<p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><strong>Jerusalem, Israel – Dec. 6, 202</strong>2 – Winter is here, with much shorter cold days with&nbsp;less sunlight.&nbsp;Feeling the&nbsp;winter blues and feeling forgetful?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Memory&nbsp;expert<strong> Rena Yudkowsky of Memory Matters&nbsp;</strong>has provided<em> <strong>BJL</strong>&nbsp;</em>with tips to incorporate into your daily routine&nbsp;to improve how your brain works, and help short-term memory.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em><strong>Meditate to Clear Your Thoughts</strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Your brain never stops, even when you are asleep. So, finding ways to help your brain to relax is crucial. Meditation can do that for your brain. The common advice is to clear your thoughts, but that might not be helpful. Better advice is to observe your thoughts and let them pass by.&nbsp;Focusing on the tefillah when you daven is good for&nbsp;your&nbsp;health!&nbsp;</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><strong><em>Get More and Better Sleep</em></strong></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Sleep is essential to help your brain to process thoughts and memories. Sleep,&nbsp;allows your brain to move memories from short-term storage to long-term storage. When you are deprived of sleep, your brain is not able to do work as efficiently and you start to have trouble with even short-term memories. It's dark outside, try and get to sleep earlier.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em>Cut Out Excess Sugar</em></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">There is a lot of sugar in foods today, in places you would not expect to find it. A lot of sugar can lead to chronic health issues and it can affect how well your brain functions. Short-term memory in particular might have more issues if you are eating an excess of sugar.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em>Maybe Cut Back on Alcohol</em></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">In moderation, alcohol is not necessarily harmful. No need&nbsp;to cut out kiddush, however, when you start overconsuming or using alcohol every day you can start to experience issues. Cutting back may help you to see big results in terms of better memory and brain function.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em>Play Brain Games</em></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Your brain likes to solve puzzles and work through challenges. It is just like when you allow yourself to play in other ways. Whether you love video games, crossword puzzles, or other types of games, whatever you can do to challenge your brain and allows you to have fun at the same time can be a great memory booster.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em>Move Your Body</em></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Moving your body on a regular basis helps you to have better overall health, including brain health. Your circulation improves and more oxygen gets to the brain, where the brain puts it to good use. Find physical activities you enjoy and you are going to be much more likely and willing to keep doing them regularly. Too cold outside to walk, use the treadmill, or walk in a mall – just do some exercise to get your&nbsp;body moving and blood flowing.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;"><em>Reconsider Your Diet</em></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">What do you eat on a regular basis? If you are not concerned about diet, you might want to shift your mindset. Eating a healthy diet on a routine basis helps your body and your brain to have the building blocks necessary to keep you healthy physically and mentally. When your body is nutritionally deprived, you may experience trouble with memory and cognition.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">These are important suggestions to improve memory and health – find solutions that work for you. Incorporate healthy&nbsp;habits into your life easily. Eventually, you will have a solid plan that supports your memory the way you need it to be supported.</span></p> <p><br></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Need to get serious about improving your memory? See Rena's upcoming Memory Matters Signature course&nbsp;<a href="http://www.renayudkowsky.com/signature-course" _mce_href="http://www.renayudkowsky.com/signature-course" target="_blank">www.renayudkowsky.com/signature-course</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-size: large; font-family: times new roman, times;">Feel free to join Rena's email list from the website&nbsp;<a href="http://www.renayudkowsky.com/" _mce_href="http://www.renayudkowsky.com/" target="_blank">www.renayudkowsky.com</a>&nbsp;to receive a free checklist of “Is my memory loss normal?”</span></p>