Have you ever forgotten to pick up something at the store or drawn a blank on your boss’s name? Then these tips for improving your memory are right on time. We found them in Women’s Day magazine:

• First: Talk with your hands. Dr. Jeff Brown is coauthor of The Winner’s Brain. He says that gesturing improves your ability to recall a conversation. In fact, it’s especially effective to “air write” something you want to remember - like the milk you need to pick up on the way home.  
• Memory booster #2: Chill out. Researchers at Rush University Medical School found that people who are easily upset are more likely to develop memory problems than easygoing people. That’s because chronic stress actually shrinks the hippocampus - which is a part of the brain that’s responsible for memory.    
• Here’s a tip that improves short-term memory AND helps prevent Alzheimer’s: Join a book club. Reading is great brain exercise. Dr. Sandra Chapman is the director of the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas. She says that talking about what you read is even better. That’s because interpreting a story strengthens the frontal lobe of the brain - which is one of the first areas to decline with age. If novels aren’t your thing, try singing in the shower. Dr. Cynthia Green says that memorizing the words exercises the verbal part of your brain, and singing gives the speech centers a workout.  
• The final memory-boosting tip: Stop and smell the rosemary. Researchers in the UK found that office workers whose cubicles were infused with the scent of rosemary scored better on long-term memory tests than those in unscented spaces. Aromatherapist Cher Core suggests spritzing rosemary oil in the air, wearing some as a perfume, or just putting a few sprigs in a dish on your desk.