Research indicates that exercise is the factor that seems most likely to benefit the brainpower of the healthy, sick, young and old alike. Moderate exercise, such as thirty minutes of walking a day, is very beneficial.
Perhaps the best news is that even if you temporarily lose part of your mental capacity, you might be able to regain it. An older brain retains an astonishing ability to rejuvenate itself. Stanley Rapoport, chief of the neuroscience lab at the National Institute on Aging, compares the brains of younger and older people engaged in the same efforts with amazing results. He finds that older brains literally rewire themselves to compensate for losses. If one neuron isn’t up to the job, neighboring brain cells pick up the slack.
One intriguing study by Harvard’s Ellen Langer and Rebecca Levy suggests that cultural norms may be self-fulfilling prophecies. In China, where age carries no connotation of stupor, older people perform much higher on tests than their American counterparts. In short, your attitude and expectations are determining factors in your capacity as you grow older. Another exciting plus is that older people consistently outshine younger people on all measures of wisdom, offering more thoughtful, sophisticated advice.
But the best news of all is that you can do some things to enliven your brain:
(1) Be flexible;
(2) find peace;
(3) eat right;
(4) get lots of stimulation;
(5) stay in school;
(6) seek new horizons;
(7) engage the world;
(8) take a daily walk; and
(9) keep control. So take the active, positive approach now and enjoy a mentally alert senior citizen’s life.
Adapted from Zig Ziglar’s book, “Something to Smile About,” published by Thomas Nelson. Ask for a copy at your bookstore today! Or visit www.zigziglar.com and purchase this book from Zig’s Bookstore.
For more on the subject of how to be successful, read Zig’s popular book, “Success for Dummies,” published by IDG Books. It’s at your bookstore, and it’s also available from http://www.zigziglar.com.
