Brain Power Boosters

Provided by Prevention

Get your mind going with some cerebral quick starters

"Use it or lose it" certainly applies to your mind. If you challenge yourself by doing crossword puzzles, memorizing poems, or learning a new language for that trip abroad, you're more likely to feel--and stay--mentally sharp. Take a look at the following four tips that can also keep your mental motor revved.

Go for Green Tea. It's a much better pick-me-up than your typical Starbucks latte. The reason? Although it does have some energizing caffeine, it also contains theanine, a compound that has a stress-reducing effect on your brain. "It calms you while giving you mental clarity," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic.

Have Bran for Breakfast. Eating a morning meal rich in fiber may make you more alert during the day. A recent study done at Cardiff University in Wales found that subjects who ate a high-fiber cereal in the morning showed a 10 percent reduction in fatigue, lower incidence of depression, and better cognitive skills. One theory: Fiber helps slow down the absorption of food in the stomach, so you have more energy for a longer period of time.

Pop a Peppermint. Oils in the peppermint plant increase alertness by stimulating your trigeminal nerve, "which is the same nerve that's activated when you revive someone with smelling salts," says Alan Hirsch, MD, director of the Smell and Taste Treatment Foundation in Chicago. Mints also contain menthol, which makes you feel cooler and more awake.

Rearrange Your Office Furniture. Think about it: Suddenly you can't just reach for the wastebasket unconsciously; you have to stop and flex your mental muscles to find where it is. You can also try taking a different route to work. These non-routine actions activate seldom-used nerve connections in your brain, to help strengthen and improve memory and make you less likely to succumb to fatigue.

• Get A Leg Up On Life
• Climb Any Mountain!
• Best Zen for Your Personality