#3 Exercise.
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		There is growing evidence that cardiovascular fitness in late adulthood increases cognitive function and even prevents brain tissue loss. Research conducted at the University of Illinois comparing older adults enrolled in 6 month aerobic (walking) or anaerobic (stretching and toning) exercise programs has shown that participants in the aerobic training group perform significantly better on measures of executive control (important for such things as planning, scheduling, inhibition, and working memory). Aerobic training participants also show stronger activation in areas of the brain related to selective attention, and recent evidence even suggests that cardiovascular health serves as an important buffer against tissue loss in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes of the brain.
Further Reading: Albert, M. S., Jones, K., Savage, C. R., Berkman, L., Seeman, T., Blazer, D., et al. (1995). Predictors of cognitive change in older persons: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Psychology & Aging, 10, 578-89. Churchill, J. D., Galvez, R., Colcombe, S., Swain, R., Kramer, A., & Greenough, W. T. (2002). Exercise, experience and the aging brain. Neurobiology of Aging, 23, 941-955. Kramer, A. F., Hahn, S., Cohen, N. J., Banich, M. T., McAuley, E., Harrison, C. R., et al. (1999). Aging, fitness and neurocognitive function. Nature, 400, 418-9.