether they maintained their level of meditation or not.
More’s not necessarily better.
I do 15-20 minutes a day.
To me this is all about training yourself to be present.
When you’re truly aware in the moment you notice more, and every experience can take deeper root within you.
2. Supplement with R+ALA and Acetyl-l-carnitine. You lose a quarter of your cholinergic neurons between the ages of 25 to 75. These are cells that produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is essential to memory.
In combination these nutrients have been shown to reverse cell damage in aged rats. In some cases, these good ‘ol boys got back the memory and motor skills of their youth.
I recommend an age-dependent dose of 200mg-800mg of R+ALA and 500mg-2,000mg of Acetyl-l-carnitine (in the morning) daily. The older you are, the more you need.
These are the bread and butter of my personal brain health program.
(It goes without saying, any supplementation you undertake is at your own discretion and risk.)
3. Learn a new language. This is probably the least practical suggestion of the four, but the hippocampus (the brain’s center for processing memories) lights up on brain scans of language learners.
Mas cerveza, por favor?
4. Pump iron. Here’s what we know: estrogen in women, and testosterone in men = intelligence (I know, hard to believe, isn’t it?). We also know that unless you regularly challenge your muscles with heavy weight (10-12 reps seems to be the sweet spot) you can’t hope to maintain your body’s hormone cascade.
Once those hormones start circling the drain (as they do with regular aging), cognition and memory disappear with them.
I can help with all these in varying degrees, but ‘specially that last one.
Get your IQ boost here:
http://www.conorkellypersonaltrainer.com
I’m excited.
I’m gonna pound out another value-packed email for my small biz marketing list, then it’s time for my Bulgarian lesson.
Maybe the devil can’t have my soul just yet…
Happy Remembering,
Conor Kelly