Can you boost your memory by walking backward?

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Can you boost your memory by walking backward? Lost your car keys? Instead of retracing your steps, you might want to try walking backward to jog your memory. A study published in a recent issue Cognition found that people who walked backward, imagined they were walking backward, or even watched a video simulating backward motion had better recall of past events than those who walked forward or sat still. Why?

Get your copy of Improving Memory By age 60, more than half of adults have concerns about their memory. However, minor memory lapses that occur with age are not usually signs of a serious problem, such as Alzheimer’s disease, but rather the result of normal changes in the structure and function of the brain. This report, Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss, describes these normal age-related changes and other more serious causes of memory loss — and how to distinguish between them.

How to release a frozen shoulder Frozen shoulder is a common disorder that causes pain, stiffness, and loss of normal range of motion in the shoulder. The resulting disability can be serious, and the condition tends to get worse with time if it's not treated.

Additional News from Harvard Health Publishing Does exercising at night affect sleep? Sleep shortfall linked to higher risk of clogged arteries Bumps on finger joints may hint at knee problems

Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss Featured content: • What is memory? • How we remember • Forgetting: What's normal? • How memory changes with age • Memory impairment: Normal aging or brain disease? •  ... and more! Click here to read more »