If you’d like to do something good for your brain – wear your watch upside-down. How it helps...

If you’re memory isn’t what it used to be – there are a few things you can do from time to time to give it a jolt...

Cynthia Green, author of “30 Days to Total Brain Health,” says our brain is a muscle and we need to flex it from time to time to keep it sharp. Here are a few tricks that are proven to improve both memory and thinking skills:

• Wear your watch upside down. This type of subtle change forces your brain to practice neurobics, activities that engage your attention and involve using one or more of your senses in a new way.

• Rework a word. Write down a multisyllable word, such as “resolution,” “sufficient” or “Thanksgiving.” Then see how many other words you can come up with, using the letters of the original word. This forces you to see familiar things in new ways. 

• Juggle. Some of the best mental activities also have a physical component. Juggling increased the brain’s white matter, the stuff that transmits information to different areas of the brain. Try juggling with scarves. They’re easier for beginners.