YOU, HEALTHIER & HAPPIER

These feel-great shortcuts are so easy they seem like they shouldn't work-but they do!

- GABRIELLE LICHTERMAN

Sharpen memory by gift shopping

Strolling through holiday craft fairs, malls or downtown shops steers you to the perfect present and helps boost your memory. A new study out of Switzerland shows that simply walking in a stimulating environment sharpens your working memory, the kind needed to follow a recipe or juggle a long to-do list. Every twinkling light and colorful display you pass activates brain areas that are tied to recall, making them work sharper and more efficiently.

OR ENJOY CRANBERRIES: Whether you prefer them juiced or jellied, U.K. scientists say that savoring a cup of these sweet-tart berries a day improves your ability to recall images (like where you put your keys) within 12 weeks. Cranberry polyphenols increase blood flow to the brain, supplying it with more nourishing oxygen and nutrients.

Boost longevity with a 4-cent pill