How do you stop your brain Aging?

@zandi458 (28102)
Malaysia
September 24, 2010 12:08pm CST
This is funny question but I see people turning senile prematurely. I have a girlfriend who is of the same age as me but she keep rewinding the same story in a matter of split seconds. I get bored whenever she comes to visit me as she will start telling me her past history which she has said zillion times. I told her to cultivate some kind of hobby which uses more of the brain power. Keep reminding her that one of the reasons we age is that we stop exercising the brain. My mother used to tell me to keep learning new tricks and you'll never be an old dog. At 75, she is still very alert and her favorite past-time is playing computer games! I have been mylotting for the past 4 years and it has given my brain a tremendous boost. I understand that they are many senior lotters here but by reading through their posts, I am mesmerized by how great their ideas are and it shows that aging has not dented their great thinking brains. What do you do to keep your brain ageless?
9 people like this
31 responses
• Philippines
25 Sep 10
Wow, you have started a very interesting discussion! Atrophy affects all areas of the body, yet some studies have shown that the brain, even while smaller, can grow in the areas that we get to keep. Perhaps is why there is more focus that is combined with a flair? As for the relationship with your girlfriend, maybe you can detach yourself into her life more to appreciate and learn what is insightful in her recollections and spark some new common ground? Eric
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
Hi Eric, this friend of mind is a long time friend but I sense her changes lately when she doesn't have control of her brain power. But again, people who talk repetitively of the past is a sign of aging. We need to curb that before it happens to us. I believe we can protect our brains from deteriorating as we age by what ever method deems fit.
1 person likes this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
26 Sep 10
I might be wrong but my grandma used to repeat her story of her experiences in the world war two over and over again. So when I told mom about my grandma's recycling her stories, mom would say she was old let her say what she liked. So I assume..aged people are like that....
• Philippines
25 Sep 10
Hello zandi, i respectfully disagree. Try to see life through your friends eyes and words and experiences foremost. Of course, the odds of disease is increased as we live out our lives. sincerely, Eric.
2 people like this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
24 Sep 10
Funny you should ask Dr. OZ had a large part of his show about this yesterday. The main things I got was to eat healthy, exercise and keep learning new things to challenge the brain.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
Not seen that show before. I see you have found the right formula to remain evergreen.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
@Anora, thanks for the link. Will check that out after this.
• United States
24 Sep 10
You have to love Dr. Oz. Here is the link to 6 tips to keep the brain sharp by Dr. Oz. http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/06/28/dr-ozs-6-tips-to-keep-your-brain-sharp/
1 person likes this
@derek_a (10874)
25 Sep 10
I feel that regular exercise is very important to keep the body fit and which in turn will help blood circulation through the brain to keep that healthy too. My diet consists of regular consumption of oily fish (mackeral to be precise), as this too is said to aid brain funtions. Then each day, I often do crossword and various puzzles to make my brain concentrate and exercise the "mental muscles". It stands to reason that exercising the brain will make it stronger and keep it stronger as I grow older. _Derek
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
Hi derek, as we grow older exercising is becoming more difficult to stick to. To be honest, I hate exercising because I am a very impatient person. When I don't see result I feel demoralized. I do understand the importance of exercise to keep fit and to keep off old age diseases that love to lick on aging bodies. Diet is another important aspect in ensuring that we are nourished body and mind.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
25 Sep 10
I don't think that this is a funny question and I do think that you can do things to increase the performance of your brain! What do I mean? Well, people end up getting old and some develop dementia as well as Alzhiemas disease, don't know if that is spelt right, and then they have serious problems in old age! There's so much study taking place now into how the brain works and some very interesting information is starting to emerge! I think that you have probably touched on it and that is, exercising the brain! I love reading and I think that reading is good for the brain and I'm sure that I read somewhere that the more you use your brain the more new brain cells are created! I also love to play chess online on a regular basis and I think this is a great game of strategy and it gets you using both sides of the brain. Anyway, my goal is to continue doing what I am doing and hopefully I will still have my wits about me by the time I reach old age! Andrew
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
People have the notion that once you are in the senior citizen bracket, every thing are going downhill fast and that includes are precious brains that has the controlling power in our life. Not taking care of this important organ when we are still capable of doing will give us lots of problem later in life.
@pogi253 (1596)
• Philippines
25 Sep 10
Do you believe that the older you get the weaker your mental capabilities become? However, scientist tests have shown that this is not actually the case. A survey was done some years ago, proving that the majority of people can retain most of their mental ability well int their dotage. One test that was done was a group of scientists set out to map the effects of mental ability. In a park where a group of 50 men congregated daily to play chess, the researchers discovered that most of the men had above average mental and cognitive skills. They could hold a witty and intelligent conversations and were much less prone to depression dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
26 Sep 10
Everything will naturally weaken as we age but it can be reversed if we have taken good care of ourselves earlier.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
24 Sep 10
There are tons of things you can do. First of all, keep up with the latest news, trends and everything else that happens in the world. Eat a lot of fish (sounds weird, but it really helps, it has been scientifically proven) and do something like sudoku or other types of quizzes on a regular basis.
2 people like this
• United States
24 Sep 10
And if you happen to be allergic to fish, like me, you can simply take in supplements such as ground flax seed. I add ground flax seed to my cereals each day to help get enough of the Omega oils I need that I cannot get from fish.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
I have lived on fish all my life. It was and is always served on every meals. That is the cheapest form of protein and loaded with goodness. No wonder my brain has not gone rusty yet. It is well nourished.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
25 Sep 10
hi zandi I a m 84 and in good shape mentally as I have kept my brain active doing writing, reading, doing puzzles, and exercises to keep my brain young like thinking outside of the box. Say you had a dozen empty coffee cans what could you do with them or make from them, and other exercises similar to that. puzzles of all kinds are good and writing and reading, just using your brain every day. do not just couch potato through old age, think and make and do and you will not be senile and telling the same old story all day.You will be learning til you die and life will be a lot of fun and enjoyment. And mylotting has given me a way to stay active mentally and always and forever learn from all my many friends from all over the globe.Also listening to music actually users our brains plus letting us enjoy the pleasure of good sounds. I am a Mozart fan as so much of his sou nds almost mordern too.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
You are one of the many senior people here that I truly admire. At your age you still have a strong mental capacity and your varied subjects of discussions are aw inspiring. I sincerely thank you for sharing your secrets of keeping the brain in tiptop condition.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
24 Sep 10
I think if u don't use it u lose it. Mylotting helps me to. I think reading helps. u have to keep up w/what's going on in the world. I read the newspaper every day.I think it's sad when people don't keep up w/things. I watch the news alot on tv to. I guess my hobby is mylotting. I think it's great to find out about other's country, their traditions etc.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
Exactly, the way to increase our brain power is to use it frequently. Keep mylotting give us the extra edge.
1 person likes this
@LaurenInLA (2270)
• United States
24 Sep 10
I think that you have to exercise the brain just as you have to exercise your body. There is a site for seniors that has games that you can play to help prevent it. I think that reading and lifelong learning always help. You have to keep yourself interested in life as well. Physical exercise and eating right are also vital componenents to keeping your brain ageless.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
I wholly agree with your views. The brain is like a child that clamours for attention, to be given the right toy for exercising, to be fed the right food.
• India
24 Sep 10
Hello, I just try my best to live in the present. I keep alive my sense of humor. I have identified my purpose of life and I extract all my satisfaction from my incessant persuasion. I don't take everything seriously. I depend more on action rather than contemplation. I don't think what I shouldn't think. I don't think while doing my job and I don't do my job when it's time to think. Most importantly, I preserve my love for children, nature and my country. That keeps me forever fresh and young. Thanks. God bless you.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
I believe that when we are always around young people, we can maintain our youth since we have to stoop to their levels in thoughts and speech.
@damned_dle (3942)
• Philippines
24 Sep 10
By not using it. you can then sell it and brand "slightly used"
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
unfortunately, it has no second-hand value.
@bangamed (98)
• Indonesia
24 Sep 10
Some people say that playing games and puzzles also help to train our brain. A friend of mine recommended some video games like Professor Layton, Natalie Brooks, and many other puzzle games. Sudoku and Crossword Puzzles are also helpful i think. However, i believe, those games are just some from such a lot of ways to train our brain to work properly. The point is keep using it, for positive purposes, of course.
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
Most mind games are beneficial to keep the brain from aging fast.
• Italy
24 Sep 10
Like you said, the best way to keep your brain young and always trained is learning new things. myLot is useful for that, but don't fossilize yourself here: travel, see things, read books, taste weird dishes from all over the world, that way you'll have more ideas to share here and with your acquaintances, you'll make your knowledge wider and your brain won't get old really easily. For example, I travel a lot. I work to spend money on travels, not to save them. I'm trying to see as much of the world I can, I try to learn foreign languages (I'm only 22 and I already speak five languages) and I try to cook ethnic dishes. Living at your fullest is the best way to keep young and motivated, I think. :)
2 people like this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
You're a smart lady. So young yet so adventurous.
• Philippines
25 Sep 10
To stop your brain from aging you must always exercise how to read to help develop your learning so that it will not rot in your brain.Reading can help in the preserving of your mentality.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
yes, our brain needs exercising and learning new things everyday is a blessing to keep our brain working all the time.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
24 Sep 10
playing comp games responding here and other places and have 5 year old grand daughter to teach things
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
25 Sep 10
yup I sure do
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
You really have your hands full to keep your brain working all the time.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
30 Sep 10
I think my brain is aging prematurely and so I keep active on myLot because it makes me think and gives me the opportunity for some creativity that I would otherwise lack. I doubt very much that we can "keep our brain ageless" and I believe the best we can hope to achieve is to slow down the ageing process. Perhaps your friend would like to do crossword puzzles or other word puzzles. Sudoko is good too but alas, I cannot get my brain around this game at all.
1 person likes this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
30 Sep 10
Humans will eventually bow to nature and admit that we are aging 'in and out'. But we might be able to retard the brain aging to a certain extent by keeping it active in ways that you mentioned here.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
30 Sep 10
Humans will eventually bow to nature and admit that we are aging 'in and out'. But we might be able to retard the brain aging to a certain extent by keeping it active in ways that you mentioned here.
• United States
25 Sep 10
Zandi, it sounds as though your friend is having mini-strokes. That's what happened to my dad and we discovered it because he seemed to have only about five things to talk about over and over throughout the day. Nothing we did could get him to stop the instant replay. He was having mini-strokes and heading into Alzheimer's. Your friend needs to get a full checkup asap.
1 person likes this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 10
I would have to ask her if she experiences any changes in herself. Maybe it is a sign that she is having a mini stroke. You are really a super-lady that is full of energy. I am sure that busy life is a blessing in disguise as it helps you to exercise your brain to think of what next.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Sep 10
P.S. He showed no outward signs of a stroke such as trouble using one side of his body, downturn of one side of the mouth, etc. Mini-strokes seldom show outward signs.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Sep 10
As for how I keep my brain young...I'm writing three books, have a blog about my cat, write for several sites on the Internet and work on having my works published. Aside from that I have a 95% disabled husband to care for 24/7, handle all monetary affairs, keep house, and do the upkeep for 2 acres of yard. Still looking for something to fill the other five minutes. Hmmm, maybe I could sleep?
1 person likes this
@aerous (13434)
• Philippines
26 Sep 10
I think the good procedure for that are doing exercise daily. Because exercise and eating more vegetable will make our brain alert.. Have a nice day!
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
26 Sep 10
I will try that out.
@aerous (13434)
• Philippines
28 Sep 10
Yup! My friend, try it out if possibly work with you. Because we have different taste in life...maybe it's good for you but not good for the others
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
2 Oct 10
Hi Zandi, you have posted a nice topic, so i decided to join into this discussion as well. Hope it's not too late to express my view here. I ever came across a few of my girlfriends, who really turn senile prematurely. Whenever they came t visit me, we will keep reminding me of how they meet me and how we spend our young age together. Although it gives a wonderful memories for everyone of us, but when they keep on repeating the same story whenever they come to visit me, makes me feel bored. As for myslef, i keep on trying my best to learn new knowledge to upgrade myself through online. I even play online games with my hubby and son. So, i always spend my time beneficially with my family. Most important is, always keep your brain with new input and always make yourself smiling whenever you can. i do agreed that doing mylotting is also a good way to refresh and keep your brain away from aging.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
3 Oct 10
That is exactly what I mean when people keep talking about the past it is a sign of aging. I hope I can control myself and not bore others with repetitive story of the past.
• United States
25 Sep 10
I talk & listen to my 7 and 6 y/o children. As well as play games with them...this helps me keep the brain working.
1 person likes this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
26 Sep 10
When we are occupied by kids actions, we become more alert which is good for our mental health. It is good that you have kids around you.