As we get older, even the healthiest among us will occasionally forget where we put the car keys. But don’t worry, because the brain is just like the rest of your body: use it, and it gets stronger. A 2006 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that five years of brain exercises improved the lives of participating seniors. And we don’t exactly mean weight lifting, either—these things will make you smile.

Experts like the Alzheimer's Association say that word games are your best bet for improving memory. For example, crossword puzzles not only help you recall long-buried facts, they give your logic skills a workout as you sort through hints and synonyms. Board games like Scrabble and Boggle have similar effects, with the added benefit of requiring strategy and social interaction.

Number games help too, but they should focus on patterns and sequences. Playing Sudoku—a Japanese game that requires you to plug numbers into a grid—is a huge challenge to several types of associative memory, as are multi-player games like dominoes and Yahtzee.

What are you waiting for? Get yourself a crossword book, line up those dominoes, and play your way to a longer, stronger, happier life.

The poet Williams Carlos Williams once said “It is difficult to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably everyday for lack of what is found there.” His words point to the power of poetry as a source of sustenance for human beings. Here are five must-know iconic poets whose works are certain to enhance your life:

Robert Frost – If you think you know this poet because of some exposure to him in school, think again: diving into Frost’s body of work will reveal a very different poet from the one so often presented in cursory classroom exercises. His poems, ranging from funny to plaintive to dark, will excite your ear and energize your heart and mind.

Elizabeth Bishop – This is a poet whose impeccable eye for detail will astound you in poem after poem. She holds a vivid lens to the world and records it precisely as it is, continually testing the bounds between perception and truth. 

Richard Wilbur – One of the greatest living poets, Wilbur writes poems that will captivate you with their sounds while they challenge you with their content. His poems beg to be read aloud and memorized.

Sylvia Plath – Though the biographical details of her life sometimes overshadow Plath’s poetry, her work remains some of the most electrically charged and influential poetry of the 20th century. The poems burn on the page, flashing with a skillfully controlled energy force.

Philip Larkin – Considered one of the best English poets of the twentieth century, Larkin is poet whose works will dazzle you with their wry intelligence and sonic power. His poems, known for their often less-than-sunny world-view, never present one version of reality but instead acknowledge the complexity of experience.

Let's face it: aging impacts the stuff that makes us safe behind the wheel. Though some people find it necessary to stop driving as they get older, you don't necessarily have to stop hitting the road. As an elderly driver, here are some tips to keep you safe when you hit the gas pedal:

Look out for your eyesight.

Certain eye conditions and medications that can impede your ability to focus or hamper your peripheral vision. Other eyesight issues that can arise as you age are light-sensitivity, blurred sight, or difficult with night vision. You want to be sure that you can clearly see road signs and traffic lights from a reasonable distance, and that you can fully see the motions of the drivers around you.

How's your hearing?

If you’ve started to experience decreased hearing sharpness, this could be dangerous on the road. Drivers need a strong hearing ability in order to pick up on the many audio cues of the road, like sirens, horns, squealing breaks or accelerating engines.

Watch out for changes in your reflexes and reaction time.

The ability to react quickly is a crucial skill for safe driving. If you find that you’re taking a longer time to process events and, as a result, reacting more slowly, this is an important warning sign that you may need to reduce your driving, get help, or possibly stop altogether.

Be mindful of your memory.

If you find yourself forgetting familiar routes or basic driving functions (like using turn signals, for example), pay attention to these changes. Have a doctor evaluate your memory issues before getting back on the road.

Staying safe means paying attention to your body. If you see your doctor regularly, you can feel great about revving your engine and hitting the road. Happy driving!