Posted by Caitlin Slater February 19th, 2015 (updated March 26th)
For the last two weeks I made it a goal of mine to push my memory skills by memorizing the entire Alphabet Aerobics rap. This goal stemmed from some devastating news I received recently. My grandfather has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. From the looks of it, it may seem like I have it all together health wise, but knowing now that this disease runs in my DNA I have made it a goal to focus on my brain health. Now, if you’re unfamiliar with what the alphabet aerobics is then maybe you’d remember that episode on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon with Daniel Radcliffe. Remember when Radcliffe brought the audience to their feet after rapping the incredibly challenging Alphabet Aerobics by Blackalicious. If you need a refresher watch the video above!
Anyways, later I saw on the news a reporter doing the same thing to help her with pronunciation. This also inspired me since I want to be a news anchor one day so I decided to challenge myself to memorize this insane rap as well. Check out my recording on Soundcloud. You can listen to me below as I “try” and rap! LOL! It was honestly a very difficult thing for me to accomplish and I still get tripped up on the Qs, but after I did this little brain exercise I realized a small change in my memorization. Later in the week I noticed I was able to memorize key concepts from class a lot easier. I then wondered if memorizing the Alphabet Aerobics worked like a brain exercise for me. I figured this memorization boost might also be a small step to prolonging the onset of Dementia or Alzheimer’s in my future. I decided to do more research on the topic and here is what I found:
- Brain exercising helps your brain to remember easier. Memorizing things like complicated raps: Alphabet Aerobics; or poems, song lyrics, states and capitals, sudoku, puzzles etc, over long periods of time will help strengthen your brain’s capacity to remember things easier.
- It helps you learn to focus better.
- It helps enhance creativity.
- Start training your memory now because the life long benefits are great. Your ability to function and have higher cognitive reasoning will get better with age instead of worsen.
- It can decrease the onset of Alzheimer’s disease!
It’s just as important to exercise your brain as well as your physique. It’ll keep you healthy and young! I want to encourage you to try little ways this week to work out your memory.
Caitlin Thropay 