1. Get Bilingual

Signing up for those language classes that you’ve been putting off could deter early bouts of dementia and Alzheimers’s Disease, says a study from the Neurology Journal. Another study from Penn State also found that bilinguals are better at prioritising, multi-tasking, and focusing on important things.

2. Get Literary

Packing a paperback in your bag is a better time killer than Angry Birds if your commute involves the BTS or MRT. Reading regularly increases your cognitive ability and vocabulary. If keeping up a conversation is one of your problems, try hitting the books.

3. Get Physical

Martial arts practiced in Shaolin Temples was developed by a Buddhist priest, Tamo, when he observed that his students lacked the mental stamina needed to perform basic Buddhist meditations because they weren’t exercising their bodies. Getting fit will increase your memory function and help prevent depression.

4. Get Musical

Who would have thought that strumming your guitar is actually medically proven to boost your IQ? Making melodies forces the left and right hemispheres of your brain to coordinate. It’s one of the only activities that makes you use many parts of your brain at the same time.

5. Get Nerdy

Video games are actually good for your brain health (depending on the video game). Role playing games and strategy games will give you the mental challenge that your mind needs to keep on being healthy. Though gaming is proven to increase your problem solving skills and eye-hand coordination, too much of it can actually damage your frontal lobe. Old school games are better for you, like Sudoku, Rubik’s cube, chess, and Scrabble.

6. Get Nutritious

Get your brain food by eating apples, carrots, grapes, most vegetables and nuts. USDA says that this will improve coordination, attention and memory. Also, fatten up your brain by eating fish which has essential Omega 3 fatty acids that offer your body a myriad of benefits and your brain increased focus and a decreased chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Get Hydrated

All of these tricks are useless if you don’t drink enough H2O. Seventy-five percent of your brain is made up of water and if you don’t get enough of it, your brain cells will lose efficiency and impair your short-term memory function.