Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week: Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week

To observe attentively is to remember distinctly. - Edgar Allan Poe

Here's a basic memory rule: You Can Remember Any New Piece of Information if It Is Associated to Something You Already Know or Remember. - Harry Lorayne, The Memory Book

What mental fitness activity did the reader practice over the weekend?

There are many options that can be practiced and today’s activity is another great idea that can be done anytime and anywhere. Mental recall or memorization is as simple as committing something to memory often by continual repetition and then recalling it later. Memorization and recall can be practiced while driving, riding on the metro, walking, etc.

Memorization is great for the brain because it pushes the brain to retain new information and recall at a later time. Just as endurance is improved through running and strength increased through weightlifting, memorization pushes the brain to get stronger.

Science has shown that memorization increases the brains neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s capability to continue to develop throughout life. As the brain gathers new information, it reorganizes itself and creates new neural pathways. These new neural connections assist the brain in its flexibility allowing the brain to respond to new environments and processes the information for more effective comprehension. By continually practicing memorization, the brain never stops changing and challenging itself.

The single thing I've found it valuable to memorize is poetry. - Caterina Fake

And the benefit of memorization is that the reader can choose what to memorize. Memorization ideas include:

Sports statistics
Poetry
Historical dates
Bible verses
Capitals of States

Ideas for memorization truly are endless!

Over the last few years, the author has told herself that she was going to start memorizing Bible verses to help improve herself mentally and spiritually. It was not a top priority and it took until 2019 to become determined with this goal and push forward. Each month, she selects a new scripture verse and daily reviews all of the verses she has memorized for the year, which takes about 2 minutes. Through repetition, she has memorized many of the verses and is working to daily improve her mind.

CHALLENGE: Find something you enjoy and make a list of 5 to 10 things to memorize. Review daily to improve mental fitness!

Resources

· https://www.bestvalueschools.org/benefits-memorization-school-beyond/

· Today Show Segment about Space Suit - https://youtu.be/s1nfA1yAndk

· https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/mental-fitness#techniques

· http://infographicaday.com/18-things-mentally-strong-people-do/

· https://www.stepjockey.com/blog/twenty-amazing-stair-climbing-facts

· https://truweight.in/blog/weight-loss/10-benefits-of-climbing-stairs.html

· https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ten-tips/10-tips-to-improve-your-mental-fitness

· https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/mental-fitness#mindbody-connection

· https://hbfit.com/what-is-mental-fitness-tips-to-train-your-brain/

· https://www.hprc-online.org/articles/physical-fitness-good-for-your-mind-too