It happens to everyone. You’re telling someone about a movie you saw that was terrific and when you’re ready to mention the star’s name, it was… you draw a blank. Or you’re reminiscing with old friends about an adventure you shared way back when and the town you stayed in was… what was that town again? Everyone’s memory, it seems, gets a little less sharp as the years roll by. Kind of like losing a little pop on your tennis serve or getting winded on that ski slope that you used to fly down. Physical prowess isn’t the only thing that’s subject to the effects of age.

Now the good news. There are scientifically proven ways to keep your memory sharp — or at least sharper — year after year. Even better, these techniques are not difficult and can even be fun. Writing for Inc.com, Marcel Schwantes says, “Plenty of neuroscience studies show that specific kinds of activities can do wonders for your brain’s health.” He then goes on to list four in particular.

“Learn new things.” Learning how to perform some new task or developing a new skill just may be the ultimate workout for your brain. It takes work, mental work, and your brain rewards you for the effort. In particular, research shows that learning something as straightforward as digital photography improves a person’s memory. Perhaps surprisingly, the improvement is not short term — follow-up testing shows improvement a year later.

“Socialize more.” There is abundant research showing that loneliness is a significant problem in older adults. It’s been proven to be associated with an increase in heart disease, stroke and dementia. The antidote to loneliness is fairly obvious, even if it takes some planning: socialize more with old friends or make new ones. To make it even more interesting, you can socialize with new friends that you make in a club or activity devoted to a new interest, anything from singing in a choir to taking art lessons.

“Use your non-dominant hand.” In 1979 Dr. Betty Edwards published the bestselling Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain. It contained a wealth of information about how a right-handed person who uses their non-dominant (left) hand to practice something like drawing stimulates the brain’s right hemisphere, which is associated with creativity. For many people this was their first exposure to the amazing function of the two hemispheres.

Since then, research on both hemispheres has continued. Schwantes refers to one book in particular: “In his book Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness, neurobiologist Lawrence Katz suggests using your non-dominant hand to improve your brain’s strength.” Boosting creativity and improving brain health overall are valuable goals and offer rewards of their own.

“Take up running.” There are mountains of research showing that exercise positively affects mental health. There is also more focused research on particular types of exercise. Schwantes points out one from the University of Arizona: “The study found that runners’ brains were more active than those of non-runners, particularly in areas associated with cognitive function, such as planning, inhibition, multitasking, decision-making, and processing. Meanwhile, non-runners had less activity in these areas.” But the fact is that for many people running is not a good option because of age or physical limitations. So consider running if you’re able to, but keep in mind that walking has also been proven to have enormous health benefits.

In any case, if you commit yourself to practicing some activities to boost your brain’s health then you just may find yourself calling up actors’ names without missing a beat.