Mom brain is a real thing. I'm pretty sure I'm not losing my mind, but I do feel like it sometimes. Our lives have a lot of stress and anxiety these days, and it's easy to allow our minds to get cluttered and busy. We have so much going on, it's easy to forget things--even important ones! Are there ways to sharpen our brains? To be able to memorize or remember things more easily and retain knowledge longer?

In her book 60 Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp, Bonnie Sparrman gives solid advice for keeping your brain active and engaged--helping with both short-term and long-term memory issues. I'll admit, when I read the index, with chapter titles like "Take a Hike," "Eating for Pleasure" and "You've Got Mail!" I was a bit skeptical. But this book is very well-written. What seem like simple, unimportant activities can really help boost brainpower and cognitive skills.

While this book is a bit out of the ordinary from what I generally read, I did really enjoy it. I like having options for things to do when I'm feeling fuzzy and need to clear my head! I also love that there are solid steps I can take to help prevent memory issues when I get old!

There are millions of baby boomers approaching the age where developing dementia or Alzheimer's is a concern. Sparrman is convinced we can prevent the onset of those diseases or at least delay them for many years. She offers suggestions in four areas of life: physical activity, nutrition, intellectually stimulating activities, and social and spiritual connections.

Sparrman shares the results of many studies, yet in a very readable way. Some of the information and suggestions were not new to me. Her section on nutrition included all of the sensible advice we've been reading about for years. She has included a few recipes. We also know we should be walking or doing some other form of activity as we age. I was surprised, however, at the benefits of hiking in nature as opposed to walking in an urban setting. I was also surprised to find out about the friendly microbe beneficial to gardeners.

There were also some surprises for me in the social section of the book. There are measurable benefits for families who eat together around a table at least five times a week, for example. I am in a reading group and was pleased to find that such a group participation was one of Sparrman's suggestions, as was journaling. I was also reminded of the high cost of being mad or bitter and of the benefits of being optimistic.

I highly recommend this book to readers who are baby boomers and are entering into that age where one is concerned about reduced brain function. This book is very readable, full of facts, and has great suggestions for keeping your brain functioning well. It is a great resource for being a good steward of the body God gave you as well as living a more enjoyable and fulfilling life in general.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I liked the research behind each activity. Even though most of the activities are intuitive, when listen down like that, they help motivate you into action.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was full of helpful advice that I had and had not heard of before. Some of it was really interesting and will be incorporated into my daily life, but there were also some I will not utilize. Overall, the author laid out the information in a manner that was easy to understand and did not come across as preachy.

I found this book very interesting. I have a strong history of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in my family so I feel the information presented in this book is important to me. Although some of the information regarding exercise and diet was not new to me, some of the information was. I will try to incorporate many of these ideas into my routine to hopefully improve the quality of my life and that of my family.