Maintaining your Optimal Brain Function

As we age, some of us find ourselves endlessly searching for items that we "just had in our hands and put down" or "put it away so it would not get lost" and that item is never to be found again despite entire family search parties taking packed lunches along for breaks between searching duties!


Is there anything we can EASILY, Quickly, and actively do to delay the onset of Cerebral aging?
I found a few tips this morning by searching google:

About.com tells us London cabbies have an enlarged Hippocampus (area of the brain) when compared to the general population. Their level of recall of London alleys and streets is disproportionate to the detail required by the public, at large, so what have researchers learned from this to  help us improve our memory:
"Pump up" or preserve your memory by:

1. Pay active attention  to external actions. Many researchers believe that inattentiveness is a major cause of forgetfulness in people of any age. Engaging your brain to really listen,* and observe will give your brain the chance to absorb and store information. 
*( this does not include listening to the TV, which is a highly passive activity and does not challenge or work the brain. )

2. Put frequently mislaid items such as keys in same spot each day, write out lists of important things you must do, and read the list aloud, at the same time, visualizing the action of each item on your list.

3. Slow down and repeat information such as lists of things to do and names, several times.
Names are some of the hardest things to remember as we age. Especially if they are not used regularly. We you hear a new name for the first time, repeat it to the speaker and to yourself, and some people even find associating the name with someone else they knew who had that name helps or incorporating it in the conversation will help, e.g."Hi Sammy, and what has Sammy been up to today?"
Rehearsing ideas and information aloud helps move information from your short term, working memory to your long-term memory according to http://psychology.about.com/lr/memory/256222/2/

Writing a diary, "brain-training" or chess even on the DS can exercise your brain

4. Exercise your brain daily by engaging in a mental activity that requires your brain to remember, reason, and react quickly. Work a crossword or sudoku puzzle, draw, paint, or write in a journal,play chess or become a blogger! Learning a new language or new skill is very effective work for your brain.

Good luck! What'syournameagain? Something we definitely should be making our brains ponder about.