* This post may or may not be relevant for you… but it will be relevant for someone you know. You may want to give them a photocopy… or better still, send them here to take a look.
We all understand what happens to our body as it ages.
Without intervention (an exercise/activity program) we know that our muscles waste, our lung capacity decreases, our heart gets weaker, our bones become brittle, our flexibility and mobility decrease, our reaction time slows, our posture suffers, we move slower and we become more susceptible to illness and injury.
Unless of course we happen to live a naturally active lifestyle (one where we regularly expend lots of energy, move, lift, stress our body… consistently do stuff physically).
I have spoken before on this site about a concept called biological age (also known as physiological age) and we have established that by controlling certain variables (diet, lifestyle, exercise, stress levels) we can absolutely turn back our body clock. Even though we may be fifty (chronologically) we can ‘build’ ourself the body equivalent to that of a typical thirty year-old (in terms of cardio-vascular function, strength, bone density, blood pressure, flexibility).
If you’ve punished your body for fifty years it may be a different story of course… but at the very least, you can turn back the clock at little and see a notable improvement in health, physical function and overall fitness.
What happens (typically) with a large percentage of the population is that we get to a point in time when we simply stop moving as much. We stop lifting, walking, hammering, climbing, cleaning, working…. doing physical stuff. And as soon as this happens our body begins to age at a faster rate. It’s hard to quantify (the rate of ageing) as it varies from person to person… but let’s just go with… a much greater rate.
(Than our active counterparts).
For many people, retirement should be renamed the-beginning-of-the-end; they stop doing pretty much everything that kept them in shape (I’m talking about from a health and function perspective here… not from a looking incredible perspective).
I’m not suggesting that we all work until we’re ninety five… but for some people, the day they retire is the day they stop using their mind and their body (in a significant way).
The day they begin to deteriorate.
Ironic, when you consider how excited most people are about that day.
And while it’s common and ‘normal’ for some of us to train our body in an effort to stay young physically, surprisingly, the majority of us don’t consciously take a similar approach when it comes to keeping our mind in shape (that is, consciously ‘exercising’ our mind like we do our body).
Interesting when we consider these two facts:
1) People typically slow down mentally as they age…. short-term memory loss (where are my keys?), process information slower, find it harder to concentrate and focus, more easily confused, become vague and tend to be less creative and less adventurous.
2) They don’t have to! Countless studies (and simple observation) tell us that our mind, like any other muscle (okay, it’s not a muscle but you get my point), needs to be trained to stay in shape. Excluding people with specific medical conditions, we find that people who have remained mentally active as they have aged typically see little (or no) deterioration in their level of brain function.
The moment we stop using it… we start losing it.
The good news is that our brain (like our body) is amazing and can adapt (grow ‘muscle’) at any age. We can (to an extent) undo some (if not most) of the damage.
It’s great to be in shape physically but what’s the point of having four percent body-fat, Olympian biceps and veins on our veins, if we have a mind like a Dalmatian?
So after two hundred years of helping people get in shape physically, here are my tips for developing and maintaining a high-performance mind.
1. Set goals.
The moment we stop setting goals is the moment we start going backwards. Without goals we don’t have to think, plan, rationalise, problem solve or create (as much).
2. Laugh.
It’s not illegal to laugh, be silly or have fun as you age. Although some grumpy old farts will take me to task on this… they’re wrong.
“Hey Johnnie… pull my finger.”
(So juvenile).
3. Play.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”
Two of my favourite people in the world are a (nearly) seventy years-young couple who ski, ride mountain bikes, run up and down sand dunes, hike, lift weights, travel, help others, play practical jokes and hang out with ‘silly’ young people.
4. Study.
You don’t have to go back to college and get your PhD. (although you might) but maybe explore short courses, workshops… something to blow out those cerebral cob webs and get those rusty cogs turning once again.
Most people stop (consciously) learning when they finish school.
Pity.
One of my staff (Rona) is fifty two. She started university (for the first time) last year. She will graduate with her bachelors degree (in Exercise Science) when she’s fifty four and has already informed me that she wants to continue studying once she completes her current course. The other day she told me.. “it’s the best thing I’ve ever done… in my life!”
(Condolences to her husband!).
5. Learn a new language.
Research tells us that people who speak two languages (regularly) age (mentally) at a slower rate than their uni-lingual (made that up… I think) buddies. They stay in shape (mentally) for longer… It even delays the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Now, if you spoke three languages…
6. Express yourself creatively.
Write something… a book, some poetry, a business plan, start your own blog.
Paint, draw, sculpt… my father began to paint at sixty five.. and now is an awesome professional artist.
Invent something… a lot of the best inventors are crusty old guys…. c’mon on you crusty old guys… invent something!
7. Read.
And not just romantic novels… read stuff that makes you use your brain… challenges you a little. Makes you think, reason, remember; exercise your brain.
8. Consciously try and remember stuff.
It’s there.. you just need to dust it off.
Find your old school photos and name all your class mates.
Try and remember (and replay in your mind) moments in time.
Your first boyfriend’s, next door neighbour’s, brother’s… name (the one you kissed).
9. Do some mental workouts.
Crosswords – fun and great for your brain.
Puzzles… problem solving stuff… force yourself to think, reason, calculate.
When you have time on your hands is the best time to brain-train… In the car, on the train, bus, waiting rooms.. do maths problems, spell words, try and recall specific information… hmm, what does DNA stand for again?
What is the capital of Poland?
10. Have a project.
Something to keep you thinking, communicating, planning, solving problems, remembering… in general; bench pressing for your brain.
Might be landscaping your property, starting a not-for-profit organisation, building a small business, rebuilding your ’56 Buick, climbing Everest… whatever it is that keeps you stimulated, learning, adapting, growing and mentally in shape.
Now, what was my first girlfriend’s favourite color and what was that perfume she always wore?
Hang on a minute… what was her name!!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I do a crossword most days, knew instantly what DNA stood for when you asked, and can still remember most of my schoolfriends’ phone numbers from twenty years ago, even though I’ve not seen many of them since, as well as being able to remember the name of the first boy I kissed (we were both four at the time, so this is going back a bit!)
However, the great big pile of trivia in my brain seems to be suffocating any info of any practical use to me… so much so that I’ve forgotten what I was actually about to say… I’ve a feeling I’ve just made the point, though
At least I still remember to check out what that Craig Thingy-Wossisname has to say now and again – great stuff, as usual
Hello Craig,
They say variety is the spice of life…well, what l love about your blogospheric masterpiece is – it’s full of all the aromatic flavours of wisdom, ingenuity, humour and Harper-zest!!
Yes, l believe many individuals disregard the importance of “cerebral training! I must be going ok as l know what DNA stands for and the capital of Poland!
Thank you, another great post…keep the splendid flavours coming!
PS: l love your cute cartoons…Woof woof!
Keepsmiling ( )
Hi Diana,
I’m like you; I always remember the stuff nobody needs to know.
Ever.
It’s of no use to me but it’s imprinted on my brain.
When I can’t remember the important stuff I just make it up.
Don’t tell anyone.
Keep it between us.
Nobody else reads this right?
Hello Keepsmiling.
Stop it, I’m blushing.
Okay… keep it up.
( )
Christine from Canada, Craig:
Sudoku anyone?
Hey Christine…
That’d work.
Hello Craig,
Thank you, for posting such an accurate, insightful, informative post. You speak the truth.
Staying physically active and working out with moderate to heavy weights has preserved my body and physical appearance.
Peace
Manchild
When I can’t remember something, I tell myself, the brain is kind of like a computer in that you have to clean out or purge the files occasionally to make room for more data.
I love your writing and what you have to say. Keep it up. Ann