Keep your wits about you with these tips for staying mentally fit:

• Get physical. Exercise helps keep you young, from maintaining a healthy weight to strengthening your heart, to bumping up immune response. And science shows that physical activity also promotes brain function. Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week can increase blood flow that delivers rejuvenating oxygen and boosts nerve activity. Working out also lowers the stress hormone cortisol.

• Get mental. Beefing up your brain requires an exercise in thought… literally. Try playing memory games, puzzles, and brain teasers such as Sudoku. Learn a foreign language or musical instrument. Anything that recruits your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills flexes your mental muscle. Even practicing “neurobics” — doing a common skill in an uncommon manner (try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand) — can engage mental processes.

• Get sleep. Your brain uses the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage to help encode memories and interpret new information. Not getting enough can fog your recall and stunt learning. So be sure to sleep well for 7 to 9 hours, consistently.

You can do plenty to ward off the effects of aging on your brain. You can also take the Total Health Assessment online questionnaire to see what healthy habits you’ve already formed. In just 20 to 30 minutes, you can find out what you’re doing well and areas where you’re poised to make a change. You’ll receive a customized plan with tips and tools to help you lead a healthier, happier life — at your own pace. And for more support to improve your sleep, try the HealthMedia® online Healthy Lifestyle Program, Overcoming™ Insomnia.