Gymnastics and a walk for your interior universe
People treat their dogs better than they treat themselves.
That’s right, and you know it’s true. You make sure that dog of yours gets exercise: Out in the yard for a run, a game of catch with a ball, stick, or Frisbee, or you put the leash on and take a little jaunt around the neighborhood.
And I don’t want to hear any snickering from the cat owners!
You might be thinking I’m getting ready to harp on you about sitting on your couch a little too much lately, but today I’m going to surprise you.
How about I give you something to do while you’re there?
Your brain, like your body, needs to be exercised. And just as your body ages, so does your brain. Luckily, the process can be slowed—and even reversed—in your brain. (We’ll look at how this works for the body another time.) The research constantly and consistently backs up this point.
So while you’re sitting there on your EZ Chair or your favorite couch—make a conscious effort to turn off the boob tube for a bit, and try some of these activities on for size.
Good ol’ fashioned crossword puzzles will exercise those brain cells. Read books or magazines you normally wouldn’t but have had an interest in—it’ll stretch your brain in new directions.
Got a music instrument sitting around the house collecting dust? Wipe it off and start playing again. Never got a chance to pick up a musical instrument and learn? It’s never too late to start.
Join the Sudoku craze. These are challenging, and you can time yourself to see how long it takes you to complete one. Make it fun with a competitive twist: Challenge your friends and family, and see who can score the best time!
Talking in another language (not your native tongue) has been found to be quite beneficial for the brain. A study found that knowing two or more languages could actually offset the beginning of dementia by as much as four years. Researchers recruited 184 people and looked at their knowledge of a foreign language and the age at which the first signs of dementia began to appear.
Men who spoke only one language were found to develop dementia at an average age of 70.8, and the women at an average age of 71.9. However, for those who spoke two or more languages, the men didn’t develop symptoms of dementia until an average age of 76.1, and the women were on average 75.1 years old.
Act on that good news and pick up a book and a set of cassettes or CDs at your local library. Lifelong learning is rewarding—especially if it delays the onset of dementia.
And before you go thinking that I’ve finally let up on you about the exercise-for-your-body part of the equation: Not so fast. I’ll just give you a gentle reminder of the overall benefits—inside and out—for your health and your body by engaging in daily physical activity.
For those who feel they are “too old” to try anything new, I have to ask you: Ever heard of Grandma Moses? If she didn’t try something new, no one would have ever heard of her.
