The Soap Box Step You CAN teach an old dog new tricks! You walk
into a room and forget why you are there. You retrace your
steps, hoping the reason comes flooding back into your brain.
Or, you forget where you parked in the supermall parking lot,
and go up and down the aisles clicking your remote control,
maybe hitting the “panic” button to try to locate your car.
These are normal “brain clouds” (my phrase) that anyone of any
age can encounter. But what happens when you think your memory
is really slipping? You can’t remember the date or your
husband’s name, or you have trouble balancing your checkbook.
Well, there’s good news! Many studies have shown that diet and
exercise can not only improve brain function, but something as
insignificant as a 20 minute walk three times a week can
actually increase the size of the hippocampus. This small part
of the brain plays a major role in the consolidation of
information from short-term to long-term memory, and in spatial
navigation. Not only walking, but dancing has b