Weekly health challenge: exercise your mind

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Exercise your mental fitness. Spend 10 minutes a day activating brain regions that aren't normally called into action. Do a crossword puzzle, read a book or listen to a tape in a foreign language; play sudoku. Make some new friends by joining a knitting circle or a bowling league.

The latest research suggests mental challenges and increased social interactions can help slow the normal decline that occurs with aging -- the sort that makes it tougher to, say, remember your colleague's name or where you parked your car.