The next big workout craze is one even a couch potato could love. It starts with a warm-up: a trip to the supermarket. Then there's a large dinner, followed by some leisurely hours spent doing crossword puzzles. Finally, there's the cool-down, a long bubble bath. Keep this up, and you'll be buff in no time. Mentally buff, at any rate. This is a workout for your brain—an example of 'neurobics', a movement that's gaining momentum among those looking to stay sharp as they age. Some psychologists claim that by adjusting your routine in small ways (like taking a different route to the grocery store or stimulating your senses with a new fragranced bath product), you can encourage neurons to build more connections to each other. Though scientists know little about the early stages of Alzheimer's, clinical evidence is starting to show that mental 'exercises' like these may ward it off. Neurobics got started with the 1999 book Keep Your Brain Alive by Duke University neurobiologist Larry Katz and writer Manning Rubin. Since then, the term has entered common usage (it's defined in at least one slang dictionary) and inspired numerous imitators. Entrepreneurs now offer courses that teach neurobic exercises alongside more traditional seminars on handling stress and expressing emotions. Corporate trainers like Mind Gym run employees through 90 minute 'workouts' designed to in crease productivity. There's also the MyBrainTrainer.com site, a paid service that provides access to games like those used in psychological experiments to test cognitive ability. There's no evidence that these games are any better for you than, say, scrabble. But MyBrainTrainer creator Bruce Friedman says he gets a 'neural buzz' from them—and he's taken each more than 1,600 times. Still, it's a good bet that a simple change in routine will be just as effective. If that doesn't seem mentally wearing, consider how you go about most neurobic activities in ordinary life. Most likely, you're going through the motions—driving on roads you know by heart, swallowing down dinner with out savoring its taste or texture. Changing things will force you to pay attention to what you're doing. Even those who are skeptical about neurobics' potential for preventing Alzheimer's have to admit that isn't a bad thing. By describing the process of a workout, the author intends to show