Gray matter needs activity, too
When I talk to anyone about aging, one of the biggest concerns that come up is losing their mental faculties. I think we all share a desire to keep our minds intact—and our independence—well into our golden years.
You fear mental decline. But what do you plan to do about it?
An interesting study was done in which participants were provided a minimal amount of training and reaped big rewards. A group of 2,800 folks with an average age of 73 at the start of the study in 1998 were either given training in mental functions such as memory, reasoning, and the ability to think quickly, or were given no training at all. Those who received training only got 10 to 18 hours worth. But five years later the group that received the training stayed sharp and performed better with mental tasks than those who had received no training.
The researchers brought up an interesting point: If older folks continued to exercise their minds every single day, by doing something like Sudoku, what would be the pronounced benefit of that sort of constant training?
And when faced with the possibility of some day being prescribed a drug to combat mental decline, when the drugs that are currently prescribed give only a low to moderate benefit, it would make sense to take matters into your own hands—particularly your brain matter—and give it a workout.
The key to brain workouts is the same as those for your body: Shake it up, trying different things to stretch your mind in new ways, keeping it limber with a variety of tasks.
Sudoku, for one, is a challenging puzzle that works your reasoning skills. Or, try crossword puzzles, learn a foreign language, dust off that musical instrument you used to play back in the day, and host a weekly game of cards or board games. Have fun with your brain workout—and you won’t even notice you’re exercising.
