Some Answers To Help with the Old Age thing...

In my last post entitled "Where Does the Time Go?", I was distressed about the effects of aging on my mind and body...and after writing about that I kept thinking, "There must be some positive and creative way to slow down this process."  I was thinking up some clever time management techniques that I could share with you, if I knew of any...or great mental exercises to keep the brain functioning and memory sharp...again, if I could remember any to share.

And then in our Sunday newspaper came this little "Parade" magazine, which I always love to peruse on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  But I was too busy writing my soliloquy on aging to take time to read the paper. It got shoved under the end table beside my chair, and I didn't pick it up until this morning before getting dressed for work. "Parade" Magazine is the closest thing to a tabloid that I ever read. It's pretty benign, and usually has some good articles. The one that caught my eye was entitled, "Live Longer & Better" by Gretchen Reynolds.  It's actually a quiz to see if you know "what it takes to enjoy a healthy old age."  I've attached a link here so you can take the quiz for yourself!  Parade Magazine Live Longer & Better Quiz , January 27, 2013.

The first question is what got my attention...

1. "Which of these is most likely to improve your memory after age 50?"  The choices are:

• a.  Solving crossword or sudoku puzzles
• b.  Going on regular walks
• c.  Taking ginkgo biloba supplements.

Our walking path

What do you think?  I was happy to see the answer was b., Going on regular walks...especially since that is what I've been trying to do when I can get home before dark and on the weekends.  (Click on this link to one of the recent posts I  wrote concerning taking a walk)  

The other question I really loved was #5:

5.  "True or false:  To feel younger, just open your window blinds.  Answer: TRUE!

"Looking out a window onto natural, outdoorsy scenes may reduce blood pressure and other markers of stress, several new studies show.  More remarkably, in a 2009 experiment reported in the Lancet, older people in Hong Kong who lived near open, green spaces had longer telomeres, a portion of the DNA strand that often shortens and frays with age. In effect, they had younger cells."

Now THIS really made my day!!! Since moving to the forest, I keep my window blinds open all the time (except at night).  I absolutely cannot stand to have the curtains drawn or the blinds shut when there is so much beauty right outside my window! I must have really long "telomeres"!   

I know not everyone has bird sanctuaries and bears and a national forest right outside their windows to look at, but most of us can find something green and beautiful to feast our eyes upon if we try. Maybe combine these two particular ideas and take frequent walks in the park or the woods or wherever you have some "natural, outdoorsy scenes" to enjoy.  If it will actually enable you to improve your memory and feel younger...wouldn't that be worth the extra effort?

Now, my friend Susie over at Recovering Church Lady  might find quiz question #9 particularly interesting:

9.  "What's the best way to motivate yourself to be physically active after age 40?"

• a.  Join a gym
• b.  Adopt a dog
• c.  Cut out a photo of first lady Michelle Obama's biceps
• d.  Hire a personal trainer.

Guess what the answer is?  Yes, Susie, you are correct!  The answer is: "b.  Adopt a dog!"

According to this quiz, "In a recent Canadian study of people up to age 80, dog owners were found to walk about 300 minutes per week, almost twice as many as those without a canine."   

So, for all you dog lovers out there, Susie, Dawn, at "Beneath the Surface" "Jeskmom" at "A Word About Words", and all my other blogging friends with furry buddies, everytime your pooch looks at you with those big brown eyes and wags his tail in hopes that you are going to take him for a walk...you are actually doing yourself a big favor and improving your physical health as well as your mental acumen!  (I don't have a dog, but my walks and open blinds must be improving my mind, because look at that big word I just used! "acumen", which means "keenness of mind, shrewdness", according to Webster.)

 There's my walking buddy, way ahead of me!
I'm the one lagging behind, smelling the flowers and watching for bears.
The Jingle Bells are for the bears, not me...to warn them that we're "out there",
so they better stay hidden!

So, my friends, let's get up off our comfy computer chairs/couches, go throw open the curtains and let the sunshine in, put on our walking shoes, and get outside and improve our brains, feel younger, and stay healthier longer!

I feel smarter and  better already!  How about you???