The childhood card game Concentration is a version of the n-back, and you can play it today with a simple deck of cards. Use two cards of every number and face card in the deck. Place them face down and look for pairs.

. Snack on organic berries as you play. The neuroprotective antioxidants make their way to your brain and preserve your brain cell’s activity. Eating them regularly has been shown to slow the progression of cognitive decline by up to 2 ½ years.

It can help people overcome genetic predispositions for Alzheimer’s disease and may have the power to reverse age-related decline. However, this is one fruit you want to buy organic. When conventionally raised, berries have high levels of pesticides.

Do a 10-minute workout. Exercise is one of the most potent brain sharpeners, but many people struggle with finding the time to do so. When you don’t have time for a full hour-long class, sprint interval training has been shown to be an effective alternative.

subjects in one study who did this 10-minute workout reaped the same benefits in cardiovascular health as the subjects who did the same number of 50-minute workouts. Anything that helps improve cardiovascular health can help keep the blood pumping and sharpen the brain.

Warm up with 2 minutes of light activity like a walk or light jog. Then, sprint for 20 seconds. Walk or jog for 2 minutes. Sprint for 20 seconds again. Walk or jog for 2 minutes. Sprint for 20 seconds, and then end with a 3 minute walk or light jog.

There's plenty of evidence that not getting enough sleep impairs brain function. Keep that up for enough years and you can actually change your brain's DNA to make you more vulnerable to depression. Even in the short term, though, lack of sleep diverts the pathways in your brain

insist on a schedule that allows you plenty of sleep time, even if it means you can't make late night performance. And leave time during the day for the occasional 10-minute nap which won't make up for your sleep deprivation, but will improve brain function in the short term.

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Make time to clear your mind. Research shows that regular meditation not only improves brain function but also increases happiness. Even five minutes in the middle of your work day, will make a big difference.

But if you can't or don't want to make time for meditation, you can still some of the same benefits by taking the time to clear your mind on a regular basis. Taking time to stop and breathe, and stare out the window (which in itself has brain benefits) is helpful.

So is taking a walk, which can be a form of meditation, and adds to brain function both as moderate exercise and because it gets you outdoors and into daylight

Learn something new. If you've always wanted to take up surfing, or study Sanskrit, or perform improv, it is a great time to actually do it. That's because learning something new, such as a new language or a new performance technique, actually creates new pathways in your brain.

If you can spend an hour a day on your new hobby, you'll see the greatest brain improvement, especially if you spend all that time learning. But anytime you learn anything new, you're helping your brain stay more flexible.

Take some time off. Like sleep, time away from work is a must from your brain's point of view. This means at least one day out of every seven. If you're accustomed to working every day, don't fear falling behind.

a work team was instructed to take one rest day a week and instead of work piling up they found they got more done and were prouder of their accomplishments. That's one good example of how improving brain function makes a big difference to productivity.

. Regular vacations are also essential to brain function, and it's no accident that many people do their most creative thinking while on vacation. Not only that, taking at least one week's vacation at least twice a year will actually extend your life.

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This part of your brain allows you to hold information for a short amount of time while also being able to manipulate that information if necessary. Research shows that people improved their memory by using the n-back for 25 minutes a day.